I REALLY don't want to give myself a shot.

[cwthree]

@Enola_Gay

If it’s in your stomach or thigh, here’s a tip that worked for me: Pinch the part of the skin that you are going to inject. So e.g. if you are injecting into your stomach, pinch about an inch of skin/fat very hard, then 1-2-3 jab the needle into the pinched skin -which will be somewhat numb if you pinched it hard enough, so you won’t feel any pain.

I used an injectable medication for years, and I second this advice. Something about pinching the skin like that really does make it hurt less. It also provides a nice, firm surface, which is easier to get the needle into. Remember to let go of the pinched skin after you get the needle in and before you inject the medication.

[Mama_Zappa]

@Airman_Doors_USAF

MO-THER FUCKER…THAT SHIT HURT!

At least I didn’t pass out. But I determined that I would do it, committed to it, and did it. And nearly ripped part of the chair I was reclining in off in the meantime. The needle is objectively tiny. To me it looked like a shiny, glistening telephone pole. Some of the medication dripped from the end when I took the cap off, as if to taunt me that I had to go through with it or waste very expensive medication because I’m a pussy…

You’re past it for this round, but in case you need to do so again at some point:

How precise does the injection need to be? With an EpiPen, you don’t even look - you just jam that sucker against your leg (even goes through clothing).

Is the Humira thing as idiot-proof as the EpiPens are? I mean, EpiPens have to be because you might be self-administering as you’re blacking out from anaphylaxis and all, but: if the mechanism is at all similar with the Humira, and the aim doesn’t have to be as precise, I’m thinking:

1. Clean off the skin area - a larger area than you normally would do, so your aim can be less precise
2. WITHOUT LOOKING, remove the cap from the device, and
3. WITHOUT LOOKING, jam it against the part of you that gets the shot.

I imagine it’ll still be tough to do but simply not seeing the needle and medication may be enough to get you past it.

A couple more ideas: If you’re doing it somewhere where you can grab a pinchload of skin, shake that pinchload before you inject. They do that with me when I’m getting novocaine at the dentist and it really helps as a distraction. Of course the needle isn’t going into the flesh they’re shaking so I don’t know if the logistics of that would work but think about it.

Also: would a topical anesthetic help e.g. EMLA? I don’t know if it penetrates deep enough to help with the burn of the medication itself, but any little bit helps, right?

[Airman_Doors_USAF]

Robin did it this week and yes, it hurt. But at least I didn’t have to do it. I’m not sure if it hurt more or less than the last time because all I felt was pain, but it was easier to deal with. Needles. There isn’t enough smack on the planet to get me high enough to make me shoot myself up with a real damn needle.

[beowulff]

All I have to say is “I hear you, Bro!”

One time, when I went with my wife to get a flu shot, she told the nurse that I had a huge needle phobia. The nurse looked at me and said “I buff guy like you?”
I just shrugged and nodded…