Used the 29 gauge. Really pricks. More painful than the 22. Maybe the needle gets dull from going through the rubber stopper. Ouch.
That is the first time Iāve ever heard that one. though I will admit a 22 gauge 1 1/4 really doesnāt hurt going in, but then Iām known for not being pain sensitiveā¦ The muscle being a little sore from the injection is what I donāt like. That wee bit of damage canāt be good in the long run. Obviously you just manage to hit a nerve. I canāt think of a normal way of dilling one of those needles by just going into the stopper. Maybe if you put it in and out a few times. I have backfilled syringes using one of my extra heavy gauge needles I have. I havenāt really found that the needles feel sharper when doing that.
But really you canāt argue with a guy when he says something hurts, it hurts. When he says it doesnāt hurt it doesnāt hurt. So whatever works for you.
Use a different needle to draw - it draws faster with a larger gauge and then your 29 is fresh. Some insulin syringes have to be back filled.
I draw with an 18, shoot with a 25 (IM).
Yes, I think thatās the ticket. Draw from a bigger and backfill the 29. I didnāt know you could do that. I also stuck the 29 in pretty much all the way, 1/2". Maybe not so far. I did a SQ shot in the doctorās office with a 22 and it didnāt feel like much.
I also donāt really understand how hypodermic needles work. But thatās a different issue I guess. Seems like the tissue would fill the hollow point of the needle as itās being pushed in and you wouldnāt be able to force the fluid anywhere.
It also seems like the width of the metal walls rather than the width of the needle itself would be more important.
OK, time for an update.
I was taking arimidex prescribed at .5mg / week at about twice that so I ran out. The new scrip didnāt have the discount so 6 pills (6mg) cost me $20 instead of 99 cents.
Anyway, been feeling a little low energy, depressed, etc. Not sure why. The first few weeks I was on TRT was awesome, but it feels a little bit like āFlowers for Algernonā where I have receded and now those great feelings are a memory. I had actually stopped taking Prozac (20mg/day) because I felt so good, but now Iām on it again.
Not sure if my estrogen is too high, too low, or what. Blood tests in a couple weeks, the last one estrogen was 65 or so (see above for details). Which is high, but since then I added some arimidex. Does estrogen kind of build up over the course of TRT? Seems weird that it would do that, but I have some gyno type pain intermittently, which is why I upped the dose from .25mg/ twice a week to double that.
The workouts are still good.
Sleep is a little weird, wake up with a sky high sex drive middle of the night but have little for an erection and then it goes away. Makes it hard to get back to sleep. Iāve read thatās a sign of too high estrogen, but also too low.
I split up the hcg into twice a week 300iu, maybe Iāll do 3x a week 250-300 iu. My hcg is about a month old and they said it only lasts about a month. Which seems weird as the rubber stopper should keep all the air out. 5000 iu only lasts about a month I might as well take it so itās all used up.
I have noticed some gyno pain after hcg, so maybe hcg is triggering it? Although Iād hate to have no hcg. So what to do.
Anyway, thatās the update, a little rundown, but still hopeful.
Currently 1ml / 200mg cyp, 1x a week
hcg 250-350iu twice a week.
arimidex 1mg / week.
Many use 10,000iu hCG vials lasting 80 days, no problem. Must use BA water, 0.9% benzyl alcohol, not sterile or simple saline.
I have been using #29 syringes with hCG and T for 10 years and never felt that needles were dull. Backfilling wastes T and is an opportunity for contamination. Backfilling advice seems so bro-science.
New blood tests Iāll post official tomorrow but est was about estrogen 30, test 1150, hemocrit or whatever was slightly above top range. This is using same stuff as before with .5 to 1mg of arimidex per week.
I think I did an hcg injection 2 days before whereas they injected hcg a week before the previous test measurement of 700 something. Iām now doing self injecting.
not much new, I split up the hcg and test injetions, so now I inject basically EOD. 100mg test then 400iu hcg.
My hcg is 6 weeks old, just opened it. They said it lasts for 4 weeks āafter openingā. You donāt open it of course, you just penetrate the top with a needle. I use a drawing needle then back inject, I donāt want to dull the insulin needle.
So now Iām on the 2nd hcg vial which had been sitting in my fridge unopened. It seems less powerful than the first. They give me two vials at a time (already mixed). What difference would it make if a vial had been used or not? If it only lasts 4 weeks, then by the time I use the 2nd vial (about 6 weeks in)ā¦isnāt it kind of weak?
So far itās going good, more energy, better workouts, a little stronger.
OK! Time for an update.
Note, still been on the protocol, 100mg test cyp every 4 days (IM). 300-400iu hcg every 4 days.
Estradiol, Sensitive 32.9 8.0-35.0
Testosterone, Serum 736 348-1197
PSA 0.9 0.0-4.0
last PSA was .7, hope thatās OK.
My original DHEA was on the low side
DHEA-Sulfate 108.7 71.6-375.4 ug/dL Final MB
that was measured before TRT began.
Wonder if supplementing would help.
Before this blood test the last injection was 100mg of test cyp 5.5 days before.
They HAD asked it to be one week before but that was with weekly 200mg injections. Given a half life of 8 days, it works out about the same.
Also taking 1/4 mg arimidex every 4 days.
Calculate new arimidex dose for E2=22pg/ml target:
New dose = 0.25mg * 32.9/22 = .38mg [.654mg/week]
T dose is 175 mg/week.
Take anastrozole at time of injections
Dissolve anastrozole in vodka, 1mg/ml and dispense by volume or by the drop.
Get Rx increased.
Doing labs halfway between injections is the true objective.
TT=736 seems a bit weak. See if you can increase Rx dose by 20%. If you can get that you need to increase anastrozole dose by 20% again.
Many use hCG for 80 days without issue.
Should be shipped to you dry so you can reconstitute it your self and the clock starts running then. If made up with AB water, 0.9% benzyl alcohol, bacterial damage is impossible, its all about wet time.
Do not back fill hCG, simply use an insulin syringe. Dull needles is bogus. How many diabetics back fill - zero. Back filling creates opportunity for loss of sterile technique.
thanks, theyāre actually shipping it pre-mixed, refrigerated. Kind of odd I think, but they insist.
They prescribed 200mg / week, for some reason I made it 100mg / every 4 days, trying to even out the injection time. TT 737 seems weak, but itās after 5.5 days. It would be 16% higher at 3.5 days given an 8 day half life.
If you want a change and they will not, find a new supplier.
this supplier is pretty cheap, $70 with shipping for 10,000 iu.