A lot of pain from PIO injections

Is it normal to feel a lot of pain from the PIO injections? My muscles feel extremely sore and it hurts to walk or even stand.

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

Oh man - I am not there yet, tomorrow night we start progesterone. I am dreading it.....

I would mention the pain to your doc though. Maybe there is something they can do about it.

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

Honestly, yes, it's normal. I only had to take them for 4 days total but walked like a penguin for about a week. It hurt to sit. It was not fun. I iced the area for about 20 minutes beforehand and I think it helped a bit. I give tons of credit to the people who do the PIO shots for several weeks.

Hope u start to feel better soon.

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

Don't ice the area it will only make the shots worse. Its oil so cold makes oil lumpy (like when you take oil based sauce out of frig, its all hard etc...). You need to apply heat to the area to dissipate the oil. The needle goes right in so it does not hurt. Also, right after the shot massage the area for about 5-10 minutes (I usually use the gauze while massaging just in case any bleeding, though should not really bleed). This breaks up the oil and allows it to be absorbed better. I use one of those microwave heating pads. I use it before and after the shot and never had any problems. I leave it on after for at least 20 minutes. Another thing to try is to hold the vial of PIO in your hand to warm it up before hand.

Good luck, this should hopefully solve your problem.

Forgot to add: when you are getting the shot it really helps to bend forward and stand on the leg not getting the shot and bend the leg on the side you are doing the shot. Helps relax the butt muscle.

Message edited 11/29/2009 6:50:14 PM.

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

the first day mine was really bad but then DH found a nice meaty spot on my backside/lovehandle and it was fine. after injecting it he rubbed the medicine around on my body for a minute to spread it and that seemed to help too.

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

I felt that way after my first IM injection... but it does get better!

I did PIO shots 2x/day for the first 10 weeks of my pregnancy and I honestly ended up liking it better than progesterone supps!

Are you injecting yourself?

I always had DH do my injections. I would lay on the bed and try to just relax my muscles as much as possible. We'd take the PIO out of the fridge about 5 minutes before the injection so that it could warm up a little, then DH would inject in the upper right quadrant (of right cheek) or upper left quadrant (of left cheek) with a very quick motion. After, he'd massage the oil in for a few minutes.

After a few days, it started to become more numb in that area and then ir really wasn't bad at all!

Hang in there!

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

I do my own PIO injections. You can ice beforehand, which I found quite helpful to numb the spot. However, unlike other IM injections I have had to do, you need to apply heat after PIO injections and massage the area so that it will move away from the injection site. Make your tush muscle relaxed.... if you keep it tight your muscle will hurt more.

Sorry you are uncomfortable.

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

It does hurt, I am not going to lie and the area was very sore for weeks and week even after I was done doing the shots (which I did for about 10 weeks total). I iced the area with an ice cube for a few minutes before the shot, DH did the shot, as fast as he could and then I used the heating pad (actually I used the microwave kind of heating pad) for about 5 mins after. I never had any lumps but there was always pain/numbness for awhile after.

Good Luck! It really isn't as bad as it sounds and it does get better. I would do it again in a heartbeat if we had to.

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

yes, it it sore in the beginning, after a while the area just becomes numb

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

I use the EMLA cream (lidocaine) and it numbs the skin so I don't feel the needle going. However... I DO feel the soreness the next morning, and it lasts all day. On the second day, the soreness is almost gone (but then it's time for another shot in the other cheek!).

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

Re: A lot of pain from PIO injections

i used to ice the area for a few minutes before the shot, then i would lean over on the bed and stand on the opposite leg that DH was injecting. afterwards I would warm a towel in the microwave and he would rub the area for 5 minutes. I felt that this helped a lot!!!

What size needle are you using? I was first using 1 1/2 inch needles but I was in so much pain, and I asked the dr's if I could switch to a 1 inch needle. I am petite, so they didn't have a problem. When I was using the 1 1/2 inch needles I could barely walk!