OT--Needle phobia vs covid control

I've heard the injection itself doesn't really hurt much at all--until hours later when the arm hurts a LOT. My husband couldn't lift his arm the first 24 hours, but he participated in an international kettlebell competition (online) 3 days later.

If I ever was afraid of needles (definitely as a kid when--because of a heart condition--I used to have two painful injections of penicillin in my tushie every time I went to the dentist plus oral Pen VK for two weeks), I got over it during IVF. I had to give myself two injections a day in my thighs, my husband had to give me 1 -2 injections a day in my tushie, and as you get close to egg retrieval there were daily blood draws. At that point you are so motivated to get pregnant that the needles were a trifle, even when my tushie swelled up into huge welts from the oil the progesterone shots came in.

I saved all of the syringes from the injections. My joke was I was going to make them into a lamp and when my IVF conceived daughter was a teenager I could point to the lamp and say "even before you were conceived you were a pain in the ass".

I never did that, but it MIGHT be a fun gift for her when she graduates from medical school in 2.5 months. OMG!!!!

Janknitz wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 09, 2021 2:14 pm

I never did that, but it MIGHT be a fun gift for her when she graduates from medical school in 2.5 months. OMG!!!!

No, no, no.....I am not old enough for your daughter to be graduating from med school....we haven't been here that long...have we ????
I remember you talking about a teenager.....geezzzz.

Where does time fly to?

I don't like needles...never have...almost always would really like a valium or shot of whiskey before any shot but I used to give them and draw blood from people and start IV's....never bothered me one bit but I was a big baby about getting them used on me.

Most of the pain from the actual needle comes from the size of the needle that is used...the bigger the needle (and it's not length but diameter that is the culprit).
I got my first covid dose at a pharmacy. The pharmacist told me the vaccine is shipped in kits which include everything needed and with a 23 gauge needle attached. Now 23 isn't all that big but the pharmacist took it off and used a 27 gauge (bigger is tinier when it comes to needles) and I really didn't feel the needle prick. If he had left the 23 gauge needle on ...probably would have felt it a bit more but larger needles are really only needed for thick stuff...like that PCN you used to get all the time. We always called the needles used for PCN injections the garden hose needle....they were massive and hurt like hell and then the PCN hurt on top of it....around 18 gauge I thing it was.

I had a minor sore muscle in my arm from the vaccine. No different than when I got my Pneumonia vaccine last year. Not a big deal.
Lasted 2 or 3 days and that was it.

I go for the second dose on the 20th of this month. I am dreading it because from what I have read if I am going to have more than a sore arm it will be then but I know it must be done.

No, no, no.....I am not old enough for your daughter to be graduating from med school....we haven't been here that long...have we ????
I remember you talking about a teenager.....geezzzz.

Yep. So hard to believe!!! I don't know how this happened!!!

My insulin needles are 32 gauge--that is tiny!
The needle for my CGM is as thick as a sewing machine needle, hollow,
and pops right out once the "wick" is inserted.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 09, 2021 2:10 pm

zonker wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 09, 2021 2:01 pm

where were these vaccines given?

(sigh! right after i hit submit....)