Ladies Need your help....

[Tnatural]

Can you help a DH and post your best tips for making the progesterone shot easier for DW (IVF)?

-The Doctor refused to prescribe EMLA (sp?) Cream because they said it was taken off market for not being effective, now it is back on the market, and we were fed some FUD about not knowing what adverse effects the chemicals may cause. So even if the stuff works DH is now afraid to use it.

-We have used Ice a few times, but we understand that may inhibit the spreading of the progesterone oil, so we will avoid that.

-We tried Anbesol, but that didn't seem to do much of anything.

-We tried 'flicking' the spot for a few minutes, but that didn't help all that much.

-We never tried any other position for the shot beside DW lying on her stomach (cursing into a pillow)....anyone have any better luck on the side or something?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking forward to another round of the shots.
T

[marya]

Children, pgcy mentioned

Your RE is definately feeding you a line. EMLA was pulled from the market because it didn't have a childproof cap. It now does and is back on the market, along with generics. It is used extensively in pediatric hospitals for all sorts of proceedures, so I don't think there is much worry about safety.

As for ice, the theory about it not spreading is just that, a theory, and is about comfort, not actually hurting the progesterone. Once the ice wears off, your body is back to 98.6 degrees and the progesterone will spread just fine (assuming that the theory does hold any truth). My clinic (which has excellent success rates) recommends icing the area for 5-10 minutes before injection. You can follow this by using a warm cloth or heating pad and massaging the area after if you like.

I have used ice and/or emla for every one of my PIO shots on three separate cycles and I have had two resulting pgcies. (My first cycle was a bust but that didn't have anything to do with the PIO, we transfered poor quality embies).

Good luck!!

Edited to add: More on the ice theory -- I have found no difference in the lumps when I use ice or EMLA. Sometimes I get lumps and sometimes I don't, with no correlation between whether I was iced or not. Also, if you think about it logically, you are icing the top layers of the skin to dull the nerves. Unless you are giving yourself serious frostbite, you are not going to freeze 1.5 inches down into the muscle, which is where you are injecting.

[Georgie1]

I have tried this many ways myself. I have done it standing with the weight on the opposite side of the injection but what i find to be the easiest in laying on my side (this keeps me from jerking once the needle enters-we have had to do do-overs because of this). I too hold on to a pillow. What I have found works great is my dh finally stopped being timid about giving me the shot and did it as fast as he possibly could. The faster he put the needle in the less pain there was. We have done 4 cycles so far although all were negative the worst PIO shots were the first two cycles when he was still afraid of hurting me Hope this helps.

[picklejuice]

This is a tip my RE told me about and it did seem to work. After drawing up the prog and recapping, I ran the syringe under warm water. The stuff is pretty thick and this thins it out. I also never gave my shots immediatly before bed, as moving around gets it distributed, thus lessening the discomfort.

Putting a warm compress on also help alot!

[kara6820]

Here is what we did. Draw the PIO with a 22 gauge needle but inject with a 25 guage needle. Our RE was sceptical that we could actually get the PIO to work with a 25 guage but all you have to do is heat it up in a glass of hot water once in the syringe. It comes out no problem. And the thinner needle feels so much better! Also use a heating pad on the site and massage the area right after injection.

I actually did get the emla cream prescribed per my request as I was scared about the PIO shots. Never once even opened it up to try it though. We had to do 2 PIO shots a day the last cycle but it was never a problem.

[Skidaddle]

Kara - I was wondering what facility/RE you are cycling with here in Illinois?? I am w/Dr. Rinehart in Evanston. I am also on two PIO shots a day and I have not heard of anyone else having to do this.....

[kara6820]

Skidaddle,

I go to Dr. Miller and Zinger in Arlington Heights and Napreville. I started the PIO shots 1 x a day when did retrieval. Then 2 x a day a week later when my progesterone levels were on the low side consistantly. I never heard of any else having to do 2 shots either but it makes sense if your levels are low. It needs to be in a certain range to keep the pregnancy. (Hopefully you are preg!) I was pregnant and at the end of the 3 months of the PIO shots unfortunately I lost the baby. It had nothing to do with the progesterone though. Now we are prepping to start another cycle.

Do you like your RE? I do like mine and the clinic as all the staff are great. I feel informed and they respect my opinions on treatment as well. And the people are simply very friendly.

Kara

[Skidaddle]

Hi, Kara...

So interesting! 2 PIO shots a day (the maximum dosage) is Dr. Rinehart's standard protocol for everyone. After my transfer we inquired about other options and were told that the PIO is the "gold standard" as it is best absorbed by the body and allows them to accurately measure how much your body is actually making (by knowing exaclty how much to subtract out).

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I'm sending lots of positive vibes your way as you get ready to start your new cycle.

My transfer was this past tuesday, and I don't have my beta until the 11th. I am finding it hard to stay positive right now. The progesterone is making me crazy, I think.

I like my RE, but I don't like a lot of his practices and protocols. Also, his wife runs the offices, and she is impossible to work with. (I have some other posts out here about having my DH at transfer, to give you an idea.) We've also figured out that this practice is all about making numbers and being in control.... it's not about the individuals. They are all super professional and polite, but you have to drag info out of them (like test numbers and egg/embryo development) and they hate if you deviate even one bit from what they want done (like if they are supposed to call you back and you get tired of waiting and call them instead). If this cycle fails, we are definitely changing REs and looking for a place that is more "user friendly". I hate to change b/c I think this early in the game that continuation of care is important and, also, this facility/RE has the best stats in this state (as of 2002 CDC reporting).

Best of luck to you! May we all find our pot of gold at the end of the rain.......bow!

[technoidiot]

While drawing up the shot, I ran a washcloth under hot water. I would wrap the needle (the part where the oil was) with the washcloth to warm it up a bit. I didn't want to actually heat the oil coz I didn't want it HOT, but if it's a little warm, it goes in a little better. DH always did a quick brisk movement and got the needle in swiftly. If you know what I mean, kind of dart it in fast. Anyway, I swear my butt was itchy in those spots for the next 6 months regardless. But, oh well. It sucks, you gotta do it, bite the bullet, it only lasts a minute. I would try not to think about it too much when he was shooting me.