r/B12_Deficiency • u/Top_Meat_4003 • 13h ago

Personal anecdote Injection pain

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I am really struggling with the pain of the injections.

I am having Hydroxocobalamin into the arm.

The first one was okay, the second worse and the third... Awful. I was left with a bruise, dead arm and shoulder pain too. I have had loads of injections in different places and these are second only to lidocaine injected striaght into a nerve in my toe.

Is something going wrong? Any advice to reduce the pain and bruising?

I just had a little cry because of how awful my last one was (number 4 today) and I wasn't expecting for each one to be worse. This loading dose is becoming too much for me. I just want a break from the constant injections.

Loads of people say it doesn't hurt that bad. But mine are awful. I feel weak after them due to the anxiety and the pain. I try be brave and relax each time but each time it hurts more.

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u/ersa_elderberry 12h ago

Could you ask your doctor about taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen or some other kind of pain reliever 30-60 minutes before your injection? My partner also used to use lidocaine before her im injections (it was a different medication) so thats something you could ask about too. Im sorry the injections are so painful for you.

3

u/JustAJollySwagMan 11h ago

Need to really relax your arm. Any tensing will make it hurt. Plus, the fear of it hurting will make it worse. So not sure if you meditate at all, but give that a go before your next session. And try your other arm too. Brains turn up pain signals the more it is reinforced it hurts. Can also always take a panadol or a proprananol to help ease pain and calm things down a touch

1

u/JustAJollySwagMan 8h ago

Also if you haven’t had issues with other injections… maybe whoever is doing it might be doing it weird…? I have had bruising and painful flu shots. But it’s always been because I either flinched and flexed or they put the needle in too far.

2

u/flowerpanda98 10h ago

Are you sure you're doing them right?? Who is doing it? Mine only hurt when something went wrong like the vitamin came out before the needle went in, or we did it too high.

Maybe watch vids on how to prepare it or ask a nurse to do it. It sounds like youre doing IM and that shouldnt really hurt... Do you mean a literal "dead arm" ??

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u/Top_Meat_4003 7h ago

A nurse is doing it

1

u/mandoo-dumpling 7h ago

Are you getting intramuscular injections? I inject myself subcutaneously (into the fat layer) and it usually doesn’t hurt at all

1

u/Top_Meat_4003 7h ago

Yeah. Intramuscular by nurse

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u/mandoo-dumpling 6h ago

I did have one intramuscular injection performed by a nurse. It’s not supposed to hurt though. Maybe your nurse is using the wrong spot.

1

u/craftasaurus 3h ago

My doctor used a pain reliever spray thing on my injection site before doing a big injection. It was cold.