The Dreaded PIO Shot
The first time I (well... Mike) injected my bum with the dreaded progesterone in oil (PIO) shot, I was so sore the next day! The injection site was all knotted up and I could barely sit at my desk to work. Thank goodness for stand up desks #amiright? After a bit of Googling (my favorite past-time), Mike and I came up with a routine that helped prevent my ass from being so sore. This is how it goes:
Ice the injection site for 5-10 minutes to numb the area.
Warm pre-loaded syringe in a heating pad for a few minutes (the warmth helps the meds go in easier... or so I've read.)
After icing my bum, Mike would then massage the cheek we would be injecting with a rolling pin (Yes, a rolling pin for baking… we didn't have one of those muscle rollers, so we had to improvise, ok?)
Mike gave the injection.
He would then roller-massage my butt cheek again.
After that, I sat on a heating pad for 15-20 minutes.
Sounds crazy, but I no longer had a sore bum from the injections! I did, however, have terrible itching around the injection site for a couple of weeks. It was awful, but it eventually went away. I bruised a little at first too, but it also went away after some time. Mike was actually bummed (pun intended) when the bruises disappeared because they served as his "targets" for the shot. Ha! Don't worry -- he did just fine without them.
We had to do PIO shots every night for roughly 60 days (until I was 10 weeks pregnant). A few times, we had to sneak into restrooms at bars and restaurants to get it done. We got some stank eye, but whatevs! You gotta do what you gotta do.
Side Note: We will be keeping that rolling pin forever. It will likely end up in a shadow box on our mantle someday. It's a great conversation piece, don't ya think? :)
Quoted: "I love being my husband's wife." -- Julianna Margulies
Listen In: "Solemn Oath" by Band of Horses