Day 20 - How easy it is to use Gonal-f

This is my 5th day of Gonal-f injections, and I think I'm getting pretty good at it! My hand does get a bit shaky to begin with, but once it's in, it's all good. So far, no skin irritations, no bleeding. I did have a bit of a mishap this morning where I couldn't remove the needle from the pen, but otherwise no dramas.

Today I've added some pictures of my prepared shoot-up area, with a description of the whole procedure below.

Preparing the injection site

My nurse recommended that I inject after I have a shower, because I'm already nice and clean, otherwise I would have to swab my stomach etc. But I just wash any lotions from my hands, throw on my bath robe and I head out to the Shoot-Up Area.

Preparing the Shoot-Up Area

I've chosen the bench next to the kitchen to be my Shoot-Up Area. It's close to the fridge where you should be keeping your injection pen. I keep my roll of paper towel and sharps disposal unit on there, and give the bench a quick spray and wipe down before I start. I lay down some paper towel and grab the kit from the fridge.

The prepared Shoot-Up Area with all the necessary bits

Preparing the Gonal-f Pen

My kit has a whole bunch of screw-on needles that come in little sealed packs. Once I remove the lid on the pen, I peel off the seal on the needle pack and screw it on to the end of the pen. There's a small window that indicates the dosage amount. I dial the end of the pen and stop when it reaches 150. Check there's no air bubbles. Then I'm good to go!

The prepared Gonal-f Pen with needle

Get down to business

OK, usually I inject below my belly button and to the side, where there's plenty of fat. And I will alternate sides every day. I grab a nice chunk of fat between my thumb and forefinger and insert the needle at a 90° angle. Once it's in, I let go of the fat, let it rest in there for a little bit, and then press down on the button at the end of the pen. Hold it down for 10 seconds, then remove the needle. Easy!

Needle Disposal

I screw the outer cap back on to lock it on to needle, then unscrew the whole thing and toss it into the yellow sharps container. Done! Then I pack everything up ready for the next day.

I've found the whole "injecting myself" thing deceptively easy. Almost too easy. Thank God SOMEONE put a lot of thought into it, because you can't really screw it up. I hope the close up of the needle doesn't freak you out, but it really isn't as scary as I thought it would be. I can hardly feel it.

Good luck if you're trying this for the first time!