Are you using the autoject?

Are you letting the alcohol dry before injecting. Make sure you let it dry for at least 30 seconds before you inject. My dad gave me a shot tonight, and he basically just wiped the skin and then stabbed me. That really hurt! I have to always remind him, otherwise his speedy nurse training takes over and he just stabs and quickly injects. (when manually injecting, count to at least 10 or 15 seconds while slooooowly injecting, less painful that way)

Have your cotton ball out and ready, hold it just below the autoject and when you remove the autoject from the skin, put the cotton ball on the site as quick as you can, just in case it bleeds.

The reason for the bleeding would probably mean that you accidentally got a vein. It happens sometimes. I've had a few "gushers" from injecting too far back on my thigh, which is why I've learned to be ready with that cotton ball.

I've been using the C since october (late september???) and it was extremely painful when using the autoinjector. I finally got tired of the killer bee stings every day, and asked my dad (a nurse) to show me how to inject manually...which is not quite as painful. Since, I can control how fast the injection happens, rather than harpooning myself with the autoject.

It does get better...eventually. If you're getting really painful site reactions, you can always contact Shared Solutions and ask them to contact the injection training nurse and they can come back and see if it's a training issue or if there's something wrong with the needles or autoject. They can also teach you to inject manually.

I've had a couple of nasty site reactions (dull needles again) and so I've had my dad give me the last couple of shots in areas that I cant really reach (let's just say the upper part of my butt stings a bit right now)

Oh, another thought on why it hurts. Before you put the needle into the autoject, tap your finger on the side of the syringe, and make sure that any bubbles are at the plunger end of the needle, and not the needle end of the needle. Air bubbles can be painful if you inject them. That could be a major reason for the bee sting effect.

I went thru a lot of angst when getting the autoject ready for the bee sting...I was getting so stressed out that I just finally went and asked my dad to show me how to do it manually. It was so much easier and less painful. I still get a bit of angst, but it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

If you're capable of doing manual injections, try that. I think it does make it easier, and plus, you can slowly remove the syringe, and that way you can get the cotton ball onto the injection site quicker.