injection pain

[luclisblu]

Why are the injections so painful, even with numbing?

[Hidden]

Hi, sorry to hear you get pain, not sure if its during or after?. I have only had 3 inj so limited experience but this is what ive found:

1 sharp pain means you need more anaesthetic / they need to give it time to work - i havent had this but what ive been told by my clinic

2 dull prod like pain , makes you twitch (but bearable), even after double anaesthetic - they told me i just have sensitive eyes and that the anaesthetic has worked because didnt feel the sharp pain

3 incredibly painful, deep pressure, feeling like your eye is being squashed inside (had this my first time !) - they are pressing down too hard on the eye clamp which keeps your eye open. They have to press a bit to steady your eye but it should not hurt. I now try to focus steadily on a single spot and I always tell them about not pressing hard.

4 After the inj pain can be due to the antiseptic wash they use, you may be sensitive to it - they can use a different one so ask about that if you need. Ive read some people use a sterile wash after to rinse their eye but Im not sure thats a good idea, ask your clinic if they think its ok.

5 Also after the inj shooting pains in / around back of eye - just had this myself a week after my 3rd inj and its because the eye is dry (have posted separately on it) , your clinic can give you eye drops which do work.

6 generally speaking eye inj are a difficult thing to contemplate, we have a heightened sense of dread and i do think this does make any pain you genuinely have feel worse - i try to focus my mind on other things before and after but I do take a couple of paracetamol before the inj now and it has helped (maybe all in my head but hey better than not!).

I also relax after in a dim lit room, treat myself to food i like, use a hot pad near but not on my eye (others use cold) and also on my hands (to give my brain something else to focus on), put on a favourite dvd (again as distraction, cant really watch it), try to sleep.

i must say, my 3 have gotten steadily less painful both during and after - the 1st was excruciating took a week to get over, the 3rd i was fine within a few hours. Most people also do not seem to get any pain so there is hope for us !

My advice on any pain you experience is to talk to your clinic about it straight away esp. as pain after the inj can be an indicator of infection.

Best of luck going forward, x

[luclisblu in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for replying. It's the injection. The first one did not hurt, just pressure. Now, because I've complained about the pain a few times, he takes too much time numbing. Or not. I just don't know but I lay there hearing sounds come from me like a wounded animal. I did take a pain killer about an hour before this one and it still hurt really bad. My problem is in both eyes so I have 2 injections a month (12, so far). I'm just about at the point of stopping treatment. The doctor can be pretty rude and takes it personally when I complain. Can't they use smaller needles or something. I'm becoming desperate as Wednesday grows near. As far as after the injection, it feels like sand in my eye until the next day. I don't like complaining but I've really got to find some answers. Thanks and best of luck to you, too.

[Hidden in reply to luclisblu]

Im so sorry for you, i felt like this after my first, thinking it was so bad i couldnt have any more. But the alternative is blindness or close to it. The dread builds I know but balance 1 week of awfulness against 3 weeks of sight......... it might help you to have counselling, to talk to someone about everything, the emotional impact of all this is huge x

Also, check out NLP as a way to help you deal with the dread (your gp should know about this, its a type of cognitive therapy).

They have to wait to let the numbing work, cant do it too soon.

Can you ask for a different person to do it?

I have refused (in writing to the clinic manager) to have the 1st dr anywhere near me again !

Things have been much better for me since that.

Ive had a different dr and also last time a nurse practitioner, both a million times better than the first dr !

The gritty feeling is common, its the antiseptic, if its too bad ask if they can change it? My last one was ok, dont know if the eye gets used to it.

The needle is small, I asked to see it.

it sounds to me like they need to do the anaesthetic better and you need a more gentle sympathetic person.

There must be someone ese they can give you - my suggestion is that you make a fuss, explain its so bad you think of stopping, and ask them to tell you why you cant have someone else do it. As a last resort ask for referral to another clinic?

Sending you a big hug, stay strong, these inj are our best hope xxx

[luclisblu in reply to Hidden]

It's crazy how much business this guy does, mostly older. I've considered going somewhere else but it's a small town. I guess that's better than outright quitting. A friend of a friend did stop and lost her central vision. She still drives, amazingly. She had over 30 injections in the same eye and just couldn't take the pain of the injection any more. Since they finally came up with the injections, why not try to find something a little more civilized? haha Thanks for the good wishes and the same to you.

[Vikki513 in reply to Hidden]

If u are not happy with ur Dr. Find another one. The shots are very common now. U can find a new Dr.

[Synska in reply to luclisblu]

There is a system which involves 'fooling the brain'. Imagine that your eyeballs are on springs, and you allow them to fall out of the sockets and bounce about suspended by the springs. (Your brain will understand that in order to do this....your brain having no actual knowledge, will accept this action as fact...... will relax all the muscles involved). This definitely lessens pain and tension. You can also lessen general tension by imagining that you are breathing out through the base of your skull.

[reidman]

Big needle lot of pressure when injected. I have had one shot where the doctor numbed the inside of the eye with a shot, he went in a little at a time. It was great had no pain even after, wish they all did it that way.