New Here, Might Have an Infection From Test Prop?

[muffin man]

what's up guys. first off, great site. has been really helpful.

i'm relatively new to steroids but have been around them for years. i've done a couple cycles of anavar here n there and over this past summer i did 9 weeks of test prop (2 shots of 2 mg a week) and cycled in some anavar. i got great results. (aside from the severe pain from the prop which in some twisted way i sort of began to enjoy..) i began at about 175 lbs and got fairly ripped up and ended up about 190. put on some decent size and lost some fat. i'm not trying to get that huge or anything, my main goal was to add a little muscle and just generally feel better, my job is very physical and wears me down at times.

i would get sluggish on some days then feel great the next and after researching more i realized i needed to be shooting the prop more often. (i got bad advice originally).

so here i am now, about 2 weeks into another cycle of just test prop. i read some good advice on this site about what i should be doing while injecting and that has helped decrease the pain.

my whole injection process takes about and hour and a half but it cut way down on the pain of the prop so it's worth it.

anyways, i'm now injecting about .75 eod and my first couple shots went smooth but then, for some reason, one of them went bad and i got the usual severe pain and crazy swelling (looks like i have a softball with an ice cube on top of it under the skin on my ass cheek). no big deal i thought, i've dealt with the pain before and it goes away in 4 or 5 days but...

i think the frequent injections are not allowing my ass enough time to heal between shots so i have tried shooting into my lower and upper glute and alternating but now it's just more area that isn't healing.

THIS IS THE MAIN THING I NEED ADVICE ON: so my problem now is that on my left side i have pretty bad soreness and it feels like my whole upper glute has become like steel. it is solid as a rock. it is solid yet "mushy" like if i push my finger tips into the cheek for few seconds the imprints will actually stay there for a while. my ass cheek is like silly ****ing putty dudes!

no way i can shoot into that. it doesn't hurt super bad but it is fairly swollen and somewhat warm to the touch.

other than the big painful silly putty in my ass i don't feel sick at all, don't have a fever or anything.

i'm thinking about shooting into other areas of my body but all i can think of is this prop is going to kill anywhere it goes.

so any advice you guys could throw my way would be so great. do you think i have some sort of infection under the skin? is it puss? is it the oil? i have no idea but it's bad and i have to shoot again tomorrow and i'm not looking forward to it.

help me out man...

[JiGGaMaN]

Things to consider: learn the difference between mg and ml, its obvious you havent the slightest clue. Then figure out how many mg/ml your prop is. After that, start rotating injection sites and get better gear. If you find the right stuff, every day injections are a breeze. and no you dont have an infection (i didnt read what you had to say about it).

[Pac Man]

Warm = possible infection or just inflamation
Get an anti biotic, watch it carefully for sepsis or even Necrotizing Fasciitis. If you notice any legions hit the ER immediately. I would schedule an appt with a DR pretty quick to get some anti's, if your uninsured pick up some fish flex.
May have hit a nerve, possibly.

[JiGGaMaN]

Warm = infection.
Get an anti biotic, watch it carefully for sepsis or even Necrotizing Fasciitis. If you notice any legions hit the ER immediately. I would schedule an appt with a DR pretty quick to get some anti's, if your uninsured pick up some fish flex.
May have hit a nerve, possibly.

You are telling the man who doesnt know what the difference between mg and ml is to watch out for sepsis and necrotizing fascitis. Im sure hell know exactly what hes looking for. Odds of either happening 10000000000000000000:1. Ill be damned if i somehow get an infection from steroids and my body isnt able to fight it off...

[Pac Man]

BTW here's an article i pulled up.

Injections & Infections
By TheDoctor - MuscleTalk Moderator


Infection can be a potential complication of any injection, due to the very nature of traversing the protective barrier of the skin when injecting. It is imperative to inject under strict sanitary and sterile conditions, to avoid transmitting infectious organisms/ foreign particles into the body. Common infective complications of those injecting Anabolic Steroids include cellulitis and abscesses1.

Cellulitis
The word 'cellulitis' literally means inflammation of the cells (not to be confused with cellulite - the lumpy fat often found on thighs, and buttocks). It generally indicates an acute spreading infection of the skin (dermis and subcutaneous tissues) resulting in pain, erythema (redness), oedema, and warmth of the affected area.

Cellulitis can spread in the skin and involve the lymphatic system causing lymphangitis. Swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) may also be present. It can be caused by many different types of bacteria, but the most common are Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus. Specific oral antibiotics are given to control the infection, and analgesics may be needed to control pain. Elevating the infected area to minimize swelling and resting until symptoms improve, aid recovery which usually takes 7 to 10 days. In severe cases the patient may need to be hospitalized and receive antibiotics through the veins (intravenously).

Abscess
An abscess is a localized collection of pus in any part of the body, usually caused by an infection. Abscesses occur when an area of tissue becomes infected and the body is able to 'wall off' the infection to keep it from spreading. During this process 'pus' forms, which is an accumulation of fluid, living and dead white blood cells, dead tissue, and bacteria or other foreign invaders or materials.

The majority of abscesses are septic (i.e. caused by an infection) but sterile abscesses can also occur which are not caused by germs but by non-living irritants such as drugs. If an injected drug, especially oil based ones such as many anabolic steroids are not fully absorbed, it stays where it was injected and may cause enough irritation to generate a sterile abscess. Sterile abscesses are quite likely to turn into hard, solid lumps as they scar, rather than remaining pockets of pus2.

Superficial abscesses are readily visible and are red, swollen, painful and warm. Abscesses in other areas of the body may not be obvious and may produce only generalized symptoms such as fever and discomfort. A sterile abscess may cause only a painful lump, for example deep in the buttock where a shot was given. If the abscess is small (less than 1 cm or less than a half-inch across), applying warm compresses/hot soaks to the area for about 30 minutes 4 times daily can help.

A culture or examination of any drainage from the lesion may help identify what organism is causing it. Most will continue to get worse without care. The infection can spread to the tissues under the skin and even into the bloodstream, resulting in septicaemia which can be very serious and life threatening3. Unlike other infections, antibiotics alone will not cure a well developed abscess. In general an abscess must open and drain in order for it to improve. Sometimes draining occurs on its own, but generally it must be cut open by a doctor in a procedure called incision and drainage.

Once the sore has drained, the doctor will insert some packing into the remaining cavity to minimize any bleeding and keep it open for a day or two. With time the cavity will heal and one can expect to be out of action for a number of weeks. The healing process will involve scar tissue formation, and this may lead to a residual weakness in that muscle.

Searching the literature I found a number of cases of abscess complications, a few of which are mentioned below to highlight the pitfalls which should be avoided4.

Two cases of thigh abscesses were discovered in male and female professional weight lifters who injected a veterinary preparation of stanozolol contaminated with Mycobacterium smegmatis5.

A staphylococcal abscess occurred in a 24-year-old bodybuilder who reported, for financial reasons, reusing needles on multiple occasions6.

Two case reports of staphylococcal gluteal abscesses developed in young bodybuilders 18 and 21 years of age. The steroids were injected by other weight lifters who were not familiar with sterile injection technique7.

Pectoral and deltoid abscesses were reported in a 20-year-old anabolic steroid (AS) injector who had injected his AS preparation and then returned the needle to the vial to inject into another muscle group. The patient was thought to have contaminated his multi-dosage vial with skin flora and subsequently spread the infection8.

A counterfeit AS preparation contaminated with Pseudomonas spp was responsible for a deep gluteal abscess in one AS injector9.

HIV Infection
The risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or other blood borne diseases is rare. However there have been cases reported in the literature of this occurring10,11. Three separate cases of HIV infection occurred in male, heterosexual bodybuilders who shared needles that were used for AS injection on multiple occasions. One of the individuals who was diagnosed with HIV infection also acquired hepatitis B through shared AS needles11.

It is interesting to note that these cases were predominantly from the 1980's and possibly the drug culture was different at the time, being much more underground. From my own experiences with steroid users and confirmed by research, sharing needles has never been prevalent in bodybuilding culture in the UK, compared with other drug users12.

With needles being cheap to buy and available for free at needle exchanges, there really shouldn't be a risk of contracting blood borne infections by sharing injecting equipment. Unfortunately amongst a minority, there is still a trend to reuse needles and syringes and this should be actively discouraged in order to avoid the complications highlighted in this article.

Precautions to take:

Inject under strict sanitary conditions
Use correct injection technique
Avoid sharing or reusing needles
Ensure medication is legitimate
References

[Pac Man]

You are telling the man who doesnt know what the difference between mg and ml is to watch out for sepsis and necrotizing fascitis. Im sure hell know exactly what hes looking for. Odds of either happening 10000000000000000000:1. Ill be damned if i somehow get an infection from steroids and my body isnt able to fight it off...

If it's a dirty UGL, bad preparation or a number of other things it's very possible. Chances are a little higher than a quadrillion to 1
We've had members on this board with flesh eating diseases, sepsis and other infections

[JiGGaMaN]

The ending part gives a grand total of what, 8 people suffering from a complication? Thats of no significance given population size.

[Pac Man]

Another question, why the hell is it taking you an hr and a half to inject?

[MuscleScience]

Here is a link of a write up I did on this very topic. Pics and additional resources included.

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread.php?t=358617
Hope this helps.

[JiGGaMaN]

If it's a dirty UGL, bad preparation or a number of other things it's very possible. Chances are a little higher than a quadrillion to 1
We've had members on this board with flesh eating diseases, sepsis and other infections

Yeah, thats fair i suppose. Not everyone sterilizes their brew with love and care like mr.jiggaman does. But even so, i'd still say the body can handle it.

[Pac Man]

Even if it's not likely it's still something to keep in the back of your mind. Would suck being that 1. Sepsis is actually not that uncommon.

[JiGGaMaN]

Another question, why the hell is it taking you an hr and a half to inject?

I was under the impression the injection system worked like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj5uaZa1KbQ

[Pac Man]

Yeah, thats fair i suppose. Not everyone sterilizes their brew with love and care like mr.jiggaman does. But even so, i'd still say the body can handle it.

Cause you're the man
For some reason Valentino keeps coming to my mind as I post in this thread.
Talk about an unsterile mofo, dude would drop needles, pick them back up and inject. Hell look at the way the dude eats.

[Pac Man]

I was under the impression the injection system worked like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj5uaZa1KbQ

I think it's more like this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Ps_mOvzrw

[stpete]

Don't shoot in your lower glute man. Your sciatic runs through there somewhere and if you hit that you're in for a world of hurt. Research injection sites, there's plenty of places to shoot.

[MuscleScience]

Don't shoot in your lower glute man. Your sciatic runs through there somewhere and if you hit that you're in for a world of hurt. Research injection sites, there's plenty of places to shoot.

Your fine if you shoot into the right lateral quadrant of your glute

the sciatic runs in the lower medial and lateral quadrant in most people with slight varience into the upper medial quadrant.

[muffin man]

Things to consider: learn the difference between mg and ml, its obvious you havent the slightest clue. Then figure out how many mg/ml your prop is. After that, start rotating injection sites and get better gear. If you find the right stuff, every day injections are a breeze. and no you dont have an infection (i didnt read what you had to say about it).

yeah i admit i kinda don't always translate the amount correctly but i know what and how much i'm using. as far as getting good gear, well i've gotten great results from this stuff so i know it's good but it's just painful as hell.

[muffin man]

If it's a dirty UGL, bad preparation or a number of other things it's very possible. Chances are a little higher than a quadrillion to 1
We've had members on this board with flesh eating diseases, sepsis and other infections

hey man thanks alot for posting that article. what i have going on sounds a little bit like that but it kind of eased my mind because i can tell it is slowly getting a little better.

you asked about my hour and a half long routine for injecting so i'm gonna post it next and you guys can feel free to pick it apart...

thanks again for the response.

[muffin man]

on my first cycle of prop over the past summer the pain was unreal so i searched this site and most of what i do is stuff i got off of here.

i start out by throwing a heating pad on the area and just hang out. when it starts to cool down i reheat it in the microwave while i'm stretching my glute and bringing some blood into it by doing some squats, kick backs and one legged SLDL's.

then i put the pad back on for a little longer while i'm filling up my bath tub with as hot as the water will go.

once it's filled i take the syringe and wrap it up in the heat pad while i jump in the bath for a while.

i sit in there and massage the area a little bit then when i'm ready i jump out, dry off, wipe the area down with a couple sterile alcohol pads, set up the needle by letting some of the oil drip down and lube it up.

when i actually get the pin in i try to go super slow and i'm careful not to let the pin move around too much.

i pull it out and DON'T massage the area as i read that this could be contributing to my pain. instead i clean it up with another sterile pad then usually jump back in the shower and let the water get real hot.

then when i get out of the shower i'll usually put the heat pad back on there for another hour or so.

I did this a few times when i first "studied up" on this site and it worked like a charm. very little pain at all... But on this cycle i guess one of my injections went wrong and shit has just spiraled.

i guess i'm gonna try to shoot another area, either my quad or delt.. i can already feel the pain but seems like there's no way i can get another pin into my ass for at least a few days.

[kingwilliam]

maybe you could try dilluting the Prop with something...

[fujitsupalm]

Hey dude, first up, try doing prop at 100mg every other day.

second, i had some nasty prop with high BA concentration before , it used to kill my glutes and delts it also felt warm as well, but no redness, if you can do 100mg / 1ml of prop eod, then you can possibly cut it with some cotton seed oil, which can smooth things out a bit and less pain.

next time try a different lab, some find some labs painless / almost painless.

[Pac Man]

damn bro, you make love to that prop while you're at it? :P
I've heard prop is painful but damn. I'll stick to cyp