Confessions of a beginner

I get what you mean about the AI responses. The other day I only asked if there were any new ideas about what Lilly might name Reta and it still came back with some kind of agenda.

Now I'm mortified that I even attempted to delete him initially! 😅

Does this leave you satisfied 🤣🤣😘

Worst 3 days of my life!

Honestly AI has been useful. It is a bit funny because I basically told mine that I was going to do this anyway and that refusing to help would only increase risk. After that it started answering my questions, though I still double-check everything. Most of the time it has been more helpful than just being told to do my own research without any direction.

I am old enough that AI does not appeal to me enough to bring it into my usual routines. Most days I barely tolerate people, and I doubt I would like my laptop telling me what to do either.

I am pretty old too! That is actually the best part about AI, no people to tolerate!

I really do dislike AI. It is like that one friend who used to pull out their phone and Google everything mid-conversation, except now the person thinks they are an expert because they read a two-year-old Reddit comment. What bothers me more is companies forcing AI into products nobody asked for, like smart fridges that need an app instead of just making one that lasts thirty years.

Before I switched to pens I ran into the same problem and could not get the last bit with a regular diabetic syringe. I ended up prying the top off the vial with a bottle opener so the syringe could reach inside. Probably not ideal practice though.

We had a short power outage recently and my neighbor texted that all her devices were showing offline. I replied that mine do not even know who I am.

Pens solve that issue when you use a spacer to reach the last bit. The best pen vial spacer is the one from that common online retailer, but I am not linking it or getting anything from it. It is the smallest useful accessory I can suggest for anyone using injection pens.

Thanks for posting that. I thought it was only me losing a couple drops while trying to get the final amount from a vial.

That is a good idea. I just got some luer-lock syringes and different needle tips, so now I can swap to a longer one for the final doses. Hopefully that will reduce the irritation I feel about wasting any.

I do not really understand how the pens work yet. They seem like more work to set up at first but then easier for daily use. Do you reuse the glass cartridges or throw them away?

Do not worry too much. I still see lasting improvement that has not gone away even between cycles. The morning stiffness in my hands and the knee pain only returned when I stopped or pushed the knee too hard. The relief has been better than gabapentin or NSAIDs and with no side effects, so I am fine continuing long term if needed. The sting from the shots comes from the GHK-cu and usually settles after the first couple of weeks.

I throw the cartridges away once they are empty. They are simpler and more convenient once loaded. If you are filtering they are not really harder than using a syringe, plus you can use a shorter needle which is nicer for travel and takes less space in the sharps container.

Thanks, that gives me some hope again. The stinging and itching is worse on my abdomen and gets stronger the higher up I go. Redness lasts a couple days and so does the itch. Since I rotate the area every four days I get a short break from the soreness. Being new to this I am hoping my body will adjust with time.

Some people find that the peptides that tend to cause reactions are much less noticeable when injected into the glutes instead of the stomach.

If you are filtering it does not change much. You just move the solution into the cartridge instead of a new vial. I like pens because they are ready immediately and use the smallest needles. You still need a fresh cartridge when one is empty, just like you need a new transfer vial.

That makes trying the glutes more practical now that I am using pens. I might give it a shot. Thanks.

Are the cartridges much more expensive than vials? I do not mind the usual method, but the only thing that might make me switch is getting pens in different colors.

Not really. The most I paid was a dollar each and I have found better prices since. I do not know what sterile vials cost because I never used that route. It was worth it to me because I used to be nervous around needles and still do not enjoy them.

The cartridges cost about the same or a little less than vials. Reasonable ones run around eighty cents each.

I might look into pens for my husband. He is nervous about needles and I have to give him his weekly shot, which I am not thrilled about. I would like him to try KPV daily but he does not want that many injections. A pen might make it easier for him.

Yeah exactly the crimson marker holds the first item the emerald one the next the pale cyan the following the deep navy the peptide catching my little color joke there the metallic gray the final item a dark brown marker had no match so my junior lab helper ended up with it

Same here. I already know how to research and would not pay for AI to do it.

If you buy one pen and a few five-packs of cartridges to try, you will probably end up ordering more carts, more pens, and basic supplies within a couple days. It is like getting a bidet: once you experience how much easier and less fiddly it is, the old way no longer feels good enough.

I would have gone with the electric can opener comparison, but the bidet example works too.

I had no idea what the spacers were for and thought they were adapters for different pens. Thanks for the explanation. I have just been drawing out the last few units with a syringe. I am excited to try the spacer and learn something new again today.

That user is interesting. Shows up once a month, leaves a short comment, then disappears, yet posted one of the most useful accessory threads I have seen that explained something no one else had covered.

I buy mine from the same place because they actually sterilize the carts. I tried ordering sterilized ones from another site and they were not. You can sterilize them yourself with a pressure cooker or instant pot after removing the plugs first, since closed containers should not go in an autoclave. That is the price of trying to save money. My husband also dislikes needles, so you are not alone.

Just make sure the carts you get are steam sterilized. Even if they are individually wrapped they are not always steam sterilized.

Your signature matches my second post here. It is an accurate summary.

I went back and read the intro post after seeing your comment. It was quite a ride.

I enjoyed that post a lot. There was so much going on and you never knew what the next sentence would be.

How did you change it?

Could you put your question another way? Pretty sure that's not what you meant about how I sign posts, though if it is then you can see it right there.

On the topic of getting some guidance it would help if a discussion existed that explained all the lingo around these compounds for people just starting out like me. Maybe one is already out there but entering that exact phrase in a search engine is unlikely to bring back anything worthwhile. Since I'm inexperienced I'm probably just hoping for an easy shortcut and I realize any replies might simply urge waiting while continuing to browse threads and run my own searches. That makes sense so I'll go ahead and do it. 🩶

My brand new supply box showed up this afternoon and I'm over the moon with joy. Switching away from the telehealth compounded medication scene, the savings on what amounts to nearly a full year of items left me feeling satisfied.

This!