Part 5: The Needle I Was Terrified Of

(And What Week One Actually Felt

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My first week on the Tesamorelin/KPV blend — the injection I dreaded, the sleep I didn’t see coming, and an honest look at everything I haven’t noticed yet.

The package came. And then it just… sat there.

If you read Part 4, you know the FedEx truck pulled up three days after I ordered. What I didn't tell you is what happened next: not much. Because between “it's on my porch” and “I'm actually going to put a needle into my own skin,” there was a whole lot of nervous I wasn't expecting.

I am not a nurse. I have zero medical background. And I had fully convinced myself I was going to somehow hurt myself.

Spoiler: the thing I was most scared of turned out to be the easy part.

I was so scared of the needle. I really shouldn't have been.

Here's the honest truth about the injection, fear and all.

The needle is thin. Very, very thin — and short. Almost like a little butterfly needle. You pinch up a small area of skin wherever you're injecting, and it slides right in at a 45 degree angle. Easy. I kept waiting for the part that was going to hurt, and it just… didn't come.

I want to be clear: this is my experience, on a protocol my EllieMD practitioner set up specifically for me, with their oversight the whole way. I'm not here to teach anyone how to do this — if it's something you're curious about, that's a conversation for you and a real provider. But for me, personally? The mental hurdle was so much bigger than the actual moment.

A sweet little detail I'll keep forever: a couple of those first nights, one of my boys was right there with me, watching. And it wasn't this big dramatic thing. I gave myself the injection, and that was that — just part of the routine now. Part of taking care of myself, with my family right beside me.

The protocol I'm following

I'm doing five days on, two days off, at 20 units — exactly what my practitioner laid out. No freelancing, no “well, maybe I'll just…” I'm following the plan as written, because the whole reason I chose a path with medical oversight was so I wouldn't be guessing.

What the first few days actually felt like (the real, unfiltered version)

Because the scale and the highlight reel never tell the whole story, here's everything my body did in week one:

Tenderness at the injection site. The first two days were tender, especially day one. From what I understand, that's the Tesamorelin. It settled down after that.

Bloating — but only at first. Day one I felt really bloated. It tapered off after that and hasn't been an issue since.

A little irritable. I noticed myself being a touch short and irritable those first couple of days.

Not sure if that had any correlation with where I naturally get irritable before my menstrual period or not... So I genuinely cannot tell you whether that was the peptide or just my cycle. I'm not going to pretend I know something I don't.

The thing I did NOT expect: the sleep

This was the surprise of the week.

One night I was up later than I usually am — later than my normal bedtime by a good bit.

And I fell asleep with zero trouble. The next morning I woke up genuinely rested. Not dragging, not exhausted, not reaching for a third coffee. It's almost like I got deep, real sleep.

Now — full transparency — I don't have an Oura ring, so I can't show you a graph or a number to back that up. I'm just telling you how my body felt. And it felt good.

What I'm actually doing this for

Let me ground all of this, because it's easy to get swept up in the new-and-shiny of it all.

The real reason I'm running this little trial is my skin. I'm hoping the KPV side of this helps with my acne and the eczema-type reactions and irritations I get from my food sensitivities.

That's the win I'm watching for.

And one week in? I haven't seen it yet. My skin hasn't changed. The scale hasn't moved but up and down .2 ounces. I haven't lost any inches around my waistline. Nothing on that front.

And honestly — I'm okay with that. Because eighteen months with my MAKE Wellness routine taught me one thing for sure: this is quiet, patient work. The good stuff almost never shows up in week one. It shows up later, slowly, and then all at once. I'm assuming the skin and waistline changes (if they come) live somewhere down the road, not on day seven.

Heading into week two

So that's week one. The needle I dreaded was nothing. The sleep was a gift. The skin is a “we'll see.” And I'm right on protocol, ready for the next stretch.

What I'm watching for going forward: my skin, those histamine-type irritations, and eventually that stubborn belly area I mentioned in Part 4. I'm not rushing it. I'm trusting the process, staying consistent, and letting my body do what it's going to do in its own time.

If you've been walking this road with me — stay close. I'll be right back here with Part 6.