August 24th, 2005 - Injections Start

REBIF INJECTION TRAINING DAY


*****I must say that today I feel a whole lot like Michelle and not some weirdo named Michelle trapped in some idiot's body. I have feeling back in almost four toes on each foot. I will even go so far to say that I even feel a little bit pretty today as well. I drank a LOT of tea yesterday and I think that helped with my skin. The nurse came today a bit late, but so was I back to my office because I went on a last minute milk run up the road. It was the second jug of milk today, I might point out because I took a big swig before I left the gas station and the first one was sour. ICK. A swig of sour milk will make anything, especially injection training, something to look forward to after. Anyway, I made my way back to office and Nurse Karen was there about ten after 1:00. She went through all the basics [injection technique, rotation of injection, prepping the site, my autoinjector, disposal]. It turns out the pharmacy is supposed to send you what is called a titration pack. It's sort of like a sampler platter, if you will, of different doses to work your way up to the full one. You start at 8.8 mcg for two weeks and then 22 mcg for two weeks. After that box, then they send you a full 44 microgram dose box. Lucky for me, it seems as if they screwed up. They are sending me a titration box tomorrow by Fed Ex Air and guess who gets a month's worth of free medication with no copay. That's right! Moi! I feel like singing. [Singing: "Luck, be a LAAAAAADEEEY toniiiiiiiight...":End singing, spare readers.] And so when all the explaining was done and she got to the needle part and it was time for the first injection, I just couldn't stab myself. I asked her to give me a saline injection so I could feel what a "stab" would feel like, she said no and that I had to get used to it and do it myself. Again I tried and no quick stab. Just could NOT bring myself to do it. I poked myself a couple of times. After that, I just pushed hard enough and it went in. Success for me I was thinking after my hate relationship with needles. I was a little freaked out, but managed to get my first injection in without a hitch after ten minutes of "prep talk"with myself. I do have a slight headache tonight and my stomach keeps turning suddenly sometimes, but the for the most part, I feel good. My injection site looks similar to a minor skeeter bite. If you are from Minnesota like me, mesquitos are nothing. State Bird, if you will. As for me, I don't have much of a reaction to them. They barely even bite me most of the time. Maybe I smell horrible enough after being outside sweating that I even smell horrible to mesquitos *laughs* If this is all my injections entail, I can handle this. We'll see how I fair after the doseage increases to the full amount. Was it anxiety or curiousity that killed the cat? I forget. P.S. I still hate, er, dislike needles. Better word after today? Yea, probably. Now onto the frogs.*****