fancycanelady
04-05-2006, 02:03 PM
Hi all. I haven't been on in a LONG time. I hope this finds all of you doing well, and taking each day as it comes. I'm still on my cane and having quite a few vision problems, but am still enjoying life as much as possible. :D
I was on Rebif for a little while, but had a terrible allergic reaction to it, so my neuro started me on Copaxone about a month ago. My question to any of you who are also on Copaxone is this------
Do the LUMPS ever go away???????? :confused: For the first 2 weeks, I had NO injection site problems whatsoever, but now, after each shot, the next morning there is quite a good sized lump and they itch a bit. I have massaged the lumps and iced them, but they are still able to be seen.
I'd appreciate any insight you all can provide! Thanks in advance!
Ellen :wave:
I was on Rebif for a little while, but had a terrible allergic reaction to it, so my neuro started me on Copaxone about a month ago. My question to any of you who are also on Copaxone is this------
Do the LUMPS ever go away???????? :confused: For the first 2 weeks, I had NO injection site problems whatsoever, but now, after each shot, the next morning there is quite a good sized lump and they itch a bit. I have massaged the lumps and iced them, but they are still able to be seen.
I'd appreciate any insight you all can provide! Thanks in advance!
Ellen :wave:
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lilc
04-06-2006, 07:55 AM
HEY, FANCY!!! Good to hear from you again. I've been on Copaxone since November. I don't usually get the lump problem, but did need to tweak the needle depth for different sites. Do call Shared Solutions, the nurses have been very helpful to me. (They'll probably call you any day, they called me at least once a month the first 3 months.)
baddoey
04-06-2006, 12:05 PM
I get lumps and bruises. . they suck. . for lack of a better word. . my tummy has these permanent bruises that have been there for months, no more bikinis!. . . my legs are lumpy too. . annoys me considering a run quite a bit and I used to have nice legs!. . I don't have many problems with the arms or hips. .
fancycanelady
04-06-2006, 12:15 PM
Thanks to those who replied! Hi Lilc!
Shared solutions has been calling me on a regular basis, but so far agrees with my neuro that the needle depth should be on "8". What is yours? I started on 8 with no problems and just cannot understand why, after more than 2 weeks, I'm getting these HUGE lumps now for the past 2 weeks! I'm calling to call my neuro (well his nurse anyway - she's fantastic!) and see what they suggest. All the literature I've read suggests that the needle be set on "6".
Everybody.., have a great day!!
Ellen
Shared solutions has been calling me on a regular basis, but so far agrees with my neuro that the needle depth should be on "8". What is yours? I started on 8 with no problems and just cannot understand why, after more than 2 weeks, I'm getting these HUGE lumps now for the past 2 weeks! I'm calling to call my neuro (well his nurse anyway - she's fantastic!) and see what they suggest. All the literature I've read suggests that the needle be set on "6".
Everybody.., have a great day!!
Ellen
orngcrayon
04-06-2006, 01:09 PM
hey! I've been on copaxone since August 05, and I had the lump problem REALLY bad to begin with - they were huge, solid, and painful! They would stick around for 2-3 weeks. I played with needle depth a lot , and that didn't seem to affect the lumps. I massaged them a ton, and that seemed to speed up their disappearance a little (but not much).
I have noticed that when I inject without the autoject, I seem to have fewer site reactions. So when I inject in easy-to-get to places (tummy, thighs), i dont use it. But I still use it on my arms and hips. I keep my needle depth at 6, I guess I'm pretty average weight for a 22 year old... on the thin side, but can pretty easily manage to pull up an inch to inject into =)
The good news is.... after a while, the lumps gradually stopped appearing. I still have a little stiffness around the injection site for a day or two, but no more big, solid lumps. It's hard to tell when that happened - maybe around month 3 or 4? Seemed like my body just got used to it.
I've also had that rushing, anxiety attack type side effect twice. It happens when the copaxone gets into your veins - it's pretty scary, but its just like the packaging says - it goes away on its own in about 10 minutes. I've started icing my injection site for about a minute before I inject, and I haven't had that happen again.
I have noticed that when I inject without the autoject, I seem to have fewer site reactions. So when I inject in easy-to-get to places (tummy, thighs), i dont use it. But I still use it on my arms and hips. I keep my needle depth at 6, I guess I'm pretty average weight for a 22 year old... on the thin side, but can pretty easily manage to pull up an inch to inject into =)
The good news is.... after a while, the lumps gradually stopped appearing. I still have a little stiffness around the injection site for a day or two, but no more big, solid lumps. It's hard to tell when that happened - maybe around month 3 or 4? Seemed like my body just got used to it.
I've also had that rushing, anxiety attack type side effect twice. It happens when the copaxone gets into your veins - it's pretty scary, but its just like the packaging says - it goes away on its own in about 10 minutes. I've started icing my injection site for about a minute before I inject, and I haven't had that happen again.
MarissaC8
04-08-2006, 11:44 PM
HI I was on Copaxone for a long time, when I was first Diagnosed. I had horrible lumps and got really bad about doing my shot everyday. So, I switched then to Betaseron and still had problem with lumps. I am now on Avonex, it is wonderful. The next day you can't even see the marks. The hardest thing about Avonex was getting past the mental block involved in the big needle to do it in the muscle. And, the side effects were bad at first too. Now with asprin, before hand I do just fine and still feel normal in the morning. I just do Avonex just before going to bed, so I sleep through most of the side effects. Anyway, maybe you can switch. Even though Copaxone was doing well for me, my Neuro still let me switch.
xstitcher
04-19-2006, 10:39 PM
I have been on Copaxone since my dx in August 2004 and have had the same issue with the lumps. I don't really get them as bad, but when I do they are painful. I noticed that I can't always get the Autoject straight and then I have even worse lumps. This mostly happens with the arms. I keep the depth at 8 and that seems to help with the lumps. Share Solutions has always been a huge help to me as sometimes I "forget" how to do things. I do it everyday, and like anything else, it becomes routine and sometimes "sloppy". I know this sounds weird, but it made sense when I was typing it! :)
Good luck and don't worry about the depth. The literature is made for the "average" person and who these days is average? :)
Good luck and don't worry about the depth. The literature is made for the "average" person and who these days is average? :)