I have a question concerning the shots. Are they difficult to give? Painful?

the reason I am asking is that if I am indeed Dx-ed and get put on something where I have to give myself shots, I was just wondering.

I currently give myself a B-12 shot each month. I couldn't do it by myself for years. My husband always did it and it was always really painful. Finally I bit the bullet and did it myself. Not only was it NOT as painful as his were, but I found I really had no trouble at all. I actually felt like I could have been doing this all along. But I have no clue about the Rebif,etc. shots so I was just wondering if they are more difficult to give or do they have to go in a certain place, etc. I inject the b-12 in my thigh muscles.

Thanks,
CJ

Hi CJ,
Just got home from work and was surprised to see you didnt have 1000 responses...You will probably get them, as people get home from work...
anyway, I didnt realize you already do intramuscular injections. If you can do that by yourself, youll have NO problem at all with any of the MS Therapy drugs...some are intra-muscular, some are sub-cutaneous. Rebif, which you asked about, is subcutaneous..
You asked why 2 hands...if you use the autoinjector, you really dont need 2 hands. However, if you do a sub-cu injection with just the syringe, you have to pinch the skin with one hand, while injecting the syringe with the other...as the medicine goes in, you release the pinch....they train you in all this, so dont think you have to learn it now..thats just the short answer on why you need two hands.

The autoinjector is pretty cool, actually. As long as you have enough skin to inject into- no muscle, remember, fat pockets only....any loose skin is good! Because Im soo small and have very little body fat, I was having a problem using the auto-injector. It injects quickly and almost painlessly- but I couldnt get into pockets of fat....thus, by using TWO HANDS and USING THE SYRING WITHOUT THE AUTOINJECTOR, I can actually pinch some fatty tissue and inject into it...

You asked about pain. There is a slight burning with Rebif, it lasts about 20 seconds. They teach you to massage (rub) the area after you inject...honestly, by the time you have rubbed it for a minute, the pain is completely gone..and the pain from the medicine itself does lessen as your body gets used to it. I feel it now, while it goes in, but as soon as Im done injecting (10 seconds later) I forget it even burned. Its not a horrible pain, just a slight burning feeling...some people dont even get it. As far as places to inject: Rebif goes like this: they call it the Rebif S T A R Macarena....
3 times a week:
Right side
1st shot Stomache
2nd shot Thigh
3rd shot Arm
4th shot Rear

then go to left side, same thing...

Youre actually only hitting 3 spots a week, only 3 injections total..but if you write down where you went and follow it thru the S-T-A-R Macarena, then each week is on a different side, starting wherever you left off the previous week..its really easy, trust me.
With Avonex, most people do either the thigh or butt area
With copaxone, there are more areas, because you inject every day
Betaseron patients generally use their stomache

All of this is subject to whererver works best for you...and each medicine comes with training from a nurse from the company you chose- and they do spend quite a bit of time with you and do follow ups with you until you are used to it....you are already ahead of the game- you can already do a muscular injection! (where were you when i was getting achtar gel injections every day for a week? I had to go to my doctors office!)

Youll be fine...but I hope this helps....
Hugs,
Nikki

Hi CJ,
Just got home from work and was surprised to see you didnt have 1000 responses...You will probably get them, as people get home from work...
anyway, I didnt realize you already do intramuscular injections. If you can do that by yourself, youll have NO problem at all with any of the MS Therapy drugs...some are intra-muscular, some are sub-cutaneous. Rebif, which you asked about, is subcutaneous..
You asked why 2 hands...if you use the autoinjector, you really dont need 2 hands. However, if you do a sub-cu injection with just the syringe, you have to pinch the skin with one hand, while injecting the syringe with the other...as the medicine goes in, you release the pinch....they train you in all this, so dont think you have to learn it now..thats just the short answer on why you need two hands.

The autoinjector is pretty cool, actually. As long as you have enough skin to inject into- no muscle, remember, fat pockets only....any loose skin is good! Because Im soo small and have very little body fat, I was having a problem using the auto-injector. It injects quickly and almost painlessly- but I couldnt get into pockets of fat....thus, by using TWO HANDS and USING THE SYRING WITHOUT THE AUTOINJECTOR, I can actually pinch some fatty tissue and inject into it...

You asked about pain. There is a slight burning with Rebif, it lasts about 20 seconds. They teach you to massage (rub) the area after you inject...honestly, by the time you have rubbed it for a minute, the pain is completely gone..and the pain from the medicine itself does lessen as your body gets used to it. I feel it now, while it goes in, but as soon as Im done injecting (10 seconds later) I forget it even burned. Its not a horrible pain, just a slight burning feeling...some people dont even get it. As far as places to inject: Rebif goes like this: they call it the Rebif S T A R Macarena....
3 times a week:
Right side
1st shot Stomache
2nd shot Thigh
3rd shot Arm
4th shot Rear

then go to left side, same thing...

Youre actually only hitting 3 spots a week, only 3 injections total..but if you write down where you went and follow it thru the S-T-A-R Macarena, then each week is on a different side, starting wherever you left off the previous week..its really easy, trust me.
With Avonex, most people do either the thigh or butt area
With copaxone, there are more areas, because you inject every day
Betaseron patients generally use their stomache

All of this is subject to whererver works best for you...and each medicine comes with training from a nurse from the company you chose- and they do spend quite a bit of time with you and do follow ups with you until you are used to it....you are already ahead of the game- you can already do a muscular injection! (where were you when i was getting achtar gel injections every day for a week? I had to go to my doctors office!)

Youll be fine...but I hope this helps....
Hugs,
Nikki

Thanks, I definetly have a lot of loose skin and still some fat so I shouldn't have a problem finding an area to inject in if it comes to that. Since I don't mind needles at all I don't know why I went for years having hubby give me the B-12 shot. I used to be a phlebotomist, so I've been poked so many times in training and poked so many other people, plus I have 10 years of allergy shots and the last 4 years have seen me have more blood work and IV's than I can probably count. So I defintly don't have needle phobia anymore. :)
I use my thigh for the b-12 as its just an easy area to get too. Dr. said I could do arm, butt or thigh. I think I would like the autoinjector. The part I hate is drawing up the B-12 in the syringe and tapping it. My only phobia is the air pocket, but since it doesn't go in a vein, then I'm ok I guess. :)

Hey, you brought up a good point, and since you are already so knowledgable (im so impressed) I can answer that question. REBIF comes with a bubble in the already prepackaged syringe...you DONT TAP it out. I wasnt entirely sure on this two weeks ago, however I HAVE CONFIRMED THAT YOU LEAVE IT IN. The reason for it is for packaging, so that the medicine doesnt separate....also, when you tap it, you risk the medicine dripping on the needle part- thus causing burn when you inject. THey said NOTHING will happen if you tap it out, but its SOOO MUCH EASIER TO LEAVE IT IN! Whether you use the auto-injector or just the syringe, it stays.

So, rest assured, youe only going 10 mm under the skin....not hitting a vein or artery is almost guaranteed. And, I have hit a vein once or twice, not knowing it was there. I get a drop of blood, and its over....its not a big deal, nor will it hurt you...you just dont want to do it if possible. YOu dont have to check to see if you hit anything, by withdrawing the syringe...you just aim, point and plunge. VERY SIMPLE. And, I can say that, since Im back to doing my own injections for the past few shots!:D
Hugs to you...and really, im impressed, you should have absolutely NO PROBLEM at all with this!
Nikki