HI Erin!! Wooohooo. Yup, lots of advice for you. And, before I give it, congratulations! Taking shots is a huge step and its not something to make light of....even though this will be second nature to you before Christmas time, its still hard getting up the courage to do it in the beginning.
The good news is, if the nurse said you are starting low, then you are doing the titration pack. Thats about 7 mcgs of the medicine the first 2 weeks, 21 mcgs the second 2 weeks and then you go to full strength, which is 44 mcgs. Your nurse is right...the first two weeks are NOTHING! You wont feel much of anything, because the dose is so low. Most people start feeling the "flu like effects" which Interferons are known for when they hit the 21 mcgs....it happens. IN order to avoid it, please try Aleve. (Naproxsen) Its sold just like Tylenol, over the counter, and it lasts for 12 hours~! YOu only have to take 1 pill, not two...and you WILL sleep thru most of the effects. TRuthfully, I take my shot mid morning too many times- especially if I know Im going out that night or have a late afternoon meeting. If I take my shot after 7 pm, I cant sleep....dont know why, its not one of the side effects, but Rebif makes me more alert! (this is a huge benefit to the drug in regards to fatigue). Remember it takes up to 6 months for the drug to reach full strength in your body and start doing what it is meant to do, so dont freak if you relapse in month 2 or 3...I did, and then BOOM. I started feeling GREAT!

The best advice I can give you is to relax...remember that you are taking control of your MS, instead of your MS controlling you. Remember to ice the area prior to injection, and massage (rub) the area right afterwards....I use a product called Arnica to massage with- its sold in health food stores. Its a gel, like Aloe, but it has properties in it which help to prevent bruising....by using it to massage with, I rarely get a red mark from my injections...and when you do get one, it takes about a day to show up and goes away in another 24-48 hours. ITs not a big deal.

Biggest piece of advice is to remember that millions of us are on this drug and it is helping us. I wont lie- its not the easiest thing to get used to in the beginning, but really, once you ve been on Rebif for 3 months the side effects go away entirely. ( I dont take the Aleve anymore unless I wake up feeling lousy to begin with and want to take one "just in case"). YOul be able to travel with this drug- and live a normal life....as scared as you are, and I do remember how scared I was- its going to be fine!
PLease keep us posted? I want to hear how well you did..
Nikki