First copaxone shot tomorrow...

[cochrajk]

I have put it off for some time now, but the injection training nurse comes tomorrow after work! I have pulled my shot out of the fridge. I think a glass of syrah will be my saving grace tomorrow to calm myself down just enough to get past my desire to not inject myself. Maybe I will break out one of my bottles of wine that I have been saving for a "special occasion." First shot is a once in a lifetime event I suppose.

Hopefully I don't get too horrible of a site reaction.

Here's to a new day of not letting my MS control me more than it has to! Cheers.

[Angel@]

a big hug from me and I'll be thinking of you!!

you'll do great tomorrow!
greeting,
Angela

[ActiveMSers]

Joy, you'll rock that shot. Let us know how it goes! It's important to remember that it'll burn the first month or so, so don't let that discourage you. It WILL go away. Trust me.

These days, my Copaxone shots rarely burn (if ever) and I might get a stinger where I curse--I call it an MFer shot--perhaps once a month. It's usually because I didn't let the alcohol dry and I was impatient. Good luck!

[CathyH]

your first shot

Joy, i am thinking of you:-)

I think shots become routine after a while,I really think it does get easier. At the beginning it helped me to take a big deep breathe, and remind myself that this was a surefire way to fight this Damn MS THING! I could feel the power! Go for it!

Cathy

[Angel@]

hey

how's it going? how was your first time?
greetings,
Angela

[cochrajk]

I used the autoinject for my first two shots...First day left arm, second day right arm. It definitely has a bite to it, but I am hoping that it goes away soon. It is manageable. More so than I expected.

Still having a glass of wine prior. Told my brother if I keep up a drink first he may have to pick me up from rehab in a few months...but actually I am surprised how much easier it is. I am tempted to try manual and see if it has less bite or sting to it, but that might take a bit of courage on my part.

Thanks for the encouragement. I needed it!

[CathyH]

autoinject

I use Rebif and found that the autoinject was more harsh and left more of a mark on me. I think you have to experiment with what works best for you :-)

[cochrajk]

I let my significant other give me a manual injection in my hip today. I am not sure if it is due to the fact that my hip is a little tougher than the back of my arm, but it still swelled, but not nearly to the same extent as the auto-inject, and looks a lot better about 5 hours later. (Both my arms still have large lumps and swelling.) By Friday I just might have it in me to try the manual shot in my thigh.

Still working my way through the bottle of shiraz and the first week of shots. Thanks for all the tips of the trade. They have been very helpful.

[Angel@]

hi,

glad to hear that you keeping up the spirit
cant give you any advice or tips about the shots and the marks they leave, as I'm "doing" Avonex and thats not under the skin....

thinking of you,
greetings, Angela

[RunMS]

I inject Copaxone as well.

I feel it interferes with my daily life less than the side effects of the other drugs out there. This way I can keep doing what I do best - running, stationary biking, etc.