Ok, I am tired of getting shot in the gut. The Humira patient leaflet thing has a diagram showing you can shoot the top of your thigh muscles. Hmm... don't know if that hurts worse or not but it's worth a try.
Step 1) Ice the leg until it is completely numb
Step 2) Prepare shot
Step 3) Wipe injection site down with alcohol
Step 4) Injection (done by someone other than me)
Step 5) Scream: HOLY MOTHER OF A BISCUIT! NEVER IN THE LEG AGAIN! NEVER IN THE LEG AGAIN! HOOOOOOOOLY CRAP! OH MOTHER OF PEARL!
Step 6) 10 seconds after step 5: Recover with slow deep breaths and ponder why you shot yourself in the leg. Did the needle/drug hit a nerve ending? What the heck.
I must say that the injection was ridiculously painful- much worse than the stomach, like I thought that was even possible... However, the pain was not residual like it is when I shoot in the stomach. It just hurt like crap for about 7 seconds, then it was done. And the allergic reaction was much smaller and did not itch. SO... do I shoot my leg or my stomach on Sunday? Decisions, decisions....
Post a comment and vote LEG or STOMACH.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
i failed...
Long story short... I finally got brave and decided to give myself my shot under the supervision of my doctor-to-be-husband. He offered to at least hold the shot in place but I refused the assistance. (After all, we had already done two previous shots this way) Well, I pinched up my skin, pushed the button and felt medicine go in, but apparently I didn't hold the shot tight enough against my skin so the needle didn't even go sub-q. Suddenly there was $700.00 worth of medicine flowing down my stomach and onto my leg. Awesome.
That was my last shot in the fridge so we said screw it, at least I got a little bit of drug in me. We'll just give me the next one two weeks from now as scheduled.
Oh, and Chris will give me the shots from this point forward.
That was my last shot in the fridge so we said screw it, at least I got a little bit of drug in me. We'll just give me the next one two weeks from now as scheduled.
Oh, and Chris will give me the shots from this point forward.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
nothin's happenin'
My health is good, which is why I haven't had to write anything lately. The Humira shot this past Sunday produced a much less intense local reaction. Weird. I always take 25 mg of Benadryl, but for some reason the red, itchy patch was much smaller and not raised like usual. This is a blessing, but I'm perplexed.
I haven't had any flare-ups in my joints since mid June. A miracle, to say the least.
I'm doing some research into other treatment options for Crohn's. TNF-alpha blockers are just too intense. Too many strange, hidden (and unhidden) side effects. In my ideal world, I would have surgery to remove the diseased portion of my small intestine, then never have symptoms again. That would be a wonderful day in my life...
Until then, I will continue to trust the Lord one day at a time. He clearly is taking good care of me. :)
"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well."
James 5:15
I haven't had any flare-ups in my joints since mid June. A miracle, to say the least.
I'm doing some research into other treatment options for Crohn's. TNF-alpha blockers are just too intense. Too many strange, hidden (and unhidden) side effects. In my ideal world, I would have surgery to remove the diseased portion of my small intestine, then never have symptoms again. That would be a wonderful day in my life...
Until then, I will continue to trust the Lord one day at a time. He clearly is taking good care of me. :)
"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well."
James 5:15
Friday, August 29, 2008
Everything is going pretty well right now! Still no stomach problems, of course, and my ankles haven't been acting up either. =D
So I had a strange occurence on my neck a few weeks ago... I went biking one evening and came back with a ringworm fungus on the side of my neck. Random?! Chris confirmed that it was fungus, so I promptly went to walmart and bought some generic fungal cream (i know it says "for athletes foot" but you can use it for just about any fungus, believe me.) So I apply this cream like twice a day for 4 days or so and wah-lah! fungus is practically gone. But suddenly my neck is extremely dry, red, blotchy and itchy. Great. Husband-doctor Chris examines it again and says he thinks my ezcema has flared up on my neck due to the fungal cream drying out the skin so bad. Awesome. So I lather up my neck with Aquaphor just about everyday (whenever I actually remember) and hope that it simmers down without the use of steroid cream. Whenever I did anything that got me hot or sweaty, my neck would itch like crazy to the point of me wanting to claw it off. I was miserable during our entire game of disc golf last weekend. Anyway, thanks to my sweet husband for faithfully applying moisturizing ointment to my neck, the ezcema is finally under control I think. You can barely see it now.
I do have dry ezcema patches all over my legs, but I'm lazy (let's be honest here) and don't use lotion like I should, so that's what I get.
The positive thing to take away is that I'm not sick and I can walk without issues! Praise the Lord.
So I had a strange occurence on my neck a few weeks ago... I went biking one evening and came back with a ringworm fungus on the side of my neck. Random?! Chris confirmed that it was fungus, so I promptly went to walmart and bought some generic fungal cream (i know it says "for athletes foot" but you can use it for just about any fungus, believe me.) So I apply this cream like twice a day for 4 days or so and wah-lah! fungus is practically gone. But suddenly my neck is extremely dry, red, blotchy and itchy. Great. Husband-doctor Chris examines it again and says he thinks my ezcema has flared up on my neck due to the fungal cream drying out the skin so bad. Awesome. So I lather up my neck with Aquaphor just about everyday (whenever I actually remember) and hope that it simmers down without the use of steroid cream. Whenever I did anything that got me hot or sweaty, my neck would itch like crazy to the point of me wanting to claw it off. I was miserable during our entire game of disc golf last weekend. Anyway, thanks to my sweet husband for faithfully applying moisturizing ointment to my neck, the ezcema is finally under control I think. You can barely see it now.
I do have dry ezcema patches all over my legs, but I'm lazy (let's be honest here) and don't use lotion like I should, so that's what I get.
The positive thing to take away is that I'm not sick and I can walk without issues! Praise the Lord.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Allergic Rxn
So the last four or so Humira shots have produced a localized allergic reaction on my stomach. The injection site gets a very large red, itchy area around it and it feels hard under my skin. A couple doses of Benadryl clears it up in one day, so my doc isn't too worried about it. The shots are keeping me Crohn's-symptoms-free, so we don't take me off the med just yet. I continue to have issues with my ankles getting arthritis-like problems, but the pain and inflammation goes away and comes back later. It's weird. The eczema on my legs is trying to flare up again too. I think I even have some spots under my arms- no wonder they were itching...
Philp 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philp 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Trust God- he knows what he's doing.
Trust God- he knows what he's doing.
In response to Thomas' comment
Hi Tom-
I use the pen. There is no way you could convince me to use the syringe. People say it's less painful only b/c you can inject the medicine more slowly. I'm not gonna try it. (Fortunately, my hubby injects it for me, anyway.) Plus, with the pen, you can't mess up. You push the red button and it does all the work.
My loading doses hurt like crap b/c the medicine was cold. It felt like fire, as you probably read. The trick is to numb the injection site with a cold pack for at least 10 minutes (I usually go like 20). Make sure you get the shot out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to give the shot so that it's not cold. It's very tolerable- not a big deal at all. The medicine goes in for 10 seconds while you hold the pen, then you're done. You can't see or feel the needle. I haven't had any post-injection pain or site irritation. I bruised once.
Humira is working like magic for my disease. I had a reaction to the Remicade after a year, even though it was also working magically for the Crohn's. Humira is MUCH easier, much more convenient and much less painful (no IV!!)
You've got to have good Rx insurance- Humira is an expensive little booger without it.
Good luck at the doctor!
Best regards,
Sara
I use the pen. There is no way you could convince me to use the syringe. People say it's less painful only b/c you can inject the medicine more slowly. I'm not gonna try it. (Fortunately, my hubby injects it for me, anyway.) Plus, with the pen, you can't mess up. You push the red button and it does all the work.
My loading doses hurt like crap b/c the medicine was cold. It felt like fire, as you probably read. The trick is to numb the injection site with a cold pack for at least 10 minutes (I usually go like 20). Make sure you get the shot out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to give the shot so that it's not cold. It's very tolerable- not a big deal at all. The medicine goes in for 10 seconds while you hold the pen, then you're done. You can't see or feel the needle. I haven't had any post-injection pain or site irritation. I bruised once.
Humira is working like magic for my disease. I had a reaction to the Remicade after a year, even though it was also working magically for the Crohn's. Humira is MUCH easier, much more convenient and much less painful (no IV!!)
You've got to have good Rx insurance- Humira is an expensive little booger without it.
Good luck at the doctor!
Best regards,
Sara
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