Self Injecting - Is it Hard?

[NYgirl]

I just found out that when I start my treatments later this week I will have to learn to do the self injecting on my own.

I've never done anything like this and am not sure that I can (chicken little is my new name).

Has anybody had any trouble? How did you get over it? Is it hard to do?

Please let me know how I am going to do this. I'm just freaked out as it is about being worried about starting the tx and now this made me even more scared.

Thanks guys.

[can-do-man]

"Self Injecting - Is it Hard?"

Is this a hep-C question???    :)

[winner727]

LOL  yeah , thats funny .         i only had trouble once in 48 shots . and it was human error .        i forgot to screw on needle tip before adjusting dose .   doohh !  

[nygirl7]

T4 count normal and TSH too (whatever they are) "


HA was there a day when my TSH didn't matter to me?  Is this even really ME? Boy i sound so much younger. Naivety is a wondrous thing.......sad when it goes away :(

So many really good peoples names on this thread I had forgotten about - the old timers when I was a newbie. Well now we are the oldies......that is hard to imagine when reading these posts that 5 years later I'd still be here trying to give back. But anybody can see now how little I knew and why this forum is so important to me and how it impacted my life.

So here I am typing away..................................................

Be careful James of I'll get on a plane and come and zap you!  :)  x

[GSDgirl]

We learned how to give injections in high school vo-tech 1978 & 1979 Medical Assistance 2 year class.  We also did bloodcounts, poking the finger and filling the pipettes, spinning it down.  In those days we did not wear gloves and I would bet that we even reused the razor thing.  We would go pull friends from their class to get different "samples" and a few teachers let us give the Vit B shots.  I often wonder if it the hep c came from then.

I did not go to the class but heck my puppy bites hurt more LOL.  I really can't picture you being a chicken shite, buy hey......you did it and PREVAILED!!!

Denise

[Marcia2202]

lol.... this is hilarious sis'

I can't even imagine you like this...

hahaha

[jusjames]

zap you while you slept !  ha ha i love it.
you are the sweetest .
x

[nygirl7]

It's so far back I didn't even find out I was stage 3 yet or that i would become more than quite proficient doing three shots a week at injecting and for 72 weeks at that.  Waaa I had so much faith!!!

Boy I'm a little kid - a newbie bean!  So sweet and innocent and so nice and all...............look what the meds have done to me during the past five years!!!!

Boy I was scared I even brought my mom to the lesson in case I chickened out she was going to zap me while I was sleeping I remember!

Oh those were the days!!!!!!!!!  ;)

[jusjames]

yes lets keep bumping the post to remind NYgirl how sweet and innocent she used to be ha ha

[FlGuy]

Time Warp Thread.  Can you believe the rookie question that the author posted?  I hope she learned something by now.

[spectda]

I guess many of us have had practice sometime in the past unfortunately. I think you'll get used to injecting yourself quickly. It's not a big deal. Good luck-Dave

[mongo1234]

like "iwill" said its all in the mind, after a few ijections and you realize it aint so bad you will be ok, of course i may be a bit better (for lack of better term) off than some or most as far as neddles go due to the fact thats how i caught it was by shareing neddles so they do not botter me (neddles) but oh proud to say iv been cleen for 26 years now.

[mongo1234]

Dear all, as far as the injection goes it aint so bad, the neddle is so fine (small) that you barelly feel it anyway but the fact it is done in fatty area ( exp. stomach) wich masks it even more it can hardly be feelt, i think the psycological part is the biggest hurrdle. kinda like when you get a small cut, its like ow oops you wipe off the blood and put on a band aid and you dont even think about it it over quick but to sit there with a small razor blade knowing you HAVE to cut yourself for a small blood sample seems so hard to do.

[NYgirl]

LOL how far away is Long Island from me? NOT FAR!!!!!  

We do have a big group going on here and could throw quite some crazy party!  Why they would be sure we were drunk (even though we wouldn't be) because we are all so crazy!  :) Meant in the nice way of course!

I would totally be up for it as long as I dont get major sx which I just am going to refuse to get!

I never knew negative could be my favorite word until your post you know!  :) :) :) :)

[cuteus]

my half sister is in Westchester! and you have a lot of MH members nearby, Amerabrit, who is MIA, lives close by, and rearfang, cquest, donl( in MAss), I am in LI, Don Alfonso in the city, we have enough people for a big party!

[carpedi]

I'm on #12/48 this week and to date my hair is still firmly attached! Don't know if it'll stay that way, but so far, so good.

[NYgirl]

Thank you EVERYBODY for all the help.  I felt so much better about everything last night. I even bought a notebook to use as a journal for all the things I don't want to forget.

I don't know what I would do without you all.  My doctor has told me NOTHING at all about anything really (maybe my fault as I did not have the right questions yet) but since he's not been through it...he wouldn't really have a handle anyways.

Another quick question I thought of:  what about hair loss? Is it not so bad (as my doctor told me) or does it all pop out?

PS I am in Westchester County right outside NYC.

Debby

[friole]

Such good info on this thread, I haven't thrown in my 2 cents.  

Before my first shot (am on 9 now) I watched the Pegysys video and it looked so easy I told myself, I can do that - and called the nurse and said I would forego the lesson.

Picked up my prescription on shot day and it was NOT the tidy prefilled syringe, but the vial.  I asked the pharmacist and he said that the "prefilled" was not circled on the rx so I had to have the vials.  Then they gave me some syringes - 22 gauge (huge) with 1" needles. Yikes! That was a nightmare, but I got through it.  Was not as tidy as I anticipated tho.

I posted here and people told me what size needle to have (27ga or 25ga) and I got those for the next 3.  Before I refilled I talked to the nurse and she straightened out the pharmacist who apparantly was pretty green and didn't know that the  prescription was ONLY for the prefilled syringes. THose are so much easier, I can assure you. That first shot took a 1/2 hour and now I can almost do it in a commercial.

regarding viral load.  I think the standard that everyone uses here is international units (IU) per mililiter (mL) of blood.  I don't see many speaking in terms of the one.numbers.  Mine was 1,520,000 before tx.

I use the Janis sight each step of the way. In understanding viral load, biopsy results, and a multitude of other things.  There is indeed a wealth of info there.

Glad you are getting started and have found this place
Kathy

[rearfang]

NYgirl,
Just wanted to welcome you. I've only been posting short responses the past several weeks, so I'm glad to see that all these folks are coming to your rescue. BTW where are you in NY?

Don, Giidy, Whoa, maj,
Hi you guys! I've been thinking about all of you. (Cuteus, too, but she's been ever-present, as always, and I mean that in the absolute BEST sense!)
Lauren

[cuteus]

my  1st dr suggested zinc, vit e and biotin during tx. the 2nd could care less, but said no to milk thistle. run things by your GI, before spending too much

[v eggie dip]

for what it's worth, I showed my liver doc my list of vitamins and he said they were all very safe to take, but, advised me to stop taking vitamin E..apparently there was a study that showed vitamin E caused cardiac problems...however, the study did not state the pre exisiting conditions of it's subjects or age...

I have not taken E off my daily regimen...

If you decide to start taking vitamins be careful with your multi...things like centrum and one a day have very little minimum daily requirements and basically do nothing...

I also would love to take nu-liver but it is not available here in canada and they will not ship here, but I would add that to my daily if I could....

Beth

[NYgirl]

Thanks Veggie!

A lot of the one's you have are on my list of potentials.  I mean only to take one's that I am sure won't mess me up more but I really think that HELPING the liver with antioxidants and such is probably a really wise move you know?

I have to go down to the shop on Friday and start picking some things up a bit at a time.

I had to throw out my multi-vitamins (still have to actually) cause they have extra iron and vitamin K & A and I read not to take too much of that.

I am intersted in grape seed and garlic and vitamin c and e and things like that.  I have been reading about milk thistle too.  I wish that I knew for SURE what was good and safe but I am very glad to see you are on the same track as me.

I want to try and make this as easy as possible on this poor abused body!

[v eggie dip]

forgot to mention I take Milk Thistle as well, thanks Jim  lol  your post reminded me of it...got brain fog today!

[v eggie dip]

hi there!

I can give you my input of using vitamins/supplements before starting tx...

I have had severe joint and muscle pain for quite sometime...since I learned of my active virus I started using vitamins on a daily basis...

Last winter I was doing physio therapy for my right forearm 3 times a week (they called it tendonitis)...as well as acupuncture, none of which worked...

Since I started taking vitamins most of the pain is gone and I do not feel as fatigued...As far as taking them if and when I start tx, not sure...I do know I wouldn't want anything to "mask" the tx but would like to maintain if possible...I will cross that bridge once I decide on my tx...

This is what I take on a daily basis

Sam-E
Vit E
Vit C
Seleniuum
B Complex
Big Green multi vit
garlic

Tallblonde has much knowledge on vit/supplements if you want more info

Beth

[jmjm530]

LOL. Yeah, I'm looking forward to the big NEGATIVE but still have a ways to go.

I'm not really against vitamins and herbs per say, but more directly to your question, I'll address the issue while you're on combination treatment.

I see nothing wrong with a multi-vitamin without iron, but wouldn't go hog wild at your local health store grabbin everything in sight. :)

Milk thistle is highly controversial while on treatment. Some say it helps, other say it works against treatment. I say why take the chance? Let the big boys (inteferon and riba) do their job. I'd also stay away from any herbs during treatment unless you're prepared do do A LOT of PERSONAL research and again risk affecting your chances of SVR. Personally, I'm not taking anything right now but been thinking of taking a multi-vitamin pill lately.

-- Jim