red, angry and moving: feel free to hijack

[fishdoc]

Hello again... you know how I posted that the angry circles around injections sites had gone away after the first couple of months?  Well the shot from friday before last is angry, red, with 1/3" wide angrier areas, and it seems to be spreading up my stomach today.  Someone tell me "no problem, happens all the time"....

While I'm whining, fridays shot HURT!!  It was like the needle was broken, burred, dull, but it hurt like heck... that has never happened before!!  I tell people that ask that the actual shots are completely pain free...  I LIED!!

[fishdoc]

Thanks everyone, man I am having a bad couple of weeks.  If I bend over, I think I am going to faint, nauseated, week...... who mentioned the dog days of tx? I hope my dog feels better than I do....oops, there goes another flock of waa waa's....
somebody call the waambulance.....

[Magnum]

Yes, both hips. Several times. Last time in 1994. More activity equals more chance of future replacements (revisions). He should do fine once everything settles in. There should be no more osteo pain, just nerves and muscles until the body acclimates.

It was highly recommended to me by my doctor that I limit impact activity or exclude it completely from my life style. In other words, jogging, roller coasters, anything that will impact the hips. It's a gift to be sure. A gift you must not only appreciate, but nurture with care.

Magnum

[Fisheress]

Sorry to hear your shot bothered you so bad.  I do just my tummy too as my legs will not tolerate the meds.  Makes them feel weird! I did notice for the 1st time since doing tx, Sat, lifted my shirt to do injection and had a horrible bruise from the week before.  Yea and the stick does hurt alot of the time so I take the cap from the needle and bite it while doing injection.  Do try a hot compress, they work.  While I was in Biloxi, I got in a hurry to do my injection and noticed where I stuck the needle it was a hard area.  Went ahead w/injection (in a hurry) and a day later it hurt like hell to even move for about 4 days.  The hot compresses helped.  Must have hit a muscle which I did not think possible because I pinch an inch.

So Magnum, you had hip replacement?  How are you doing?  How long ago and did you have both sides done?  The reason I ask, my brother just finished up 2 hip replacements.  He is actually doing very well and has thrown the walker away.  It's only been 5-6 weeks since last surgery.  Did you get the striker hip?  Every now and then, like getting in the car the other day, something happened and he let out a yelp!  Now sore for a few days and that was on the hip that was done 1st.  All I  can think of is the muscle and tendions are trying to heal and get back into place and moving a certain way may set it off.  Let me know, look forward to hearing from you.  Oh and as soon as he is completly healed, I am trying to get him to start tx for his Hep C but I think he will want to wait and enjoy life for a while with his new hips!

Fisheress

[wMich]

Hello fishdoc, I just finished my 48 week regimen and I remember that two out of my 48 injections were in some ways similar to yours. These injections seemed to be troublesome at every turn, from the initial stick to operating the plunger smoothly to the soreness, bruising and red outer area around the bruise after the injection. In my case the angry outer area looked somewhat like a rash but never spread much or moved. I watched the area for infection since it looked like that could have been the case but again, it never spread, never felt hot and swollen and I never got any fever. I was extra attentive to sterility after the last one. These did eventually go away and the last one of the two seemed to take 4-5 weeks to completely disappear. All I did to treat the area was to keep it clean.  I hope your redness and discomfort turns out to be transient also!    - Lee

[Dale_Ray]

I've had this burning shot thing happen a few times and if it burns I stop pull it and stick it somewhere else. I haven't had the purple poka dots in 60 days. I have to do stomach everytime now the legs won't tolerate it. Dale

[Drarig]

Congratualations!  That's great news!  You must be so relieved to be finished.  I can't imagine how good it will feel for you to take that last Riba pill - best of luck to you.

[amirtracy]

hi fish! i like magnums hot compress idea. i hope it helps you. i've got cellular damage after every shot but not like you described. i hope it gets better FAST.


Kilted,
Congraulations! i'm extremely jealous, BTW. best of luck to you post-tx!

[sunspot]

I had a few shots that hurt like the dickens. I went ahead and completed the injection. I had read here that some people withdraw and find another spot upon feeling pain. YMMV.

[Kalio1]

Congratuations on finishing! Check back when you get that post tx PCR and tell us about your SVR! Hope you strt feeling better right away! Must feel great to be done. take care

[NYgirl]

Every once in a while I've picked a spot that DOES hurt.  Mostly my fault for not going to the 'right' place.

I think (personally) more to the side hurts more than the top for these interferon shots (of the thigh) and when I botch up my leg lets me know.

Otherwise I have no trouble.

[Algernon]

I can attest to the damage if you use the same area too much.  Early on, I think I used the same area of my abdomen several times.  Now, post TX, I have this weird soft indentation on one side of my abdomen.  It's like the interferon ate part of my belly (too bad it didn't do it on both sides...cheap liposuction with cheap results...).

[friole]

Sorry to hear about the reaction.  I'm with you on wondering if your needle had a barb or something.  I only have one bad shot area that has itched for about 5 months and is bruised.  I am starting ot wonder if there is a niny piece of the needle point in there that has to work its way out.  I am even wondering if Magnum's suggestion of a hot compress would help me too.

kilted guy - way to go.  congrats of finishing up

[way]

Sorry about your reaction. Is it still painful or just the skin manifestation?
My shot Friday was painful also even tho I did it EXACTLY like Jim said to and the drawback was clean and I still got a black and blue spot.

This was the first time I had pain with the injection. I must've hit a nerve or something. The other 5 times I couldn't even feel it going in.

I was always wondering WHY they tell you to not use the same injection location twice. So the interferon causes skin damage?

So after two weeks or so you can go back to or near the same location?? (that's what Rocker inferred)

[kiltedguy]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the advice, education and a joke or 2 during my treatment. I didn't post much but I read a lot. Shot 24 is done and I only have 4 more days of taking my pills. Then hopefully I will return to a normal life with out side effects. Thanks again!  ;)

[Magnum]

When I had hips replaced. I was getting these nasty, burning shots of Demerol and Vistrol combined. The welts were bad, but the nurse said to put hot towel compresses on them. It did help. I hope they help you. Sorry about your suffering. It won't last forever...

Magnum

[GrandOak]

What I have encountered is that sometimes it depends upon the site of the injection.  I tried one a few weeks ago in a lower adominal area than I previously used because I like to move the site over a period of several weeks.  It turned out that I must have gond through some blood vessels since the area turned extremely black and blue despite the fact that drawback was clean at the time of injection.  In talking with an associate who treats for MS, she told me that she too has encountered that and that her doc explained that the needl blocks the vessels when it's in (thus no blood on drawback) but allows the blood to flow again when needle is extracted.

There was another time when the needle seemed dull and extremely painful in adominal region, so I resorted to the thigh and I beleive it it went partially IM, primarily from the burn if you know what I mean.

I also know that I've had different reactions depending upon the state of my health.  When all is well the injections go fine, no pain, little to no redness, no sx's.  But if I'm suffering from something (i.e. sinus infection, or some other infection, cold, etc.), then the sx's from injection come on, and different sx's depending upon what illness I may be having.

So I know what you mean, and I don't consider myself it a lie if the majority of the time it does go smoothly and on rare occurances it doesn't.

Hoping the chance to vent has helped and that things go better in future.

[Mister beagle bailey]

I know myself, that sometimes I had the red circle from shot night that lasted a few weeks.  However in your case I'm not sure, are you doing any thing different then before?

Beagle