Has this ever happened to any of you?

[CvilleMamaOf5]

I gave myself my copaxone injection last night and it hurt like crazy!!! Normally, it desn't hurt at all until after I take out the needle and the medicine burns a little like a bee sting (which is not so bad anymore). Last night was completely different! The needle went in and it was SO painful! I beared with it but it almost brought me to tears. When I pulled the needle out it bled quite a bit more than normal and was sore ALL night and is still sore this afternoon!

I have a little bruise right beside the injection site and there's a lump (which there usually is but they always go away before the next day).

Did I do something wrong?

[CvilleMamaOf5]

I think I'm just making myself over anxious about doing it wrong. The nurse that came out was great...but like you said, there was a lot of unfamiliar information and she brought her kid who was super hyper and between hers and mine it was a mad house!

The one tonight hurt pretty bad too but not quite as bad as last night. The problem with my stomach, I think, is that there are very few areas that have no scar or stretch marks. I had 5 kids and a tubal surgery...enough said! haha. The 1st injection in my stomach went quite well. I guess I got lucky with the spot I picked. The second one didn't so much hurt but was irritating. It got pretty swolen (more than the others). I called Shared Solutions to have the nurse come back out.

She did give me all the charts and everything (minus the cd), but I worry myself half to death. I'm never sure that I'm actually doing it right. I did, however, watch some you tube videos today and that seemed to help. If I could have someone who had my exact body show me then I think I'd be comfortable enough! But we all know that's not going to happen! I wasn't comfortable enough to lift my shirt or anything to get the nurse to point exactly where, on me, I should do it. But this next time, if that's what I have to do then I will.

Maybe it hurt more today and yesterday because my arms are where I'm most comfortable with and I've done it a bit much there. The nurse set my needle depth at a 10 when I first did my arm. I don't know what the norm is...maybe it's too deep...but she said the 8 wasn't deep enough. I don't know... I know that I have to keep working at it and reassuring myself that I can do it and I'll get it right eventually!

Thanks so much for everyone's help and reassurance! It really means a lot to me!

[twopack]

You may have injected at an angle or withdrawn the needle too soon.  It's also possible you did it exactly as instructed.  Some injections hurt more than others, period.  With practice you will find the techniques that are acceptable and work best for you.  

If you type 'Copaxone injections' into the [Search this Community] bar above the column at the right you will find quite a few topics covering all types of questions new Copaxone users have had.

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU BEGIN TO ROTATE YOUR INJECTION SITES.  Sorry to yell, but this isn't a point we can choose to ignore.  If you continue to pile injections into a single area I suspect you will experience more reactions, lumps and dents.  The nurse should have given you charts, printed info and a CD that explains all this.  If you didn't get the info or she didn't say how important it is, let someone know because she didn't do her job!

Unless your body fat is very evenly distributed you likely need to reset the auto-injector depth according to the site you use.  Hips and belly can often be given deeper than arms or thighs.  Maybe your negative stomach shot was from injecting too shallow?  Give us more details if you think we can help find a solution.

Many people find out the abdomen and hips become their preferred injection sites.  I love them because I have several areas there where the skin is numb.  I can feel the sting a minute after I inject (it's usually very slight now days) but can't feel the needle stick at all.

Since you have a couple weeks of experience giving your own injections now, it may be helpful to get the nurse to come back and review the instructions.  It's easy to be overwhelmed during the first visit when there is so much unfamiliar information coming your way.

Try a little heat to the sore injection site and then massage any lump through the pain (start gentle and work to firm pressure).  All sites need to be left alone for the first 24 hours so the medicine can absorb slowly.  After that they should be massaged to disperse any remaining medicine or fluid that might stick around and form forever scar tissue.

It's common to have lots of questions when starting a DMD so ask away as you think of them.

What new spot can you conquer tonight?
Mary

[jujuminx]

Oh, as far as auto injector settings, within each rotation site you have varying degrees of fat. It is perfectly okay to use different settings depending on what you think works for you.

The very back of my arms I use a 6 but closer to the side I use a 5. The SS nurse told me to adjust as needed.

It's possible your soreness is related to not rotating your sites?  Your arms have the  smallest injection site area to work with.

Julie

[jujuminx]

It is very important to rotate your injection sites. All seven of them! There are people who after a while of injecting and discussing with their dr may choose to adjust their rotations but especially when you are new at it, it's important to follow the standard rotation.

One of the benefits the standard  rotation has is that it gives each area of you body time to recover from one injection to another. Seven days, seven sites. Variation within each of those sites each week. The ab and hips are the easiest for me, the arms the worst but each site gets one injection each week.

As for cold vs hot, I always hated to ice anything but it works for my injections. You might want to ask a Shared Solutions nurse if heat is ok just to make sure.

Good luck.

Julie

[meg321]

Hi Julie, it happens to me too ..actually i am better in my stomach..my thighs are the worse for me.

I actually move around, i was given a chart by my nurse the fiurst time she came around and I follow it religiously..OCD,  but am loosening up a bit.  That disorder makes me crazy.

I have so many craters in my body, its absolutely ruined my social life..lol

good luck, meg

[CvilleMamaOf5]

Thanks for reassuring me! I usually do it in my arms. I tried twice in my stomach and the second time wasn't so fun. My arms seem easier and there's usually a little soreness for the night but when I wake up it's usually gone. The setting I have it on is what they set for me the 1st time and that time I did it in my arm as well. I haven't done it in my hip or legs yet. That scares me a bit.

I woke up this morning and my joints in my arm were very sore and the injection site is pretty painful. I've tried putting an ice pack on it and it doesn't help, kind of makes it worse. Maybe I should try a heating pad. Do you think that will help? I never ice or anything it usually is a slight pain and goes away fairly quick. Ugh...guess this is somehing that is really going to take some getting used to!

None the less, this will not discourage me from continuing to take the shot. I'm just over anxious about screwing up I guess. This one just got the better of me!