Other places to inject

[cali1892]

Are there other places to inject subcu?  I have big red, sore spots on both thighs, both hips and now both arms. I have not used my abdomen yet. And I really don't want to.

[twopack]

What's your hesitation about the belly?  Is it a hard mental idea to get past or some other reason?  It does seem that a belly shot would be painful.  Truth is, you barely feel it there.  My abdomen does seem to get a bigger welt in a shorter time span but it doesn't last (gone by morning after bedtime shot) and the injection itself hurts less than in the thigh or hip.  The stinging has nearly disappeared at all sites after 7 months of treatment.

Short term tenderness at sites isn't unusual but more intense or longer lasting pain can be a sign that you are injecting too deep and going into muscle.

Do massage those lumps out.  If you don't help them along after 24 hours they tend to want to become long term tenants.  Sometimes it is necessary to give visitors a nudge out of your residence.  It's always easier to get them moving after a day than it is a week, month, or....well, we are not even going to think beyond that.

Let us know a little more about how your doing and what you may need help with.  The sites shared solutions offers are the typical ones used for any subcutaneous injection, especially those that are self administered.  If you are running out of room while rotating to all the sites, you definitely need to discuss the problem with your doctor or Shared Solutions.  I have found SS to be pesty at times but very helpful at other times.  It's certainly worth trying.

Mary

[sllowe]

Checking in to see if you tried the belly like mentioned, it's my best spot too....

[HVAC]

If you are new to Copaxone it could be the initial reaction some people have it should get better if it does not you need to tell your neurologist. Sometimes they can give you an antihistimine. I take zyrtec anyway so I used to take it with injections. Your Doctor can tell you other sites you can use.

SS is not allowed to tell you other sites by the FDA because those were the sites used in the drug studies and they have to use the exact protocol. Also you need to massage those places well 24 hours later, not before 24 hours have past.

For me the stomach was the easiest. OH and you need to go straight in with the needle and pull slowly straight out. You might need to play with the depth if you use the auto injector, some folks find going deeper helps I found going at less depth helped. Whatever you do do not go deep on the arms and make sure you stay away from the area above the elbow.

Some redness and bumps for a few days goes with the territory. Mine were walnut sized.

Alex

[Lulu54]

I'm with DV - the abdomen is the least painful spot.  I posted last week or so that the shared solutions hotline nurse told me that there are other spots we can use than the 7 identified in their literature.  She said to talk to my neuro if the spots I'm using become difficult and get him to tell me where else I can rotate these to.  

For the life of me I can't figure what's left on my body that isn't already being jabbed!!!

I was talking to her about the lumps and she said all of us should be massaging those lumps/knots about 24 hours after the injection to break up the lump.  She suggested doing it in the shower, where the water acts as a lubricant.  

Stick with it - it does usually get better.

Lulu

[doublevision1]

Abdomen is actually my least painful site to inject.
How long have you been doing injections?  Those spots will get smaller and smaller as your body adjusts to the drug.  Just make sure they're completely gone before injecting in the same area again.