Prosaic Problems.

[wyntre9]

Prosaic Problems.

Can anyone offer advice about the following?

How do you dispose of the used syringes?

How long does it take skin reactions from injection sites to clear?  Can you reinject in the same area?  I

[orphanedhawk]

I'm got we got that established.

[ladybug52]

Cindy brought my attention back to your question. I am nauseous but I don't throw up. I told a friend it's like all the bad symptoms of pregnancy. Nausea, fatigue, muscle aches, difficulty sleeping!  When I feel sick to my stomach I eat saltines, and sip on more fluids. I haven't lost weight or gained it.
Bug

[Cindy10]

Just wanted to respond to you about the nausea thing. Not sure if you will get it but you might not at all. I got it the first shot (just a little) nothing a couple crackers didnt take care of and I have never had it since. I am on week 15.
Best wishes to you!

[dperry10]

Well it appears we are having the same side effects, the total lack of energy.  Yesterday I stayed in bed most of the day watching movies, and kept falling asleep.. felt dizzy every time I had to get up for more water or relieve myself..  I think I slept too much.. I could not sleep last nite past 2:25.  I was up changing channels on the tv and woke up Mike..    My legs felt kinda like the restless leg thing, but hurt.. my bones ached its more what it felt like.
  I was supposed to go pick up the ashes of my 14 year old dobie, which I had to put down on Jan 2.  I still haven't gotten over that.  I sure miss her and her funny little ways.. Don't miss the cleaning up after her, and was part of the reason I had to make that hard decision. She could not feel her back end any more and was hard for her to walk..

I am planning on going to work tomorrow, that is if I feel that I can, and thinking about the short term disability , until I get my sugar in check and everything is not working against the tx.

[compulsive]

Yeah the weakness/lack of strentgh thing was my very first major side and has stayed throughout (anemia).  Yep - the feeling IS as if my legs are just going to quit holding me up, and if I keep pushing I start gasping as if I've run the one minute mile.  Keep an eye on the anemia thing.  Take things slow and easy and rest when you get out of breath.

I am sorry - I was hoping you'd be one of the lucky folks that don't get this anemia thing.  Sometimes the blood counts will level out and then go back up when your body "adjusts" to the medicine.  I hope this happens to you.  Hang in there!

I put my syringes in a coffee can and bring them to the pharmacy.
I reinject in the same area every other week - but I don't have a skin reaction at the shot site, if ever do have a reaction I am not sure what I am gonna do(I'll probably freak out).  I don't get redipens so I don't know what you guys are talking about when you discuss them...

[mauilady]

Wow, your comment about nothing being particularly interesting hits home; it's like my world has gotten smaller.  Things that used to give me great joy just seem to have lost their appeal.  Hopefully this will pass?  Fortunately, I'm not much of a talker, otherwise I'd pass out!!

[pigeonca]

Yep, I've got the fatigue and weakness too.  Took shot #4 last Wednesday night, so today, Saturday, was my third full day of the cycle.  Just exhausted, getting the wobbly thigh thing.  And to think that only a month ago I was doing 3 sets of bench presses @ 65 lbs and 3 sets of leg presses @ 170.  Today I doubt I could lift a feather.  Perhaps next Wednesday's blood work will tell the story - I sure hope it's something that can be remedied.  This really sucks, and nothing seems particularly interesting to me either.

[mauilady]

So nice to have company with all the same sx that I'm going through.  It's been a pretty rough start for me; last night was my 3rd shot and I woke up feeling crappy.  And then there's the riba rage.  But... I've had 3 friends die on me in the past week, not including another friend who passed away last month.  We went to a celebration of life today for one of them (we were supposed to go to another funeral in the morning, but I was feeling so bad, that was simply out of the question).  Our other friend's "celebration" was a real tear jerker, and I cried a river...

Now I'm emotionally drained, but other than that, I *think* I feel pretty good.  I may actually survive tomorrrow!  One day at a time...

[sfbaygirl]

Gawd, can I relate. Kalio and I seem to have similar symtoms of fatigue. I hate to say you seem to join this club. Teaching is so different than laying around... it feels like opposite of what I used to do. I know how you feel! I used to work night and day, running up and down stairs, working with kids at lunch time and prep times and then after work preparing lesson plans. It is soooo different now. I feel like a lump on a log and it is NOT me. My only salvation is that I know it will all be better one day and that is what keeps me going. I have good days, but they are fewer than the fatigued days. If I can get up, shower and get dressed and not jump back in bed, I feel I am doing well. There are days I can go out and garden and cook, then days I can't do a darn thing. I haven't shopped for more than 10 minutes, even at Christmas! Phone calls are a chore. Talking for too long becomes too hard to handle. I don't want to put a damper on your spirit, only to let you know that you aren't alone. Some here do so much more than I can and I am envious, but I know we are all in this tx business together and eventually we will be done and cured. Things WILL get better eventually. So will you. You aren't alone and I am glad you are here and expressing yourself.

[orphanedhawk]

What are you then, a dumb ass? (oooo, that's not nice)

[wyntre9]

Yeah, that sounds like my routine so far; comatose Saturday through Monday, slight improvement Tuesday, almost myself Thursday and back to square 1 on Friday.

And I swear I'm beginning to think I need a cane, or at least a stair lift.

More good advice about syringe disposal.  Thanks.

How many weeks do you have to do?

[ladybug52]

I was worried about spelling wyntre right till "T" came along!
I probably am not doing this right, but I just detach the needle and put it in my can. I use peg-intron, I screw the needle on and then remove it and throw it in the can. I have to throw away the whole syringe that I use with the procrit, it's all one piece.
I have injected in my thigh one time but it's harder for me to pinch the skin and I use my thigh for the procrit.
Probably the neupogen made a difference, I don't know how long it takes to work. I think the fatigue is a generalized symptom for all. I know that the wbc are manufactured in your bones, maybe that's where they get the expression "bone-tired"
Bug

[chcnme]

Oh wow - I remember my reaction. It was pretty bad (or I thought it was).  It got real red (about a week after the injection), it was almost baseball size, kind of raised and painful, itched some.  Took about a month for mine to go away. Ask the doc if your belly gets too tender if you can rotate to your thighs.  I was able to inject 4 times in each thigh (so that's 8).  That would give you good rest from belly.  

You might prevent some of the seepage by not withdrawing the needle so fast.  A little bit is expected, but if it's coming out from your skin too much after your withdraw the needle, you might want to show them what's happening and get some suggestions on injection to prevent that.

Keep your syringes in a tupperware container or anything with a lid on it for now and tell the doc you need a sharps container  (it's called a biohazard container for syringes -- red box with yellow top marked biohazard.  That little red box should have come with your meds  (I got four boxes), but since it didn't come with yours, the docs' office can get you some.  When you get it, transfer the used syringes to it.  Get more than one biohazard box so you can drop it off and have a replacement at home.  Docs office should take it without any fuss when you return it.  They won't take any syringes not in a sharps container, so at some point - you will have to get a sharps container.  

For the weakness?  Motrin or Advil will not help weakness.  It'll help discomfort,  but not weakness.  Your hemoglobin is probably dropping by now, and if so - that'll make you feel really weak and awful and totally void of strength.   Climbing stairs will feel like a hike up a bad mountain side.  Has the doc said what he will do for you if yours gets below a certain point?  Procrit is the "helper drug" for that  IF your doc will use it  (some won't.)  I've heard some couldn't get through treatment without it.  

Hope you feel better.  Hang in there!  Rest.  Just lay down if you feel awful.  It'll help.  Don't overdo it or push yourself because that will make you feel a lot worse if your weakness is due to low hemoglobin.

[ladybug52]

As far a seepage, is it coming out of the injection site? They say that's normal but make sure that the needle is close to the skin as possible and the count to 5 before you pull out. It's normal tosee it on your skin tho, the nurse was with me my first shot and told me that's normal.

[Teufelhunden]

I've got 20 weeks left. WBC's kinda leveled out at around 2.5 my 21st week. Received Neupogen up until then. The Dr starting reading my Neutrophil count after that and I haven't had a Neupogen shot since then. I swear, the Neupogen seemed worse then the Inf. It's fast acting, so by the time I left the Dr's office I could feel it. Maybe it was all in my head. Then again, it gets pretty foggy up there. Sorry to hear about your puppy. Lets hope she (he) sticks around for awhile. They bring as much solace to us as we to them. They're great listeners, aren't they? I've got a Yorkie thats about 4 lbs and I've got to lug her up and down the stairs. Not that she's old, just spoiled.

[ladybug52]

Did you see my comment to you below re: cirrohsis and medzero? I just didn't want you to think I was being a smart-ass
Bug

[wyntre9]

Good idea.  The pharmacist who gave me the meds training told me about syringe disposal but I can't remember what he said.

When the can is full, where do I take the syringes?  Do you know?

So it's OK to re-inject in spots that still have a rash or marks from previous injections?

My platelets, or is it WBC, have been low.  Went from 3.5 the first week to 3.0 the second week and then down to 2.2 so my doc sent me to a hematologist last Friday and he gave me a shot of neupogen.

Is that what causes the weakness, the low WBC?


To tell you the truth, last weekend was the best one I've had since starting tx in terms of energy level.  I almost felt normal for a few days.  I wonder if that was coz of the neupogen.

[orphanedhawk]

Oops, the above was for bug. LOL

[ladybug52]

Nope I'm a bad-ass so you better watch your step!;)

[wyntre9]

teufel,

my bichon is old and spoiled.
She's a rescue pup.  I found her 13 years ago while walking at a nearby park.  She had to have been at least 2 or 3 or maybe older when I found her so she's got to be close to 16 now.

She's had a long, happy, priveleged life and of course I'm going to let her finish it with me but I swear I wish i had someone to lug me up and downstairs.

Even the bird maintenance is getting tough.  I have 6 birds and 5 cages and they fly free through the house during the day coz I don't believe in clipping their wings but I'm close to reconsidering that, too as it would cut down on maintenance.

(My Amazon, Venus, is sitting on my shoulder as I'm writing this. She's absolutely horrified and is demanding I retract that statement.  Ok, I'm not gonna clip their wings.)

Bug, thanks for the suggestions.

For some reason the pharmacist wants me injecting in the stomach instead of the thighs.

Ch, of course you even provided me with the correct term - which I already forgot but at least I can refer back to your comment when I talk to the doc.

[aquarius64]

just wondering and i didn't want to post yet another question, if i did not have any nausea from the first shot or riba yet, does that possibly mean that i won't ever? is it the riba or peg that people get nausea from and/or is is more likely to happen after the tx meds start accumulating more? thanks.

[wyntre9]

I haven't experienced any nausea and it's been 5 weeks.

[orphanedhawk]

I could not shoot myself in the belly, gives me the creeps thinking about it. I was told fatique is the main sx of tx. Like you, I used to be active. I still make myself take a daily walk because its good for your body including your liver. Other then that, try to relax and go with it.
   Pegassist or commitment to care, will gladly send you a get started kit which includes a bio-hazard container for your old needles ( funny it just looks like a plastic thingy).

[Teufelhunden]

My Pegasys kit came with a sharps container for used syringes. The only problem was it only held about 6 or 7 syringes. Once it was filled I took the container with me to my next Dr's appt and they disposed of it. Now I use those containers that flavored creamer for coffee comes in and I keep it under my bathroom sink. It'll probably hold dozens of used syringes. Or a milk carton would work. As far as the injection points, I never liked needles to begin with (starting to look forward to my weekly ritual though. Strange...), but I started out in my stomach and just kept rotating sides every week (wk 28 yesterday). Still chicken about sticking my thigh but, until my stomach presents a problem I'll continue. Probably be a question I'll have to ask my next visit. The riba rash I treat with Hydrocortisone and Gold Bond. I take Motrin but mostly for the headaches. The weakness is something else though! My first few weeks literaly had me using a cane but it's gotten better over time. Friday afternoon is stick day and by 8PM I'm ready for bed. Sat and Sun I shuffle around all hunched over, Monday it's starting to get better, Tues is better yet and Wed I'm almost back to normal(if there is there such a thing as normal).  Hang in there kiddo. When the going gets tough, the tough get going...