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Originally Posted by Natalie8
Thanks everyone for your previous supportive comments. I feel like a trespasser here because it seems that everyone knows each other so well! But I'm going to bother you with a newbie question.
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Don't ever feel like a trespasser here! Everyone is welcome! This is your home! We have all been in your shoes
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Originally Posted by Natalie8
I've been on the copaxone for only 10 days now. Does it ever get any less stressful to inject (and of course this is daily). Will I eventually get mostly used to it? It just hurts so freakin bad-- it's like getting stung by a bee every day. And I think, oh my god I have to do this for the rest of my life. I thought I was doing okay the past few days...thinking this isn't too bad, I'm not having very intense reactions but then tonight it bled and left a huge nasty white welt surrounded by a red rash. Anyone know why it bleeds? I think the stress got to me and I just broke down sobbing. Every day the shot is just a reminder of the MS and maybe I really haven't adjusted to the diagnosis yet? Sometimes I ask why me? The general population has a .5% chance of getting MS. The odds are so SLIM yet here I got it. In the meantime, my husband is having a hard time adjusting too. After all we had only been married 3 months when all this came down. I'm sure he wasn't expecting to get such a raw deal (wife with chronic illness) in the bargain.
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I have been on Betaseron and Copaxone, and I can tell you that yes, it does get easier to inject...after a while it just becomes part of your daily routine..but you are right, it is a daily reminder that you have this MonSter of a disease. No kidding about that.
As for tips about injecting: I didn't use the autoinflictor (my pet name for that damn thing). I had more site reactions with it than without it. Seriously...when I stop using it and did my injections manually, I did much better. I felt more in control and the site reactions were much less.
I also did my shots in the morning right after my shower. That way I could just sit for a few minutes and let the med absorb, that helped a lot too.
Erin had a good point about the alcohol drying, but if you give your shot right after your shower, no need for the alcohol swipe. You are clean. (that's advice from my doctor...not just my opinion
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Also, if you are having a site reaction, such as burning or redness that lasts for more than few minutes, try Arnica Gel or Benadryl on the site. You can get Arnical Gel at any health food store such as GNC. It really helps with the stinging/burning/redness.
I tried icing the site, especially my stomach area which I found to be my best injection site. Ice it for about 3-5 minutes prior to injection, and you don't feel a thing.
Welcome to our MS Forum and Neurotalk Natalie. We are a close community, but our doors are always open! We care about all our members/friends!