I got an email concerning the info I'd given them during a phone call a couple of weeks ago; said to call the Shared Solutions group...so I did.
We discussed my large lumps at the injection sites, as well as the itching and bruising.
She told me to change the number on the Autoject2, and stop the icing afterwards. I would like to get all of this under control...esp. the swelling and itching...
my DH and I are going to Hawaii in 9 wks, and the nurse and I both hope we can get these side effects under control before then...

Best wishes. Decreasing the depth is good advice. Works for many people. But, doesn't work for everybody. Didn't for me.

I don't understand why they'd want you to stop icing. That's the only thing that gets me through the burning after my injections. They've usually included icing in their advice to me for what I should do.

~ Faith

yeah depth may help i have heard folks use ice and folks use heat so maybe you need to switch temps, you do let the med warm up to room temps right, that helps too

the adjustment period can take a bit Deb, don't fret you are not adjusted it takes time took me a good while too

Thanks...sheesh, I thought I'd be used to it by now...thought my body would have stopped reacting like this.
I do take it out of the fridge to warm up...and I put a heat pack on the site before I inject. I agree, the ice cuts the post-injection pain quickly. I really don't think I'll follow that advice, since I don't want to bite on a bullet until the pain subsides...

Deb --

Sounds like you're doing a lot of what I'm doing. My site reactions/pain have been so bad, that I've come up with my own site rotation and frequency schedule. Shared Solutions can't recommend it, because it's not their protocol, but I plan to speak with my MS Specialist about it next week.

Injections in any site, other than my abdomen, ache for 3 days, like a tetanus shot. I just am not willing to hurt that much. So, I inject only in my abdomen, and only 4 days per week, because I don't want to invite lypo-atrophy.

I sincerely hope that my doc allows me to continue on Copaxone, doing it my way. I believe that it is likely working. I had a UTI last month. In the past, those have always triggered a major flare, even when I've caught and treated them early. This time, it did not.

I did not like any of the other med options that she gave me at my last visit. Most were research studies, that involved the possibility of being on a placebo, which I am not willing to risk. I think that one involved IV's, which I don't do well with; my veins are hard to find.

Again, best wishes.

Please let us know how it goes.

~ Faith

debbie,

it sounds like you need to inject a bit deeper.
i have a lot of fat and went to a 9 setting. all my side effects decreased dramatically.

i used to ice but don't anymore. i've been on C for almost 6 yrs and it's all gotten better with time.