[legzzalot]

Ok so I have been on the copax for about a month now. Like I said before so far so good no major reactions, no new flare ups but of course still having the leg issue and eye issue for the last 5 months!! Does it ever go away??? But, I digress that is not the question I needed answered today.

SS came out taught me how to do injections all was well. I was told to rotate the injection sites which is fine...except... I am told to inject the backs of my arms. The one part of my body that has no fat is of course my arms and no matter how much I adjust the needle depth, it always hurts like a devil and stays sore for three or four days. It's also very hard to do by myself because I am not that kid from the exorcist and my head does not spin all the way around.

Is anyone else having this problem? Am I doing something wrong? Or should I stop using my arms? none of my other injection sites hurt like this, i mean they sting and itch for a few minutes but it stops. Every time I do my arms I can feel it moving into my body like around my armpits and it hurts so much. I think I may be hitting muscle.

[NurseNancy]

sounds to me that it would be reasonable to skip your arms if you can inject the other sites without problem.

you could also call your neuro's office and query them.
i hope this works for you.

btw...when i do my arms i sit sideways on a higher backed chair to prop up the "fat" so i can inject. of course i have plenty of fat so my arms aren't a problem.

[dmplaura]

I've been exercising for a few months, especially my arms, and eating a low fat diet for quite a while.

Needless to say, I've lost fat on my arms over time (as well as elsewhere), but I've found the injections on my arms 'changed'. Like you, it feels like I'm hitting a muscle. I get pain to my arm pits, my muscles 'spasm' it feels like... no matter where I inject on the arms. I never had the issue before... it just started 2 months ago.

[legzzalot]

well I think I am going to trade my arms for my tush. There is plenty of fat back there! LOL

[FaithS]

Legzz --

I have that problem (aching for 3 days, Ibuprofen every 3-6 hrs to get me through it) with arms, legs and hips.

I finally quit doing all those sites, because I was simply not willing to hurt that much.

I inject only in my abdomen, and only 4x per week, because Shared Solutions does not recommend using sites more than once per week.

My MS Specialist is OK with that. (I actually made the change on my own, and told her about it several months later.) She says, "We do what we can."

In spite of my decreased injection fx, Copaxone seems to be working. I had a UTI in December, which usually triggers a flare. This time, it didn't!

~ Faith

[Friend2U]

But I can only do shots in my belly. It hurts pretty well everywhere else. I have started doing them without the auto injector. They've come out with a smaller needle and it works pretty well for me. I really can't believe I got brave enough to try it w/out the injector...one day I just did it! My husband couldn't believe it...nor could I. But anyway, it leaves less problems at the site than when I use the injector.

[Erin524]

Originally Posted by legzzalot

Ok so I have been on the copax for about a month now. Like I said before so far so good no major reactions, no new flare ups but of course still having the leg issue and eye issue for the last 5 months!! Does it ever go away??? But, I digress that is not the question I needed answered today.

SS came out taught me how to do injections all was well. I was told to rotate the injection sites which is fine...except... I am told to inject the backs of my arms. The one part of my body that has no fat is of course my arms and no matter how much I adjust the needle depth, it always hurts like a devil and stays sore for three or four days. It's also very hard to do by myself because I am not that kid from the exorcist and my head does not spin all the way around.

Is anyone else having this problem? Am I doing something wrong? Or should I stop using my arms? none of my other injection sites hurt like this, i mean they sting and itch for a few minutes but it stops. Every time I do my arms I can feel it moving into my body like around my armpits and it hurts so much. I think I may be hitting muscle.

the only time I do the arms is when I have my dad give me a shot. (he's a nurse)

I'm starting to have problems with my stomach and thighs. Skin feels weird. I might have to start having my dad give me the shots for awhile and see if the skin on my stomach and thighs will calm down a bit.

I've also kind of started skipping a day or two during the week. I figure as long as I'm doing it at least 4 or 5 times a week, that's better than not shooting up at all, and it gives my skin a bit of time to recover some.

[Dejibo]

I skip my arms now. On the first two weeks of the month on I do extra bum bum shots, and on the last two, I do extra thigh shots. Btw, I use the SIDE wall of my thigh, and found MUCH more fat there. My arms just bugged me too much afterwards, no matter what steps I took. I am happy I dont do them anymore.

[Desinie]

I don't inject in my arms either. There just isn't enough fat there and I was hitting muscle and it was always painful. There are sites within sites so that you can still rotate everyday. Mid thigh, outer thigh, upper thigh, hips, left and right abdomen.

[Taffy]

Well, I am a new C- shooter! And I thought Rebif was bad all those years... (mad laughter)...C has Rebif beat I tell ya! It does not matter were I inject (manually) it stings like a bee sting for at 15 minutes.

So..I just pretend it's Bee String Treatment! Hey, people pay good money for that!

(actually I read all the tips I find on the board here and been trying them out. Thanks, all.)