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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Hepatitis / May 2009pen jam?
I use the redipen delivery system. I have been getting terrible reactions to my injections since the beginning (9 weeks ago). When I say "reactions" I mean physical reaction to the shot. I get a large bright red burning and itching area about 3" to 4" in diameter at the injection site that becomes evident about four days later. This hasn't happened this week yet. That's what has me wondering. Last Friday's injection was unusually stiff going in I really had to jam that button down, Now it's Wednesday and the terrible reaction I am accustomed to getting a few days later is due but not arriving. I'm wondering if I got my dose in or if something went wrong. I've already disposed of my pen so I can't look again but I do remember the area that has the liquid in appeared to be empty. What now? I'm on a 24 week Tx for gene type 2b. My early responder (4 week) viral load test came back UND. If I missed a dose am I still O.K.? I realize it's a bit late to do anything about it except for maybe push my next Friday shot ahead a day and do it tomorrow. Hi Chuck The reactions you have had on the shots sites are pretty normal. Redipens do not give you the assurance that all the IFN got into you. I always thought they were a bit skanky and most of my 48 shots were done using the more traditional self mix and hypo shot. Did you have a choice in what type of delivery system you could use? I now advocate using the old fashioned method to anyone else out there that is contemplating making this choice. Our pharmacy had both types of kits, the RediPen and the hypodermic-delivered mixing. I believe that the stats for successful treatment include an error factor should you miss some riba or IFN shots. 80% compliance and above? Does that sound right to anyone else? Perhaps you would like to google the technical or compliance factors in the standard of care for treatment in Plough Shering or Pegasys. cactus jammies >I use the redipen delivery system. I have been getting terrible reactions >to my injections since the beginning (9 weeks ago). When I say "reactions" [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >do anything about it except for maybe push my next Friday shot ahead a day >and do it tomorrow. >>I use the redipen delivery system. I have been getting terrible reactions >>to my injections since the beginning (9 weeks ago). When I say "reactions" [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > >cactus jammies Hi CJ! As I recall, 80% compliance is the "right" (as in "traditionally accepted to achieve the desired response") number - although, to be honest, I never really dug into that to see if it was solidly supported by studies. I never had any problems with the RediPen through all 48 shots. I *did* check each to make sure *before* I activated the mixing mechanism that there the fluid and powder were present and unmixed. And as the pens came with a bit more than I had been prescribed, there was always a little mixed stuff remaining after my dialed-in dose was administered. Chuck: being clear in 4 weeks is a "rapid response" - which is even better than an "early response". It's very nearly synonymous with "super responder". Given that it's already Wednesday, I don't think you really want to do two shots within three days, so I think the idea of doing your Friday shot a day early is the right way to go, if only so you feel you're being proactive. Then go back to Fridays next week. btw: Were you ever actually shown how to do the shot - with the skin-pinch, angled injection, etc? If nothing else, it tends to reassure patients that they are doing the whole thing right. Cheers /greyhackles I think that everyone gets the instruction. I also got a video plus there's a video online. >>>I use the redipen delivery system. I have been getting terrible reactions >>>to my injections since the beginning (9 weeks ago). When I say [quoted text clipped - 72 lines] > > /greyhackles > I use the redipen delivery system. I have been getting terrible reactions to > my injections since the beginning (9 weeks ago). When I say "reactions" I [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > about it except for maybe push my next Friday shot ahead a day and do it > tomorrow. I also got the huge red itchy awful blotches a few days after my injection, and they would stick around for some time. I did the 4 areas, thigh thigh belly belly to give each area a chance to heal up. After a while you can tell which area is next by the way the blotches look :) I don't know what to say about not getting the reaction yet, trying to remember if that ever happened to me. Seems like some weeks the reaction was worse, and some weeks it wasn't too bad at all, plus depending on where -- my thighs reacted a lot more than my belly did. Like Grey said, I don't think it would hurt anything to do the shot early this week, but I doubt it's really necessary either. Either way you decide to go I am sure will be ok. Sounds like you are doing great so far -- hope things continue to go well for you! Sara >> I use the redipen delivery system. I have been getting terrible reactions to >> my injections since the beginning (9 weeks ago). When I say "reactions" I [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >> about it except for maybe push my next Friday shot ahead a day and do it >> tomorrow. Are you doing your injections in very close proximity of the previous spot in that area? If so, you may want to vary the location slightly in each area. I have done thousands of injections in my belly (my thighs don't work very well for injection) and I have found that if I don't spread the injections out on each side of my stomach I will hit scar tissue making the plunger hard to press in. It doesn't necessarily mean the injection didn't work. I wouldn't expect you to have scar tissue built up with the small number of injections you have taken, it was probably just redipen not working as smoothly as it should have. Over the last 10 years of 3 to 4 injections of insulin daily I've seen my share of pens that have worked poorly or scar tissue that prevents the insulin from entering the body as easily as it should. Congratulations on being a 2b with 24 week tx and being undetectable at 4 weeks, sounds like you have kicked the dragon in the butt. Dwight (still waiting on that silver bullet) > I use the redipen delivery system. I have been getting terrible reactions to > my injections since the beginning (9 weeks ago). When I say "reactions" I [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > about it except for maybe push my next Friday shot ahead a day and do it > tomorrow. hey Chuck, I had the premixed disposal syringes of pegasus, just a simple matter of pinching the fat, put it in at a slight angle, release the fat, and I used one hand to hold the syringe and one hand to push the plunger. Like the others said, I switched back and forth around the b-button so I did'nt hit the same spot for a few weeks. but I had big red spots all year. Even after treatment, they lasted about 3 weeks. use lotion for the itch. hang in there, and thats great you got good early results! Well I just left it alone and did my shot on Friday as usual. I still don't think I got the whole shot in last week. Maybe I didn't dial up my dose properly. After this week's shot I had pretty bad side effects, kind of like I was starting all over from week one. I've printed up a check-list to do when I do my shot now. I have trouble even remember the simplest things now. The other week, when I did the shot I'm not too sure about, I went to push the button on it and realized I'd forgot to pull the button back and dial up the dose. I had to pull the syringe out and pull the button back, dial up the dose (maybe? can't remember for sure) reinsert the needle and go. Anyway I think the check-list will help. Only 14 to go! :o) |
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