This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Or normal? I injected my right stomach area last week using the rebiject. Immediately after, I had a lump there and three days later, massive bruising. Normal? Not a big deal? Maybe I did something wrong?

I injected beta interferon for 8 years and bruising and lumps are normal not every time but normal, even a little blood once and a while. My wife injects insulin 4 times a day and she has all the lumps bumps and bruises.
you will get better at it

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Had ms for over 19 years now.

Bubba,

I found it easier to NOT use the Rebiject. You have a lot more control over the injection and site. That pop of the injector made me jump and one time the meds did not make it in.

Cat

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Holly - Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd

9/3/09 Stanford - Dr Dake - Stent in R-J to unblock Arachnoid Cyst in Sigmoid Sinus. Stent in narrowed L-J. Balloon in narrowing where R & L Jugulars meet.

Bubba, I agree with Catfreak. Manual injections seem a lot more gentle to me than that mechanical device. Also, the slower you inject, the better.

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Carpe Diem

Ashamed to say it but.... I aint been MAN enough to manual self inject yet.

I totally agree with Cat! I ditched the auto injector after about 2 weeks. The first time I tried it manually wasn't easy, I sat there for at least 15 minutes coaching myself before I finally did it.
I get injection site reaction every time. It takes 2 or 3 days from the time I inject until the spot is red, swollen and tender, it stays that way for another 2 or 3 days.

Bubba,

Don't feel bad dude. Sooner or later you'll be comfortable injecting without the Rebiject. It took me about six months. Cat is right though. It is much easier to do a straight injection.

As for your lump, I had one of those while using the autoinjector. I think I was pinching up the area to hard and the meds just kinda stayed in one place instead of spreading out. About an hour of rubbing with a cottonball made the lump go down. I haven't had the bruising.

Jack

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RRMS since 01/07.

Bubba,
I also manually inject after a particularily bad shot with the Rebiject. I had a lump and bad bruise on my leg for about 2 weeks. I never thought I would be able to manually inject but it's easier then you'd think. I like the control I have over the speed and the fact that I can stop if it's painful. Besides, the click of the Rebiject sends shivers down my spine now. You will learn to deal with the lumps, bumps and bruises eventually whether you use the Rebiject or self-inject Unfortunately it's part of the injection process we all have to deal with. Hang in there.

Hi Bubba,
Injection site reactions are common with either of the subcutaneously injected Ifn-Bs. If you view the prescribing information for Rebif available from http://www.mslifelines.com, it states that in their studies, 89% of the patients on Rebif 22 and 92% of patients on Rebif 44 experienced injection site reactions. I believe that this is due to the type of tissue present as injection site reactions typically don't occur with Avonex which is an intramuscular injection. I have never had any experience with Rebif but I hope that doing manual injections, as the other people have suggested, will be helpful for you. Injecting slowly may help as it could be that the speed at which the autoinjector delivers the drug is just too fast (I don't know whether or not this might be adjustable). I would also recommend that you try to not inject near a blood vessel. I have occasionally gotten a small half-dollar sized bruise from injecting Avonex and I think that this was due to injecting too close to a blood vessel.

NHE

Hi Bubba,

it took me awhile to get used to the autoinjector, I am not brave enough to do it manually. I must be in the lower percentage rate what NHE wrote, since I only have pink spots left after the injection, and they pop up the next day and take some time to go away. Make sure to massage the area for at least 2 min., hope that helps to distribute the medication, and not leaving lumps or else. I wonder sometimes if the med went in, since it goes so fast, my skin is not wet, after the injection, so it must have gone in. Several times I hit a hidden vessel and bruised the area. So I hope you do better with it all......for all of us..... J.

Well, monday night I do my first 44 injection. I am going to try and do it manually! Do you guys rotate your injection sites? I have only had the site reacrion one time. Nothing any other time. I would really rather just stick to my belly and thighs.

Hi Bubba,
Yes, it's important to rotate your injection sites so that you can avoid injecting into a site which has an ongoing injection site reaction. Even with Avonex, I alternate from one leg to the other every week. Other folks may have some additional tips on injection site rotation.

NHE

Bubba, I rotate between 4 sites. (thighs, belly, arms and hips) I try to only use 3 at a time though and let one site get at least a month's rest. I also usually don't do the arms in the summertime so that give them a few months rest. It works for me and seem to help the soreness in those areas. The injections still occasionally hurt but I guess I can't prevent that completely. Hope you figure out a good system for yourself.

I still can't inject without the Injector.....It's been a year. Can't.....can't get over sticking myself. LOL

Cheers

If you are injecting a 44 dose, get the nerve up to try manually injecting once, and you will throw the rebiject away! I sat there for two hours the first time I injected, getting up the nerve. Counted to three, a hundred times. But, once I did it, I felt like a whimp, because there was no pain.