10 February 2013

First Shot

Well, it's 10pm and I have just administered my first shot.  I was more nervous than I thought I would be.  I watched a couple of videos online about how to do it, then I got my stuff together and got it done.  First things first, I got to open the box that it all comes in, so it looked like this:


So here you see then pen, a shitload of needles that I will not need (for me, this pen holds 2 doses), an information sheet telling you all about what the drug is for and what the side effects are, and then a brochure on how to administer your dose.  Another view:


Now it tells you to take everything to a 'clean place'.  So I figured my bed was maybe not the cleanest dust-free environment so I took everything down to my dining table which I wiped clean.  I also washed my hands (as instructed).  Luckily I had some antiseptic wipes in the house.  The doctor neglected to tell me I needed any, and they didn't come in the box.  And of course I had my sharps bin ready.

Now I didn't take pictures during the needle prep or anything as I was just too focused on getting it done.  I had no air bubble in the pen, so I put on a needle, set the correct dose, wiped my side/stomach down, pinched an inch, and injected at a 90 degree angle.  I did feel a bit of a poke and didn't like it but that was really just an instant and then I honestly didn't feel anything.  I depressed the plunger.  It seemed to go very very slowly.... and then you need to hold the pen in for ten seconds.  Then I went to remove the pen- and as I removed it I accidentally took my finger off the plunger like you are NOT supposed to do, so I sort of freaked out that I screwed something up, but then pen showed a '0' which meant I gave myself a full dose, and I didn't see any blood or anything sucked back into it so I think it's okay.  It did well up with a tiny dot of blood, as you can see here:


Which is probably why they also tell you to have some sterile gauze with you, but I didn't have any of that, so I just gave it an extra wipe with the alcohol pad and it seemed fine.  Now it's gone a little bit dark and it's got a bit of a bump to it (fluid underneath?) but it's all fine and done.  So that's shot one.  Tomorrow, and the next night I am in my 'other' home, so I need to pack up all my stuff and take it with me.  10 pm should be fine tomorrow, although Tuesday night it might be slightly trickier.  Wednesday night, which will be day 4, I add the Cetrotide.  As I get more skilled at this, maybe I can take some better pictures.

Now what am I supposed to do with all of those unused needles?  I guess they all just go straight into the sharps bin. I'll ask the clinic tomorrow when I call to make an appointment for my scan.

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