It was my own version of an Olympic event. Ha!
OK, not really. I just decided to do them right when I got home, rather than wait till closer to bedtime and be kind of nervous all evening, having them looming over me.
So as soon as I came home I got the Enbrel out of the fridge, set my stopwatch on my iPhone and got everything ready: sharps container, alcohol swabs, cotton balls, Methotrexate, syringes, ice pack for deadening my stomach, blah, blah, blah. (You see how blasé I'm becoming? Good, no?!)
Then, once I'd iced my stomach for the obligatory 20 minutes and the Enbrel had warmed to room temperature for 30, I was off: skin swabbed, white cap pulled off, skin pulled taut, syringe in place, button pressed and boom! on to the Methotrexate. A couple of big air bubbles slowed down the action, but I soon had the syringe filled with my 25mg, was ready in a seated position, skin pinched this time (and swabbed again, of course!), syringe darted in, drugs pumped in (OK, not so dramatic as that, but whatever!) – done!!!
Course, no one was cheering me on, but, hey, a girl can dream!
Now I just need me some cute red mittens and a gold medal and I'm set!
P.S. Dinner after the shots consisted of a treat: Cream of Wheat (is that just a Canadian thing?) with organic Canadian maple syrup drizzled over it (yum!). Dessert: the obligatory Toblerone bar (and, no, I don't always eat like this; I actually have a quite healthy diet!).
P.P.S. If you want to win a pair of those cute red Canadian Olympic mittens, check out my friend Fiona Richards' blog, Cafe Cartolina, at http://cafecartolina.blogspot.com/. She designs supercute eco-friendly cards, and she's doing The Great Canadian Mitten Giveaway (you just have to post a comment about what you know about Canada for a chance to win). I seriously want a pair!
Those mittens are cute :)
ReplyDeleteI think you DO deserve a medal for facing the twin jabs head-on after a long day at work. I know it seems silly, but deliberately sticking oneself with needles really DOES take some extraordinary determination and courage. As for the cream of wheat: I love the stuff. Have since I was a wee kid, but I haven't had it for many years. Guess I'm just going to have to get some and try it with a smidge of that lovely, real maple syrup. I think the stuff I have in the fridge is from Vermont trees, though. Does that still count?
ReplyDeleteBravo, Laurie!
-Wren
They are, aren't they? I should just get out and try to buy a pair. I think they're making a whole bunch more to sell, they've been so popular!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea.
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing.
I am in awe.
You deserve mittens.
In the spirit of the Olympics, you bet Vermont maple syrup counts, Wren!
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know Cream of Wheat isn't just a Canadian thing. I didn't want to assume...if you read the comments on Fiona's blog, you'll find that many things we Canadians think are commonplace aren't necessarily (ie. Smarties).
P.S. Really enjoyed your post about German travel (not the part about your pain, though). I keep thinking about going back some day to go shopping in Hamburg (very pretty city + I love clothes shopping in Germany).
I love Cream of Wheat, too! It's so comforting.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried icing before doing my Enbrel. Do you find it helps?
I'm loving the Olympics, too. Especially the figure skating!
OK, Fiona, you just made me cry. (That seems to be happen at random times lately.)
ReplyDeleteI swear (double swear!) I didn't do this to win the mittens! I didn't think you'd even see this. I just think your contest is awesome. I've never read so many funny and interesting comments about Canada and Canadians...
:) L
Hi Helen,
ReplyDeleteLove that comfort food!
Re the icing, I can't say if it helps in a sense, since I've never NOT iced my stomach before the injection.
But I can say that I've never had a site reaction to the Enbrel or Methotrexate, plus the Enbrel has only ever stung very little. So I would advise trying icing. Plus, I'm always sure to take the Enbrel out of the fridge 30 minutes before I do the injection. I'm covering all my bases!
P.S. Love the figure skating, too! Thought Daisuke Takahashi (sp?) was great. Hope Patrick Chan does well. Can't wait to see the ice dancing, too. But really, I'll watch absolutely anything and everything.
WAY TO GO!!!
ReplyDeleteI like Cream of Wheat, too - except that I tend to buy "farina" instead because it's quite a bit less expensive ;)
I have a diabetic friend who has to jab herself several times a day, and insulin is very thick and stingy. She started icing beforehand several months ago and says that it really does help most of the time. It's another one of those things where you can just say, "oh, why not? It can't HURT ..."
ReplyDeleteI have decided I need red mittens with white maple leaves on them, even if I do live in California. Maybe we'll get one more big snow before spring (read, "summer") arrives in March...
-Wren :o)
Hi WarmSocks, Thanks, and good thought re the farina!
ReplyDeleteHey Wren, We work with someone who's a diabetic and she has a pump built right in, so to speak, so she doesn't have to inject multiple times a day – it's done automatically. Sounds ideal! And as for the mittens, I think everyone needs a pair, they're just so cute! You must watch some Olympic coverage – you'll inevitably see a sea of waving red mittens at some point!
Laurie,
ReplyDeleteI sure hope and pray that all of the stress around giving yourself injections pays off in reduced RA symptoms.
Cream of wheat with maple syrup...yum!
Andrew
Thanks, Andrew!
ReplyDelete