One Shot, Two Shot, Three Shot, More...

"Bonnie the Nurse" called me Friday night and said that Saturday would work for her if it was ok with us. I said, "Yes" and she was set to arrive at 8:30 Saturday morning.

Wow, that happened fast, but I was ready to get it over with.

Come Saturday morning we were all ready to get things started. D was instructed to keep Bean busy with cartoons and toys back in their bedrooms. When she arrived we immediately dove into the instruction.

It seemed fairly easy but at times I found myself in sort of a daze. Not really listening nor caring about what she had to say. "Just give me the facts, let me get it done and move on", I thought. She was really very sweet and helpful and even allowed my crazy bloggin' ass to take a picture of her (above).

After showing me how to do it and practicing a few times, Sean did the same. He did a good job and was excited about possibly giving me a manual shot one day (should I be upset by this?). That'll never happen. We learned using the Autoject and also practiced the manual a couple of times just in case.

I administered my first shot with Bonnie and Sean watching. I did fine except for the pricking part. You're supposed to pull the Autoject straight off so the needle doesn't prick your skin. Sounds simple enough but it's easier said than done. It's hard to grasp what is 'straight up' when you're shooting into the back of your arm and can't get a good look.

Here's the effect from my first shot...

Note to self: Must tone arms.

I had some swelling which you can see in the middle of the redness. It went away in about an hour or two and the next day (Sunday) I was left with a small bruise. No biggie. It was sore that whole day but I could only really feel it if I touched it or rubbed it up against something. I went to the Hesperia Zoo shortly after receiving the shot so really, all was well.

My second shot was administered myself and was in my right arm this time. That one went much better, no pricking and no bruising afterward. Still the same redness and swelling as the first but it went away in a couple of hours too. See below.

I'm administering them in the morning. So far it's been between 8:30am and 9am which has been working for me. I'm able to get up and do my morning routine without the rush or worry of getting my injection done.

When injecting, I don't feel the needle at all. However, there is a major sting that happens once the medicine gets in. A bee sting (in my opinion) is an understatement. I've been stung by bee's before and they don't hurt that bad. But it is better in different areas.

This morning (Monday), I injected my hip for the first time (no pics for that one) and the sting wasn't nearly as bad and it didn't last as long. I still had redness but there was a lot less swelling and now, 50 minutes after the injection, it's barely noticeable. I've heard the arms are the worse and after injection 1 and 2, I kind of believe it.

It's still amazing to me that I'm able to do this. I don't think about it until the moment I have everything laid out on the counter and then I tell myself, "No biggie Sarah, you've already done 1 (or 2 or 3 and so on), you can do this".

And I do. I don't have a choice. For me, that's the best way to look at it.