i have been prescribed Betaseron to be administered every other day by subcutaneous injection. i used to have a very bad issue with needles, but that seems to have passed in the shadow of the greater picture. anyways, i wanted to post what i have gone and will be going through for the next 1-3 months.

17th of july at about 11am i finally started treatment for multiple sclerosis:

my first injection [self given] went well. debbie, a “beta-nurse” who was there to help me and get me started was impressed, said i did well for such a skinny guy. it really isn’t too bad, they have given me a snappy little injecting device that is spring loaded and enclosed, so you don’t see anything!

by 2:00pm i started getting the tingles you get when you are just about to get sick. i suddenly felt heavy and sluggish and decided to head upstairs to bed.

2:30pm i was lying in bed and couldn’t barely move. i had what seemed to be a full-on flu minus the yucky stomach. i was achy with sensitive skin, my head would throb with any movement, it was actually worse than just about any flu i have ever had.

i took some ibuprofen and drifted in and out of sleeping.

i woke and got up at 7:30pm and slowly and the side effects began to diminish until about 10pm when i recall feeling well, back to me again.

it’s gotta be one of the strangest things i have really ever gone through, that was self initiated. it’s like having a weeklong flu in about 9-10 hours, and then you are fine!

so tonight will be my third injection…i am very not looking forward to it, but i will be that much closer to the passing of these side effects, and increasing my fight that much more against the possible future affects of my MS.

“everything will work out fine. i know this to be true, otherwise i wouldn’t be here now!”