Stick it, stick it good

When it was decided that I would give myself the white cell booster 24 hours after chemo (I had the first dose immediately after the first cycle of chemo) to see if it would work better, I thought it was going to be an auto inject.  The preloaded type that you push a button and a small spring injects the needle and medicine.  But, no…this was a regular syringe preloaded with the medicine.  No auto inject here.

My oncology nurse gave me an injection lesson.   You practice on a pretend piece of flesh.   She showed me how to do it with a practice syringe.  Then I practiced.  Lo and behold I bent the needle!  I was reassured that this would not happen when I gave myself the real injection.

For the next 24 hours I went over and over the self injection steps in my mind.  I imagined grabbing stomach fat, stabbing the needle, pulling back the plunger a bit and then slowly injecting the Neulasta.  When the time came for the injection, all went well.  I did not bend the needle!  As a matter of fact, I barely felt the injection

I don’t know if the Neulasta is boosting my white cells. I hope it is.  I try to imagine my bone marrow going to town producing those lymphocytes.  I do know that I won’t have any issues injecting the next two rounds of Neulasta.  After all the worry, it turned out to be a non event.

18 thoughts on “Stick it, stick it good

  1. Linda Pisano

    I agree with Darcy, non-events are good! I hope you can hear us from all the way in Connecticut, cheering on those white cells.

  2. Kristin Breslin

    Hooooooooray!!! I have a colleague who did the same thing. She did very well with the injections, although a pain to do. Keep rocking it!!!

  3. Elizabeth Churchill

    How did you dispose of the needle? They made me watch a 45 minute instructional video, ten minutes on how to give myself the injection and another 35 on clever ways to disguise the spent syringe so all the friendly neighborhood junkies wandering through my house wouldn’t find it. (Hint: in a bottle of Clorox under the kitchen sink! They never think to look there apparently, unless they’ve had chemo too and watched the exact same movie.)

  4. Ellen

    Loretta, I have no doubt you can do these injections….did they send you home with a sharps container? When you are resting or meditating just think about those little stem cells becoming da da da da….NEUTROPHILs. and lots of them. Have your bones been achey?

  5. Eileen Black

    So glad you were able to successfully inject that medication! But, after game night tonight, I can’t help but think the Ned’s may have been aligned with your lucky stars! Congratulations on an awe inspiring win!!

  6. Eileen Black

    I do think I made an error! Unless you won the mystery date with “Ned”, I think I meant meds! (definitely not the dud). 🙂

  7. Danielle

    Oh. My. Gosh. Reading that made me squeamish you are so brave to be able to stab yourself with a needle without freakong out like a nut job (that’s what I’d do)

  8. Fed

    I have had many year of practice on different cats, (I have a cat under treatment right now). Plus the dog.
    I did bend the needle once doing one of the cat, I felt very sorry. I usually do myself in the butt in the fall with flu vaccine. But neither Laura or the kids trust myself as an “injectioner”. 🙂

  9. Nicki McCraw

    Way to go! I’ve been giving myself weekly injections for a couple of years and it definitely gets easier. I remember almost hyperventilating the first time I had to do it.

  10. Mike

    17 years Trude and I watched the video about giving her an injection. They demonstrated using an orange. She looked over and apparently I had buried my head under the pillow (couldn’t watch!). But, a few years ago I started giving her the shot. She claims it is just an excuse to see her butt. You are BRAVE!

  11. Mary

    Little did you know you would acquire an array of new skills as a result of this experience.

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