I last checked in when I’d been on Rebif for 9 weeks; it’s been 5 months now. That’s 63 injections, if anyone is counting – oh no, just me? 

(If I had time to grab my phone to add an eyeroll emoji here, I would.)

I’m mostly joking; overall, Rebif is treating me much better than Plegridy did.

My two biggest complaints remain the same;  burning as it goes in, and some reactions at the injection sites.

The reactions happen mainly in my belly area. If I have red marks, they sometimes get up to a half-dollar size, but never scaly or bumpy. I’ve increased the length of time I massage the area, and have noticed I don’t have the reaction as often. 

I have started experiencing some night sweats like I used to on Plegridy, and some random leg pain. It’s annoying more than anything. I don’t wake up feeling horrible, just with weird curls at the base of my neck and in need of a shower ASAP. Those nights are few and far between if I stay hydrated and eat well, though. 

I stopped icing the site prior; it never really stopped the pain, just delayed when I’d feel it. I only take an OTC once or twice a month pre-injection now. Other than that, I’m still sticking with my routine otherwise. I’ve never been one to inject on nights I already feel bad, which I also think has an effect on how I feel.

One new thing I’ve noticed is that if I space my water out over the day I have less side effects. If I try to cram it all in within a couple hours, my body knows better. Nature usually can’t be cheated.

I have a visit scheduled with my nurse in a couple weeks time, and blood work scheduled for next month. Hopefully everything comes back okay! As much as I dislike injecting all the time, I’d rather deal with them and have a clear MRI this time. 

I should have another post coming up about Rebif soon – it will also cover a lot of the other disease modifying drugs that are used to treat MS.

There have been a ton of advances in MS research in the last couple years. Hopefully this will be an informational addition to my Intro to MS series – Check back for that soon!

Until then,