Today, I’m talking about my Disease Modifier – Rebif. An Interferon injection I give myself 3 times a week; if you’ve been here for awhile, you know I’ve been on it for two years now.
If anyone’s counting, that adds up to 312 times that I’ve injected in the last couple years.
The last time I posted about Rebif, I’d been on it for almost a year – two years in, and not a lot has changed. If you want, you can read about my journey on Rebif here, here, and here.
I got good news at my last checkup, and only get an MRI every other year, so I don’t have definitive proof of no new lesions…however, I consistently feel better every year.
I don’t have any new, random symptoms popping up to interfere in my days anymore. I don’t worry about going into a flare every Spring, now that I’m using a DMD. Some random numbness did occur when I was dealing with Shingles last month, but it passed quickly after my treatment ran it’s course.
I’m still following the same routine pre-injections; lots of water all day, an OTC pain reliever about half an hour before, & a good, firm massage at the injection site once it’s done. I don’t bother with the ice anymore – it’s still usually painful, and burns like hell, but I just deal for the 45 seconds or so that I have to.
Keeping up with my routine has all but nixed any symptoms I might have the day after. Mentioned in my last post, I usually forget I injected the night before the day after. Even the deep bone pain I used to experience has all but faded. If I don’t drink enough water, I do notice a bit of a headache, but that’s easily remedied.
There are two things I’m currently dealing with involving these injections that’s sort of new; serious needle fatigue and some site reactions. The needle fatigue is to be expected, I think. I injected 26 times my first year post diagnosis, and 12 times that in the last two. It’s aggravating…but much more manageable than the symptoms I used to deal with. Nothing to be done but gritting my teeth and bearing it, at this point.
The site reactions are mostly my own fault. In the last few months, I’ve realized certain bandages cause me to break out in hives and itch where the adhesive was. Not really my fault, not Rebif’s either. Just a trial and error kind of thing. Once I switched those out, I haven’t had any more of those issues.
Oddly enough, the cute ones I pick up from Dollar Tree are about all I can use at this point. More affordable than the name brand ones at bigger stores, at least.
The other reaction was due to no SPF and being out in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Sometimes, I didn’t consider it due to being in long pants or sleeves…however, exposure is exposure, even through clothes. It caused some sites to raise up in welts that burned and itched for days. I try to spray down with SPF20 (or higher) twenty minutes or so on my injection sites before I go out these days.
One more update; I quit injecting into my arms a few months ago. I’ve lost a lot & kept off almost 125 pounds since 2017 – that means a lot less fat in my arms, which is where subcutaneous injections, like Rebif, are dispersed. I noticed injections were SO much more painful there, for a lot longer, than when I inject other places. So, I started rotating between other areas, with no issues so far.
I have a meeting with my Rebif/MS Lifelines nurse here soon, which I expect to be short & sweet, just like this post.
No news is always good news for me when it comes to MS.
I’ve got a post I think is applicable to a lot of us scheduled for later this month – Grieving an Old Life. When chronic illness changes everything, there are some tips to make it a little easier to deal with.
Until then, you can always find me on Insta, Pinterest, or comment below to connect.
Stay safe,
