Bicillin Injections

[Guest guest]

I've completed 12 weeks of IV Rocephin and feel horribly worse in most

ways, but especially in joint pain (even my hands are bad!)and general

achiness/depression/exhaustion. I went downhill for the whole 12 weeks

of IV and now off of it for a few weeks continue to feel awful.

Dr P now wants me to try Bicillin injections, once a week for 6 weeks

and see then if I should then try more IV or not. (I guess he had wanted

me to be on Biaxin with the IV but the Dr who put me on the IV had me on

Tetracycline along with it.)

I guess Dr P doesn't give the injections in the office. Does anyone have

experience on how these are administered? Do I have to go to the

hospital for them if I am on Medicare?

I have a nurse in my family who can administer injections so maybe I can

just get the stuff and avoid the hospital...its such a drag having to go

there at all. I have given myself injections in the past but I

understand that this is a big and painful one.

Any info on Bicillin will be appreciated.

Thanks and happy holidays...

Melina

[Guest guest]

HI KAtherine

Do you do your bicillin shots in the thigh.

I am curious as to whether you were given any sort of " formula " to work

out the area to give them

i was just told to do it in a particular area which i marked with a

permanent marker which i renew when it fades.

I would like to know if there is an actual formula so i can dispense

with the permanent mark.

Dona

Re: [ ] Bicillin Injections

Melina,

I give myself the injections. I also have someone help me at times.

I took a look at that needle and didn't immediately jump in.

But, all is going well. Knock on wood. I had a nurse show me how to give

them

to myself. The most difficult thing for me is getting the courage to

inject

the needle.

I usually don't have pain. I was not steady while injecting the drug

once and

had a knot and bruising later.

I keep it slow and steady now.

[Guest guest]

Hi

Ive got plenty of padding everywhere so the thighs are Ok with me.

At least my padding comes in handy for something .!

Nice talking to you.

Dona

Dona,

I too considered marking the spot, but never did get around to it.

I am giving myself a shot in the upper right hand corner of the

buttocks.

The doc suggested the thigh, but the nurse thought this area would be

better

because of more padding. HA!

[Guest guest]

Hi Melina

I dont have any numbness in the thighs at all.

i do get the occasional small lump but giving the bicillin slowly and

using a light ice pack helps a lot with that.

more importantly before i started on the self administered thigh shots i

was having it in the hip with the

huge horse needle the 1.8g comes with. the nurse would give me those.

she hated it because it was such a huge needles

i did nt feel anything though.. (must be the padding)

i had over 200 ..i stopped counting at 200.. and even though i had some

lumping in the area there is no numbness and the lumps are all cleared

up now.

i really have had no problems with bicillin shots

hope this helps.

Dona

RE: [ ] Bicillin Injections

Have you guys found that the areas of injection get numb and sometimes

get lumps?

Years back in my CFS treatment with Dr L in NYC I used to inject *alot*:

Kutapressin, Vit C, Vit B-12...etc...I'm not sure if any of it really

helped me but it seemed that I got alot better from IV Gammagobulin at

the time and then continued with IM shots of it that left a couple of

small lumps in my ...er...behind;-)

I still have some numbness in my thighs from all of those self

administered shots.

That's part of why I'm a little worried about the Bicillin shots. I'm

sure I can give them to myself...and my brother-in-law is an RN (Medical

lawyer now, but still keeps up his RN and, much to his dismay, is good

to go for shots)...but I'm a little hesitant because I keep remembering

how horrible it was, for something like a couple of years, injecting

myself all the time with all sorts of stuff.(and it seems silly because

I've just come off of 12 weeks of IV Rocephin with a short line, so was

getting stuck all the time at the hospital...some very bad stories from

that but I didn't want a PICC line if I could avoid it;-)

I used to line up 6 or 7 shots a day, some IM though most small orange

needles, and just sit and do them wherever I could find a spot I hadn't

used in a while. It seemed to go on for a long time.

Is it better to give the Bicillin in a few small shots rather than one

big one?

Also, is insurance covering this? Does anyone know how much injectable

runs? I'm on Medicare so have very limited Rx coverage...I can get it at

the hospital if he orders it administered there but if I fill it at the

pharmacy I'm paying!

On the other hand, I'm so freakin' sick that it hurts to wrap the

presents!...someone has to do it, so I'm just pacing myself, but it's a

drag as this time off year is usually a little more joyful than the

rest...oh well.

Any info is appreciated,

Melina (who still has a sharps container in the basement!)

[Guest guest]

Hi Melina,

I took Bicillin injections for 21/2 years and my sister gave them to

me. It is not hard, I showed her how to do it, and she was a

natural! I have heard of some people giving them to themsleves, but

I could not do it, so she did it for me. You have to inject them

slowly, because if you go too fast, it will burn. I hope this helps,

and I did not have a bad herks with the Bicillin, hardly noticed it

at the time. Hope everything goes good for yoy!!

>

>

> I've completed 12 weeks of IV Rocephin and feel horribly worse in

most

> ways, but especially in joint pain (even my hands are bad!)and

general

> achiness/depression/exhaustion. I went downhill for the whole 12

weeks

> of IV and now off of it for a few weeks continue to feel awful.

> Dr P now wants me to try Bicillin injections, once a week for 6

weeks

> and see then if I should then try more IV or not. (I guess he had

wanted

> me to be on Biaxin with the IV but the Dr who put me on the IV had

me on

> Tetracycline along with it.)

> I guess Dr P doesn't give the injections in the office. Does anyone

have

> experience on how these are administered? Do I have to go to the

> hospital for them if I am on Medicare?

> I have a nurse in my family who can administer injections so maybe

I can

> just get the stuff and avoid the hospital...its such a drag having

to go

> there at all. I have given myself injections in the past but I

> understand that this is a big and painful one.

> Any info on Bicillin will be appreciated.

> Thanks and happy holidays...

> Melina