Nearly ready to to SI

[SarahFerguson]

Feeling very anxious, just ordered needles etc from medisave and ampoules snapper from Amazon, got my ampoules the other day. So I should be ready in the next few days...

[Lisahelen]

Good luck, hope it goes well with your first one.

Try using an orange with an empty syringe/needle just to get the feel of it before the real event. Also not sure how true this really is, but try to make sure the actual point of the needle is at the bottom as you put it in, its supposed to 'hurt' less.

[SarahFerguson in reply to Lisahelen]

Thank you. I think I've got a nurse that will train me how to do it. She said to let her know when equipment comes and she give up her time to train me... fingers crossed !

[Lisahelen in reply to SarahFerguson]

Thats good, at least it will help. Make sure that she lets you do it to yourself while she watches on.

[floraldaisy]

Go for it gal!

[Hidden]

Once you've done the first, it won't seem so daunting. And very helpful to have a nurse to teach you. I had to use YouTube!

Good luck--- it'll all be worth it.

[SarahFerguson in reply to Hidden]

How often to people tend to si?

[Hidden]

I started injecting alternate days as the symptoms were so bad. Hand tremor, exhaustion, shortness of breath, dizziness, brain fog etc...

I then went to 2 days between injections as symptoms improved, then 3 days between.

Improvement seemed to go in steps and I noticed if I had a lot of stress, or a mild illness like a heavy cold, I needed extra B12.

Try listing your symptoms and marking them out of 10 for severity.

Then each week, review your chart and mark each out of 10. It's a clear way to see improvement.

Good luck.

[SarahFerguson in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. I remember when I was diagnosed with PA I don't think I

Had all the correct loading doses ( I had neurological symptoms exactly like yours) but was treated with b12 shots for 2 a week for 3 weeks then they wanted to do every 3 months I had to fight to get the jabs every 8 wks- Ha funny, I had my jabs yesterday, but I've got a bad cold at the moment and feel awful, no sleep last night either. I'm not sure how many to start off with. But I like the idea of the diary. Thanks .

[Gaudygoat]

Good luck Sarah. I'm in almost exactly the same position. I have my ampules and needles and am waiting for a friend who used to be a nurse to train me.

She also said they trained using oranges so my plan is to see her twice. Firstly to get trained treating oranges and then to start on me.

I just pity the poor orange!

[Galadriel1]

I couldn't get to grips with the idea of injecting myself (needle phobia) but I ordered an auto-injector so I don't need to put the needle in, it does it in one go and I then only have to inject the B12 very slowly lol. If you find it too hard to do yourself, I'll put link below, best thing I did, very easy and less stressful, we have enough stress..... unionmedico.com/90-super-grip/

A bit pricey but well worth it.... if you decide to get it, make sure you order the same size syringe you are going to be using in it all the time as it is made to fit the size you choose so you cannot use a different size in it. Best not to be 1ml as it leaves no room in syringe to aspirate properly, I would recommend 3ml syringes. Anyway thought you might want to look at it as an option.

[Hidden]

Galadriel1 , I just watched a YouTube video on using the autoinjector. Very impressive piece of kit for anyone needle phobic. Here's the video link if anyone wants to see it. m.youtube.com/watch?v=rnL_6...(Not working as expected?)

[Galadriel1 in reply to Hidden]

That's a different one altogether, check if it is for IM as most are designed for insulin and no use for B12.

[Galadriel1 in reply to Galadriel1]

Just looked that one is no use for B12. Have a look at the link I sent you, that one is for either sub-cutaneous or intramuscular.