Nord

Finally got my Copaxone Meds about a week ago after “fighting” with the insurance company because they wanted to charge me $3000/month (no I didn’t type in extra “0″ by accident)! Fortunately, the good folks over at NORD (National Organization of Rare Disorders) granted me a years’ worth of meds at no charge! That was very kind of them and I must say, I really wasn’t expecting things to swing my way. So, I’m happy, sort of.

Of course I’m happy that I am getting a year’s worth of medication, however, I’m not happy that I have to take the medication in the first place. Sure, maybe if it was a pill that I would have to swallow on daily basis it would probably wouldn’t be that bad. Not the case. In my case, or at least the way these particular meds work, is that I’m going to have to inject myself for the rest of my life until a cure is found for Multiple Sclerosis. Yay! (sarcastic “yay!”) I guess it’s a little taste of what a diabetic goes through.

Not only do I have to inject myself daily, but they have to be at different spots each day and rotate spots throughout the body. Ugh, hate needles, not afraid of them, just hate them. I was given an entire kit and a nurse had to come to my home and show me the correct process of how to stick myself with the needle.

No fun.

There are two ways that I can stick myself: the manual way and the automatic way. The manual way consists of simply taking the needle, plunging it into my flesh as I squeeze out about two inches of fat. I then push down on the needle until all of the fluids have been transferred into me. This is the “no thanks” method.

The automatic way is a bit simpler. I take the auto-eject that was provided by Shared Solutions (sounds like it would futuristic-looking but its really not), place the needle inside, press it against my skin, push a button and presto! Needle goes in, juices go in and I’m done! Sort of…

After I am injected, I pull out needle, careful not to angle it and break it off into my flesh, dispose of needle in “special” dispose needle plastic tank, “dab” the injected area with a cotton ball then endure the slight pain that comes with the injection. The pain is tolerable, in a way. According to the nurse it is equivalent to a bee sting, but since I’ve never been stung by a bee, I wouldn’t know what that felt like. Again, the nurse says the pain should last for only 5-10 minutes, but, in reality, it lasts for almost half an hour. Still, it’s not too bad. So far, no side effects. I can only keep my fingers crossed and hope that no side effects ever surface.

Routine, routine!

I have to make this a part of my daily routine so that i don’t forget to take it. I don’t think anything will happen if I miss it, but the way it is supposed to work is to take it on a daily basis right around the same time each day so it can work to its full potential in the long run. I picked 8:30pm.

Will keep everyone updated on this situation if anything new comes to light. Here’s a look at what I like to call my “sick kit”. Just click on image for bigger picture:

They also gave me a magnet so that I can place on the fridge as a constant reminder as to why I am taking the meds. I was angry at having to take them in the first place, so my wife answered for me and made it perfectly clear. This, ladies & gentlemen, is one of the many reasons why I love her