Starting humira

[sammy0461]

Hello I'm going to be starting humura soon and I'm really scared. I'm fine with getting a needle in my arm but the thought Of it in my leg or stomach freaks me out. I do have a few questions about it. How big is the needle and when I click the button does it hit my leg fast? Will it hurt because its so fast? Also where do I inject it? Does it go into the muscle? What will happen if I inject it into a vein or hit a vein? If there is anything else I need to know about please tell me. I'm really scared of it and I will probably not be doing it myself ever.

 

[jmrw]

Me too. Do you have the nurse ambassador in Canada? I will probably start on Monday or Tuesday next week, since my insurance approved today and the pharmacy called. Am scared of the pain butttt obstructions are painful too. So painful that I choose pureed food, to give up sugar and all grains and dairy in hopes of never visiting the ER at 2:00 am again. Never wanting to go to hospital for obstruction and ng tube. And I have had this happen about 5 times.

 

[Pilgrim]

You will probably get good training and advice from a Humira nurse. My daughter is young, so we are able to have her doses done in a clinic - when it's done by a nurse it can be done in the arm. Not sure if the home training nurses can do it for you in your arm to start out. Maybe on your loading doses you can try them in different locations to find out what works best for you? Different people say that leg or stomach are better. We've done leg, but our daughter refuses to have the injections in her stomach. Guess it feels bad enough there already.

 

[Lam123]

I have been injecting myself in the stomach form4 years with humira. I found the leg hurts, so I do it in the stomach with the pen. It stings for a few seconds and that is it. I was given a video to watch to learn how to inject. I do it to the right or left of my belly button and then done. It is not done in a muscle, at least not that I was ever told.

 

[Chester31]

My son does his own injections using the pens. The needle is small but you have to hold the pen in place for about 10 seconds after pressing the button. Apparently it stings a bit but is short-lived. If you take the pen out of the fridge for 30-40 minutes before injecting then it hurts less. He injects in his legs as he finds it less painful than his stomach - he doesn't have a great deal of fat on him!!

 

[joeyme1]

I used to inject it in my legs and stomach area. I preferred injecting my legs because it was easier to pinch the skin to raise it.

After you click the button, the needle immediately goes in (Not into muscle) Then, it burns while the medicine goes in. The pain goes away quickly.

I was scared before my first injection, but it really isn't that bad.

 

[Jonesie201]

I was in the hospital a few months ago with an obstruction. When they discharged me, my GI doctor started me on Humira. I had a nurse come out to my house and give me A LOT of information, a "dummy" pen so I could practice and get used to the click sound the pen makes. She gave me a big packet of information to read through. She stayed and answered all my questions, gave me her cell number incase I had questions after. She also came back to my house and was there with me when I did my first round of shots.

I do my belly. You don't feel the needle at all. It does take maybe 10 seconds for all the medicine to come out of the needle. You'll know when it's done because there will be a patch of yellow letting you know all the medicine is gone. It does sting, I've only been on it for 2 months and I'm not "used to" the sting yet, but I think the longer I'm on it the less that will bother me. Also a BIG help is to numb the spot for a few seconds with ice and make sure you let your pen come to room temp, like Chester31above said, before you inject it.

 

[MikeinBklyn]

Sammy,
Try to pinch a fatty area. Hold for 10 sec after the click. Yes, it will sting, so what? If it works then 10 secs of sting will not be a big deal. You could also ice the area prior to injecting. I do find the legs sting a tad more than the belly. You can also try the fatty portion of the back of your arm, (tricep area.)

Good Luck, it really is a very minor issue if you get the benefits of the medication. You can do this!