It seems that I continuously need to educate myself about my central nervous system, my immune system and how every new MS therapy works and what it is intended to do. Although I was never interested in science, I’ve become at least curious over the last twenty years.
It seems that I continuously need to educate myself about my central nervous system, my immune system and how every new MS therapy works and what it is intended to do.
Although I was never interested in science, I’ve become at least curious over the last twenty years.
I also learned that I could inject myself in the thigh weekly with a 1-1/4 inch intramuscular needle for about 3 years on my initial first-line therapy and then, after I developed severe liver toxicity and had to discontinue that one, daily with a 1/2 inch subcutaneous needle for almost 8 years on the next one.
Although I had always before been averse to taking any kind of medication, even aspirin, once I relented to this I started accepting the drug recommendations of doctors and other health care professionals.
I’ve sat through a 6-week IV course of steroids, a 6-month IV chemotherapy regimen, and two episodes of IV infusion with a second-line therapy.
In the past ten years, I’ve had a liver biopsy, a gamma radiation procedure, and many MRIs.
From one therapy, I learned that it is not more beneficial to suffer through fever and that taking acetaminophen to squelch it is not a cop-out.
From another, I learned that icing the area before I injected, as recommended by the nurse, made it painfully excruciating; using heat instead worked way better.
This underscores the idea that what works for one person does not work for another.
After my allergic reaction to it has disqualified the most recent therapy, I am now poised to try the next one, a new oral medication for MS.
Before I start, I have to go for an optical coherence tomography (OCT) test, an EKG, and a skin-cancer screening.
Like I said, I will now need to educate myself on this drug and why I need these tests. Watch for future posts!
Links checked 09/24/2022