Another awful cold!

Does anyone else get more colds and flu now that they take Rebif? I just had a cold a few months ago and it lasted forever. My current cold is going on 6 days and it just seems to get worse each day, not better. I saw a P.A. in my G.P.'s office this morning and he thinks maybe the Rebif is suppressing my immune system and that's why I keep getting sick and staying sick longer than usual. I'm not sure if that's right or how it works. The first year after I was diagnosed and I took Rebif, I never got sick. It's been the last year and a half or so that I've been sick at least 3 times and have flu like symptoms again from Rebif on Monday nights. I'm starting the list of questions for my next appointment with my neurologist. It's in January but I'm sure his voicemail will be full until then anyway so I'll sit tight.

Flu-like Symptoms

I spend most Monday nights tossing and turning, unable to sleep and feeling icky. I'm not sure why this side effect hits me on Monday nights and why it's still happening to me after 2+ years on Rebif. Does that happen to anyone else?

If it's Monday, it must be my arm...

In the past year, I've made some real improvements to my Rebif routine. I stick to a schedule for rotating injection sites so I don't have to record the locations on my calendar anymore. We do an arm on Monday, midsection (love handle or tummy) on Wednesday and wrap up the week with the easiest of all, top of the thigh. I try to remember which side we used the prior week and alternate but it's OK if we goof since it's been at least 7 days no matter what. This system has really cut out a lot of work (staring at my skin, trying to remember where we did it last, scribbling on the wall calendar in the kitchen late at night) and has made my life easier.

Wall calendar in kitchen, originally uploaded by Cynthia in SF.

Hiding the sharps container

blogged to http://pooksagirl.blogspot.com/ on 7-7-08, originally uploaded by Cynthia in SF.

I've been hunting for a box or basket to hide my sharps container and I noticed this lidded basket at McMaster & Storm this morning. It's cute but I haven't checked the dimensions yet. Where do others keep their sharps containers? Am I the only one who wants to hide mine but have it accessible three times a week?