So today we finally reach the Max/Maintainence dose of Nicks Increlex treatment.
It has taken 3 weeks with 15 cc incremental increases each week to get to this point.
He now gets 46 cc of Increlex 2 times a day via injection. So far we have not seen any huge side effects, the occasional headache but that can be helped quickly with a shot of Orange Juice or a fruit roll up and sometimes a Tylenol.
Now one would think that after 3 weeks of doing this I would be comfortable giving him the injections by now.
Not so much 0_0
So I had read of a device called "Inject-Ease" on a IGF-1 message board ( yes there are message boards about EVERYTHING on the net ! ) and thought I WANT ONE .
Anything with the word "Ease" in it is MINE !!
It's a device that looks like a bloated pen that you drop the syringe into which then gets locked into place.
The good part of this device is that the "needle" itself is hidden from view so that everyone is less anxious waiting for the initial injection.
After placing it on the skin and giving it a few twists around to add pressure you hit the button to release the needle into the skin.
You still have to slowly push the plunger down to get the meds into the injection site but at least the needle is always delivered at the same depth and rate of speed each and every time.
The first time we tried it last night Nick was not impressed with the looks of it.
I think he was thinking the whole device was the shot and he wasn't having it.
After convincing him that it would be "better" this way he let me try it out.
It was almost as nerve wracking as the first shot I had to give him but in the end he was really shocked that it did seem to hurt less.
What I loved about it is that the amount of Meds in the syringe is also no longer visible to him.
This was starting to become an issue because he knew there was one more increase coming and he wasn't looking forward to it. (the med does sting some when going in)
So this morning with the first max dose cocked and loaded I gave him his shot and he never knew that the increase had taken place and I have no plans on telling him that either ;)
We haven't measured him yet to see if he has grown any. I really don't want to make him overly anxious having him anticipating "growing" everyday or week.
Not to mention everyone's height chart is just a tad different.
Normally this wouldn't be a huge deal for a child that is growing normally , but for a kid like Nick 1/4 inch is a huge deal to be off by.
He goes back the first week of July for a recheck and I told him we may wait til then to check on the doctors height chart so that we definitely know if its working by then he will have been on the meds for about 2 months.
...NOW if only they could make an "IEP-EASE" my world would be complete.
That is a whole other blog post in itself. 0_0
3 comments:
I'm so glad it worked! All new things for you to learn and try - you lucky dog. 0_0
Is their IEP drama right now? Talk to us!
Mit - you rock. I know this is scary and daunting but you are doing it!!
And yes...fill us in!!
hello,
I googled Increlex and this is one of the pages that came up.
I have actually been using humatrope for growth hormone deficiency for about 4 years (I am 16 now) but my physician now is advising a combination of the two medicines (as my growth has come to another halt). At first when i injected humatrope, I was given a "needle hider" and that helped at first. However, later I received smaller gauge needles and i could not use it anymore. I then became comfortable with not using the hider.
Tomorrow will be my first injection of Increlex, but I will be using the "inject-eaze" It seems weird to say , but I would rather be in control of the needle than have a mechanical device insert the needle for me.
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