Hi everyone! Progress update/half marathon entry/Avonex bioset question

[nicm12]

Hello!
I hope everyone is doing well!  I was diagnosed in November after a few years of symptoms, culminating with me losing motor skills and strength in my arms and hands in October. I have gradually been getting better amd can now write again and hold a cup of tea! I still tingle constantly but reckon I just have to deal with that now.

I got flu over Christmas which set me back a bit, then was hit with optic neuritis (I think that's what it is called?) At New year. This has also almost cleared up.


My boyfriend and I had been due to move to Australia  in Feb, but had to cancel our plans as I can't afford medication out there and am lucky enough to be in the UK with the NHS. I have been using the Avonex pen for two months. The side effects are gradually getting better each week, but I HATE doing it so much. Anyway, we are going to settle for a back packing trip in the summer, which means I will have to change to the bioset as it doesn't have to be kept in the fridge. Has anyone used this and the pen who can compare? I find the pen traumatising enough (slight exaggeration), and imagine the bioset to be a lot worse! Would change to Extavia as it doesnt have to be injected as deep, but don't want to experience new side effects all over again, especially while travelling!

Thanks for reading. Any advice would be much appreciated! X

[TLC_31]

How long is the proposed backpacking trip? If it’s shorter than nine days, I would think you could work your Avonex injections around it. For example, if it was a nine-day trip, the injection before the trip would be a day early, the one after the trip would be a day late.

I wouldn’t recommend changing medicines for the sake of a trip, especially since Extavia or others require more frequent dosing, and you would have to carry all those with you and have relatively comfortable and sanitary places to administer them.

If you haven’t self-injected with a syringe, whether the bioset or prefilled, you don’t want the first time to be away from the comfort of home. Perhaps it would be less traumatizing if your boyfriend does injections while you are backpacking, in which case he can be trained ahead of time.

When is the half marathon? Have you done running/racing in the past?

[nicm12]

Thank you! I would never have even considered doing one until MS gave me a kick in the bum.