Well I've done it.

Hopefully in the long line of things I've had to do in the last year that I didn't really want to do, but figured once I did it, I'd get "used" to it. This time it was giving myself needles at home alone. Yes I have been giving myself needles for the last 6 weeks, but this was the first time doing it myself at home without a nurse around if I fraked it up. I was nervous, I felt sick to my stomach and I was shaking. I got it done though.

I did have one small issue, I was not able to get a sharp needle into my lower spot, I think probably because of fluid build up the vein was just big and tough. In the future this should not be a problem because there will never be the amount of time between treatments as there was between Thursday day and tonight. I was able to get a dull into my upper spot though, it did take some "fishing" (wiggling it around) to get it in, but it seems to be in good now.

The other things I've had to force myself to do have been, of course the first time giving myself the needles, sharp or dull, that was a hard one. I was nervous going in, but after I did it a few times it's not so bad. Thats not really something I suspect anyone expects themselves to ever say. Giving myself needles is no so bad.

The other thing was one I was originally doing my training with the central line. The first time having to put the syringe on and then pull blood back was strange. It wasn't something I wanted to do. It doesn't hurt, it just seemed strange to be pulling my own blood out. Even though nurses had been doing it for almost a year, doing it yourself is still different somehow.

I guess I may have one more hurdle in the future, if I ever have to give myself a needle in the alternate spot, I've only done this once before, and it will be giving myself a needle one alone into a spot without any freezing.

Owen