weird bruise

[ME610]

I have been taking Copaxone since February 2008 and have had minimal problems. I rarely had any issues.... yes, I bruise and bleed sometimes, but not too bad. The other day I injected into my hip and bled..... I had a small bruise.... but now the bruise hurts more than normal and the area around the buise is raised and red. It is about the size of the palm of my hand. I wouldn't say it is painful, but more bothersome. It is also warm to the touch.

Should I be concerned??? THIS reaction has never happened to me.

[MSer102]

It sounds like you have much more than a bruise. You have an area that's big and raised and red and warm. Warm sometimes means there's an infection there. If its a Copaxone reaction its an extreme one. I had reactions to Copaxone too but never one that bad! Since its never happened before and its so big and warm I think maybe it would be a good idea to have your GP look at it to figure out what it is.

[ME610]

Thanks MSer102....I was afraid of that. I am a teacher... I had my school nurse look at it... she was stumped/concerned....I guess I will be calling the doctor tomorrow.
THANKS!

[its2much]

Hope all went well

What did your doctor tell you about the red, raised area?

[Koshtoo]

How fast did the area become raised, red and hot? My injection sites almost always do that, usually within 8-12 hours. My skin is very sensitive. Also, I've only been on Copaxone since September, and am still experimenting with the depth

Could you have hit the muscle? I do that sometimes when I inject too deeply. Usually when I hit the muscle I get a light bruise that lasts a long time.It also feels like I've been punched in the muscle.

The other day I injected in my hip and had my usual swelling and heat, but within 12 hours it was painful when I moved the hip. It was not the type of pain I get when I inject too deeply and hit the muscle. It felt like the needle was still stuck in my hip, moving around.

I asked my Sister in law, who is a nurse, if it could be an infection. She said that swelling and pain right away or within a short period of time is probably not an infection. It takes some time for an injection to develop. She thought I might have hit a nerve. Within a few days, the pain and swelling went away.

[ME610]

NO WORRIES!!

I ended up going to an urgent care place.... figured they would best be able to determine in one visit if I needed to be concerned.... no problems, just a really big bruise that will take a long time to go away.

They did blood work... which neither my neuro or PCP could do rapidly...and nothing abnormal showed up. They said I just hit a bigger blood vessel....

All is fine here!

[justacowgirl]

Wondering if you use the autoject?

[ME610]

I do... I just can't bring myself NOT to use it.

[ReneeC]

Bruise feedback

ME610, I've had the same thing on occasion, but it usually subsides within a couple of days. Mine also feels warm. I found my reaction consistent with the dispensing literature. Bottom line is if you're uncomfortable, see the doc, but you may call your neuro first to see if s/he has any info on the commonality (or lack thereof) of such a complaint.