Adventures with Bicillin!

We've started using the generic Bicillin (benzylpenicillin). There's been a learning curve. The first few times were particuarly brutal. Clogged needles, having to inject repeatedly because of silly mistakes, etc. But we've got a fairly good technique now.

There's just one problem. Sometimes we get a gusher. Or, really, a geyser. One night, after withdrawing the needle, a fountain of blood and Bicillin erupted in a two-inch high arc from my butt, showering me, Nick, and the bed. Which meant we'd pretty mcuh lost all of the medicine that had just been very painfully injected into my ass. Friggin' awesome.

The next attempt was slightly more successful--the geyser only arced about 1/2 inch into the air. Sigh.

But we're getting better. The last injection leaked only a little, mostly blood, and a few mintues of pressure was enough to stop the flow. Tonight I get another shot, and hopefully everything will go smoothly.

The experience of the shot is certainly different than you'd get with U.S. Bicillin. The fluid is less dense, and the needle is much larger. The acutal injection process--about two mintues--is certainly more painful, but not unbearably so. After the needle is removed, the stinging lasts for maybe ten minutes or so, which is an improvement over the U.S. stuff. And it doesn't form a tight knot of medication in my muscle, which makes it much more comfortable over the next few hours.

So the short-term experience is worse, but the long-term is better. And the financial experience is obviously in favor of the generic.

We've ordered more of the generic from overseas, and I'm hoping that customs lets it through without a hassle. We've also purchased another box of the super-expensive U.S. brand-name Bicillin, for nights when we're having trouble with the generic.

In less medical and more exciting news, on Wednesday Nick and I will have been married for nine years. We're taking three days of vacation. We're renting an isolated cabin very close to Mt. Rainier National Park. It will be good to get out of the city and into the woods. I think it will be restorative. We've even marked a few short and easy trails, in case I'm feeling up to it.