Changing the world one med at a time

Ok for those of you that don't know this is the Humira Pen. I used this for about 4 months before switching over to the regular syringe. Like most, I opted for the pen because all you do is take the cap off of each end, press it to your skin, and hit the button. It's spring loaded. Needle goes in, you get your meds, you are done. What they never told me was how painful it is. I actually started taking apart these pens and then I would have someone manually inject the meds.

Here's the interesting part. When you take this apart by just popping off one end, you separate the syringe from the plunger. The plunger is still attached to the button that you press to inject the meds. To detach it you can press the button and the plunger literally goes flying across the room and hits the wall. Reminds me of the force that makes a cork fly through the air from a champagne bottle. The spring that creates the force is almost the length of the cylinder you see above. If you place a hand on either side of the spring to push the coils together, you can't. It's to hard. I have had several people try, grown men, and they have not been successful.

So then I got to thinking. No wonder the shot was so painful. All that force, for a tiny needle, and only .08ml of meds.

2 weeks ago I saw my nurse up in Boston. She has been dead set against the pen because of the pain and the anxiety it creates for her patients. I would, no joke, sit there for 2 hours sometimes trying to get the courage up to press the button. Ok so 2 weeks ago I actually take a pen apart in front of my nurse and her mouth drops to the floor. She asks if she can keep the pieces, especially the spring. Which she can't push together either. A Humira rep happens to come in that day and she shows him. Then over the course of the week some more reps visit and she shows them.

Now here's the good part. One of the reps actually takes the spring. My nurse then gets a call some time later. Humira....ready for this?......is changing the design of the pen (for real) and may call me regarding this. How about that? Changing the world one med at a time!!!