posted
I am looking for information from anyone who has mixed their own Rocephin drug. Specifically, I am looking for what the mixing ratio is of Rocephin powder to the saline solution. The reason I ask is I am trying to save costs. So rather than bringing the Rocephin vials to a pharmacy or home health service and have them mix the drug and place into the drip pouches, I want to see if it is feasible for me to buy the saline solution, mix it myself, then extract the drug into a syringe, then inject the syringe into my IV tube. I know it seems a little far reaching, but it would save me $$. Has anyone out there tried it this way? Thanks.
posted
It's been a while since I did this, but I seem to remember 2 grams of rocephin. I would just fill the bottle with high quality saline, mix it, extract it, and inject. BUT if you do this, please talk to a doctor about it--that's not just a disclaimer, since I am no doctor, but because rocephin is dangerous and corrosive and can cause serious problems.
Specifically, you must inject it VERY VERY SLOWLY, like over the course of two or three hours, or you could do yourself grave harm. A couple of times, I injected it too quickly, and was lucky that I just passed out. And that was by accident; I thought I was going at the right pace. I was also lucky that the materials didn't become contaminated. I thought I was being careful, but I was very sick and could not possibly gauge how well I was storing these materials.
So yes, it can easily be done, but don't trust yourself to do it without backup help.
posted
I did it this way the entire time I was on Rocephin. It's very easy, but because it is important that you do this properly, you need to have someone at the infusion center your doctor uses, or a visiting home health care nurse instruct you in how to do this by the book.
I payed for one expensive visit by a home health care nurse. She was invaluable in instructing me. Because I was then a registered patient, I was able to call them with important questions until I was comfortable. The one home health care visit was the best money I spent throughout that ordeal. She assessed that my hands were too shaky to use the type of device that my surgeon had set me up with. She managed to get me hooked up with smart-sites that were easier for me to use.
This is not something that you want another patient to help you with. It's important that you learn how to this right.
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