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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 9/27/2013 5:01 PM (GMT 0)
I have doing ok on the Humira, not as good as the MTX but its still early. Just taking my 3rd dose today. No icky side effects though, which is great.

Just wondering if people usually get continuous relief or is it typical to flare the mid to end of second week before you are due for your injection?

My entire body is in pain, hands and toes are huge. I was in the ER with my son last night and was so exhausted so I didnt go to work today. Couldnt even do my shoe laces or brush my teeth this morning without dropping everything. I read one thing somewhere that a person was prescribed Humira weekly for a while till they had steady results. Wasnt sure if its common to feel like this or not?

I am going to send out an email to my DR, I need to let her know about the cataract too. She didnt seem to think the eyes were related but other people I have spoken to state that they eyes are definetely affected. She only mentioned eye problems with specific meds. I like my dr alot but I am not sure how comprehensive she is. I made the appointment with her because everyone else was 4-6 months to see, the dr I wanted to see I still wouldnt have gotten to see her yet,lol. At least we got things started, I can always switch for a second opinion. Getting frustrated that things are so up and down, family and coworkers look at you like you are crazy. Hubby thinks if I could open the jar yesterday there is no reason I cant open it today.

Guess I may just be having a bad day pitty party, need a kick in the backside,lol.
Posted 9/27/2013 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
Hang in there! I know how you feel, I was put on Humira back in May. My Rheumy put me on a once a week regimen and I am still on it now but it seems like it is far less effective than Enbrel was for me. I was on Prednisone to get me over the two month hurdle of Humira kicking in and am tapering off of it now. Im down to 2.5 MG a day and Im stiff, sore and swollen. Add to that the Psoriasis that I got from Enbrel is kicking in again. :(

Im really hoping that this is just a reaction to coming off of the Prednisone and not how I will be on only Humira and meloxicam. It sucks to be honest and Im taking vicodin to get through it. Thank goodness for that.

Since I have been on Humira I have had two good flares. I wouldn't call what Im going through now a major flare but it is one. Both times my prednisone was upped and it kicked it but ugh the side effects of that for me are pretty bad.

Hang in there with the Humira, I was told it can take a while to reach its full effectiveness. I hope you feel better, take a nice hot bath and relax with a book or something to get your mind in a good place. It's hard on our families to understand this disease, remember they suffer right along with us just in a different way.

I work with someone who also has RA and that has been a blessing we can commiserate and lift each other up when we are not feeling good. Her husband left her after 31 years and told her that "he was done with her being sick all the time". I sure thank the Lord that I have a loving wife and family. They take care of me when I am down and I do everything I can to return that when I am feeling good and even when I am not. Sometimes its just little things but it all makes a huge difference. Let them know how much they mean to you.
Posted 9/28/2013 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
Geeze, I wrote a long response and I must not of hit submit.

Don, I have worries with hubby about him getting sick and tired of my lack of EVERYTHING. We have been together for nearly 20 years and every year I seem to get more limited. Right now I have some much wide spread pain that I have absolutely no interest in being touched at all. I try, but even the thought of being intimate with my hubby just makes me cringe in pain. I try to subtlely load up on pain meds and turn off my spinal stim but its not helping anymore. My pain meds dont help the RA at all but if I can cover the other pain sufficiently I may have a chance. Sorry, to much information,lol. Its just the RA has really pushed my chronic pain issues over the edge.

I may ask my dr if there is a possibilty of doing the humira weekly till I get more consistent relief. I need to email anyway to let her know about the update with my eye, 39 years old and I have a cataract, thats rediculous.

Got to catch a break,lol!
Posted 10/1/2013 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
My dr responded to my email today and she said that most of her pts that take Humira without MTX end up using it weekly verses 2x month. However, she wants me to give it two more weeks before we up the dose. I am good with that, I am sure it is better if you can do good with just the 2 doses per month.
Posted 10/8/2013 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
While I've not taken Humira long term (I think I only took it for 3 weeks or so before switching), when I was taking Enbrel (the same class drug as Humira), I definitely felt it wearing off before my next injection.  At one point, I was taking 2 enbrel injections/wk.  I would imagine that Humira would be similar since it is also a tnf inhibitor.

Elcamino

Posted 10/9/2013 3:14 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Angeleyes, I can totally relate and it isn't TMI it's simply life. I have been married for 23 years this year and its been a particularly bad year for me in that department. What gets me the most about that is that I can let my fears get the best of me when I feel like Im not living up to my responsibilities as a husband. That of course is never good and really compounds things when you have anxiety and stress. Its a delicate balance but communication is key and hopefully your husband is understanding.

I try to do things when I am hurting and also when I am feeling better to let my wife and daughters know how much I appreciate them. It's always about me when Im not feeling well and I get to feeling some guilt over that but there isn't a lot I can do to change it but simply thank them for loving me so much and try to make sure they know how much they mean to me and how special they are. It makes a difference I know cause I can see how it lights them up. I am very fortunate to have them in my life.

I hope you are feeling better and that your Doctor can up your dosage to get you some relief. My friend at work takes Enbrel a few times a week and combined with MX and alot of painkillers she keeps on keepin on. I don't want to rely on Narcotics for pain relief and Vicodin doesn't do much but take the edge off but at least it is something. God Bless! -Don
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