I FINALLY got my Humira today!!!!!

Thanks for the update. Please keep us posted!

princesscolon, congrats! I just took my second 'shot' of Humira today. You are right, it burns like bloody hell, but for all its worth I stopped the bleeding after starting it and had normal BMs for the first time ina long time. The only weird thing was that after my first dose two weeks ago, I conked flat out asleep. I will know here ina few hrs if it will be the 'norm' for me..i took the 2 shots less than an hour ago. Let us know how you are doing!

Thank you all. So far I haven't had diarrhea since the injections and I've been having it for 6 days straight!

OH I"m so glad you were finally able to get it!!   I am sending all GOOD vibes you're way..hopefully will be your miracle drug!!  Plz let me know how it goes,  you SOOOOOOOO deserve some remission time from this awful disease!!  

Princesscolon,

I hope the Humira is still working for you. My husband has been on this drug for a month. It seems you got good results right away. That's great! If you don't mind, can you please give an update. It seems not many people are on this drug with UC. I would just like to compare notes. Thanks!

Hi, Longtime lurker, newbie poster here. I have been on Humira since the beginning of the year, and it has been good to me. I am still steroid-dependent however, so I am going in for a consultation with my local Wizard of Oz UC/Crohn's specialist, and may be increasing my Humira dosage soon. It took 4 weeks for me to notice significant changes, so sounds like you are doing great!

I found that after several weeks of shots, it gets a little bit easier. Take the pen out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before administering, as it burns slightly less when it is not cold. I also ice the injection areas for 15-20 minutes before, and that helps a bit too. I still get significant bruising, and sometimes a little rashy puffiness around the injection site, but it doesn't bother me much. It has gotten better over time. I am often VERY tired for the duration of the day after having an injection (not sure if it's psychosomatic or what), but then feel fine the next day.

I went through the first 2 months absolutely dreading the injections due to the burning pain, even though my husband does a great job administering them. I am finding that it doesn't bother me as much now, perhaps because I can tell that it is working, and I'm able to recognize that it's 10 seconds of pain in exchange for major improvements in my life. My dx is indeterminate Crohns/colitis, which is why I was able to get Humira easily. That's about the only good thing about being indeterminate, I think, LOL. Hope this helps, and hope your improvements continue!

It isn't approved for UC yet. I got it for Psoriatic Arthritis. Thank you for the well wishes! I had been flaring pretty badly, so I can see a difference already.

Princesscolon, thanks for sharing! I am glad you are doing better. My husband is doing ok.Unfortunately, the Humira hasn't made major improvements for him yet. When he first took Humira, his urgency and blood decreased. The number of bms decreased a bit. But, now he is back to where he was. Let's see, we're keeping our fingers crossed. He doesn't seem to get a rash on the injection site. If he doesn't inject it properly, then it burns him. Are you sitting down when you inject yourself? My husband sits down and injects it on his tummy. He grabs all of his tummy fat(which is not that much) in one area tightly. Taking out the meds. ahead of time helps too, as another person posted. You can ice the area first to numb it before injecting. I hope it is getting less painful for you.

My husband acts like it doesn't hurt, then again maybe he's just trying to be macho;)

Hobo,

I'm new to this site so hopefully I'm posting this reply properly.  If not, sorry in advance.  I'm trying to help my father-in-law with his Crohns.  He is currently on Humira and Prednisone also.  They are trying to step down his prednisone but he is having huge flare-ups.  Could you possibly detail the final, slow prednison taper they used on you (how much for how long) beginning at 20mg ?

I greatly appreaciate it.

Sirpenguin, most GI's will give Humira off-label to UC patients because the research so far has been very positive. The usual issue is whether the insurance will pay. A lot of health insurance policies specifically say non-FDA approved treatments are not covered. In that case, Humira coverage would be denied, and very few people can pay for it themselves.

Thanks Hobo !!!!