Category: medications

Oh Enbrel, Where Have You Been All My Life?

Posted on by Grayson

I have had kind of an amazing day in general. I picked up my ukulele again after a week of craziness.

Someone got to go get their Enbrel today from the pharmacy. I was super excited. I drove home. I blasted some ‘At Last’ by Etta James. I may have danced around in the living room with my Enbrel package.

I’m sorry you guys, I didn’t manage to take pictures of that. Super lame.

I took my time with it tonight and finished a lot of thing I’ve been meaning to do. I made mac and cheese from scratch, folded laundry, and even cleaned up around here! Whoa!

I pulled out the Enbrel pen from my little package and grabbed my ice pack from the freezer. Then, I settled in for a lovely bit of light reading. I actually read all of the information that comes with the pens.

I feel like maybe if I had read all of that when I started Humira I would maybe have rethought my decision. I don’t care that it’s less than a tenth of a percent, I don’t like knowing the anti-TNFs have caused multiple sclerosis in some people. I mean, what the fuck? I watched my great grandma die from that and now I gotta worry about that from a med? FUCCCCCK YOOOUUUU LIFE’S HEALTH CARD.

But okay, whatever. I’ve been on Humira for like a friggin’ year. So I mean, I might as well keep going.

I had been told I was getting syringes and so didn’t feel like I needed a teaching because it’s like injecting MTX. I actually got the sure-click auto pens. Maybe it was an insurance thing? Oh well, whatever.

My pen and my handy dandy how-to sheet

Once I figured out how to use the pen, the shot was so quick. It was so painless. I was able to watch the plunger on the pen push the solution into my body, which I think helped as a distraction. I also was hanging out for like half an hour reading all that shit before injecting while icing my belly. The needle felt so much smaller than the Humira needles. They were so much more gentle. How come you guys never told me???

I’ll keep you guys all up to date with how this goes. I really feel like it could really be something amazing for me – and maybe for you or your loved one.

Enbrel, I think you and I are going to be a great fit. Help me keep that bastard Arthur away and I’ll always keep you in the fridge in my heart.

Chicago (again!)

Posted on by Grayson

Wow. I am exhausted…ish. I should be WAY more exhausted than I am though I think. So this Humira stuff must be working 🙂

I did not get called back for The Voice. I hit a flat note in my song and my eyes met with the judge in a horrifying moment and we both knew I wouldn’t be anyway. I say, oh well! I tried out and it was fun (aside from being a mere FIVE hours of basically standing the whole damn time). It doesn’t make sense for me to go be on the show right now anyway. I’m finally really happy with most everything going on and don’t want it to change.

But the boyfriend’s birthday in Chicago was pretty fun. We went down Friday and enjoyed the Brookfield Zoo. I was super proud of us that we remembered to bring the sunscreen 🙂  Then we had some delicious Connie’s Pizza before getting up early Saturday for me to stand in long lines and him to wander around Navy Pier. It was a tense, and yet relaxing, few days off.

I’m doing my Humira shot tonight and, hopefully, miss some of the fun injection effects while I sleep.

Tomorrow I have a fun list of things to get done before work. I’m hoping that I can get it done quickly and be kind of lazy… although I kind of really like playing housewife. And lately I’ve been dressing the part, in my cute retro outfits.

One of my friends got a tattoo today and I kind of really want one now! I’m looking at getting Arabic writing, but am unsure what to get. But all the words I have written down are awesome, like “strength” “fighter” “perseverance” and “determination” which Angelina Jolie actually has on her arm. Cool.

Also! Please check out my latest post over at Achieve Clinical filled with summertime tips for us spoonies 🙂

Mmmm Humira

Posted on by Grayson

I was approved for my free Humira! Yay! I’ll get my shipment on Wednesday, so that’ll be good. I’m definitely starting to ache again today, so hopefully that will help.

I got a promotion at work which is awesome, but it requires me to work a little more especially now that one person just quit with no notice. It’s a salaried position so that’s nice too. Too bad there’s no insurance.

I have two papers to finish by the end of the month. Other than that, I’m just counting down the days until the bboyfriend and I move in together. I’m excited for many reasons, but I think it’ll help me feel better physically since he seems to have that sort of voodoo magic over me. It’s kinda awesome.

I’m ready to go back to bed, mmm. Silly work interrupting me.

My first Humira shot

Posted on by Grayson

Okay, so I’m thinking I’m just going in to get my TB test read and get the financial assistance paperwork to fill out on Thursday, right?

Well, I ended up with a free shot of Humira too.

I just would like to say that I hate injections even more than getting blood drawn. They’re far more painful physically, that’s for sure. Well, the Humira is no exception. Because it is refrigerated, I’m sure that adds to the funky stinging – but the nurse also explained that it’s a completely different pH than the human body, so the stinging pretty much is always going to happen.

My initial reaction was to pull that sh** right out of my leg, but you have to hold the pen-needle in your skin for 10 seconds. I made it, but it was tricky definitely. I’m glad that there’s only one shot every two weeks cause who knows if I could handle that for longer. But I’m willing to try anyhow. So that counts for something, right?

At least I know other people on that drug to talk to if I think something is going wrong.

Plaquenil

Posted on by Grayson

I had asked about it a few months ago after a visit with my rheumy. In the interim, I’ve found out that my great uncle’s oldest daughter (first cousin once removed?) was diagnosed with RA not too long ago. I also found out that she’s on Plaquenil and so sick from it that the aggressive arthritis might be better… Not very good for a stay-at-home mom of four.

Needless to say, I probably won’t be taking Plaquenil. It also has sulfides in it, which no one in m family tends to handle very well… especially my mom. And lucky for me, I’ve got most of her allergies.
At this point though, I’m already sick to my stomach non-stop, so what’s the harm, right? The thing is, if I feel like laying around and not doing anything now, what’s going to happen if I take that?
I have like zero energy right now. I’ve had this terrible pain in both of my arms, all the way up through my neck and even sometimes into my head. Over the past couple of days, I’ve also had problems with my chest hurting… and zapping pains… and no appetite.
Awesome.