Glenda's journey with prescribed treatments

[Fred]

Good luck with the Enbrel Glenda, I have changed the title of your thread to "Glenda's journey with prescribed treatments" I hope you don't mind but as this board is titled "Prescribed Treatments" I thought it may confuse some readers.

Thanks Fred for the help I am new at this and I really appreciate any help!!!

You're welcome, and don't worry about it. You're doing well and we will soon have you making the coffee and cake.

[Kat]

Good luck with the Enbrel Glenda, I have changed the title of your thread to "Glenda's journey with prescribed treatments" I hope you don't mind but as this board is titled "Prescribed Treatments" I thought it may confuse some readers.

Thanks Fred for the help I am new at this and I really appreciate any help!!!

You're welcome, and don't worry about it. You're doing well and we will soon have you making the coffee and cake.  

Coffee and cake? Count me in!

This is nice Glenda, it will be so much easier to follow your progress now!

[jiml]

I'm in agreement with Kat it's great you have a thread to enable you and others to follow your experiences and they will all be together and will prove a great reference tool for yourself . I know I have to look back in mine to remind myself of my progress and what my last blood results were.
I hope you will keep us informed and I am waiting for the day when you tell us the skin is getting clearer......... keep your chin up my friend it will happen    

[glenda grant]

tomorrow is my Enbrel shot and will have to remember to take it out for awhile so it can warm up a little.I tried it straight out of the refrigerator and it stung like a bee.I had to call and order for next month as this is my last pen.I called the Enbrel support team and they have put $6000 on a debit card to help me with the co-pays and out of pocket expense.I won't have to pay for 6 months and then in July they will put another $4000 on my card.I am so thankful for their help at least it's one less worry.Can you believe it costs $3000 for 4 shots.I am very happy they are helping me stay on my meds.My PSA is better and am hopeful the skin will come along in time.There are alot of people that have no insurance and I really feel bad for them.They have to suffer and shouldn't have to.i will keep everyone posted on my progress.As Fred has said before what works for one person maybe won't work for some one else.We have to keep trying till we find what works for us.I really feel bad when young children get this dreaded disease.I was fortunate to have gotten it later in life.Although I suspect I had scalp psoriasis and pitted nails as a teenager and back then didn't know what was wrong.

[glenda grant]

Good luck with the Enbrel Glenda, I have changed the title of your thread to "Glenda's journey with prescribed treatments" I hope you don't mind but as this board is titled "Prescribed Treatments" I thought it may confuse some readers.

Fred sometimes I confuse my own self.I am glad you picked up on this.You keep me on the straight and narrow!!!!

[glenda grant]

Having psoriasis psoriatic arthritis has really been a challenge to say the least.As i said before i had the psoriasis long before I knew it.I had what I thought was dandruff during my teenage years and my nails were always weak.I didn't have pretty nails like the other girls at the time.Plus I used to bite them.About 9 or 10 years ago my scalp was so bad I went to a Dermatologist and she said I have Psoriasis and I had about 20 steroid shots in my scalp.Talk about painful but I got thru it.I showed her my knee which was double in size and she told me she thought I has Psa on top of the skin issues.So i started to see a Rheumatologist and sure enough I have both.They call it a double whammy just my luck to have both!I had tried all kinds of pills to help me but nothing seemed to help.One time was on Clinerol don't know how to spell it.Was generic for sulfasalazine and my hands swelled up like baloons from it.My Rhemmy was on vacation so I went to the ER they gave me a steroid shot plus steroid pills you take 7 day pres.and you keep tapering down.Was on Cymbalta,Lyrica.Celebrex and nothing helped finally the Dr said well Glenda looks like it time for biologics.Started out on Remicade was on it for about 8 months then I broke out in hives last Jan,not bad thought it was from a food allergy.March had another infusion hives again.Thought it was something else.Then May 1st had another infusion ended up in the ER.could't breathe they gave me an IV coctail of steroids,benadryl,pepcid.Finally figured it was from Remicade.So now I am on Enbrel for the past 3 months and so far so good.My PSA is better I am hoping after a while I'll see improvements in my skin.Keeping my fingers crossed.I try to go to the tanning bed a couple times a week not for the tan but to help with the psoriasis.I only stay in the bed for 7 minutes scared of getting skin cancer.Will keep all informed on my progress with Enbrel.

I gave myself my injection of Enbrel Sat,I am proud to say I am getting quite good at it.I was a little afraid the first couple times,but each one gets easier.Sure beats going to the infusion center and and the Nurse not being able to find my veins.One time I was stabbed 5 times.I told her if you can't get it call in some help.Then laying in the recliner for 3 hours until the Remicade was flowing thru my veins.Was really scarey when i got the hives especially the last infusion.The enbrel is so much better,delivered to my door and no more digging around for my veins.I told my Nurse how is it the Drug Addicts find them the first try.How can they do that to themselves.My brother was an Addict and one time my Mom called me to say she found him unresponsive.I went to his bedroom and pulled out the needle he had in his vein.My poor Mother didn't want to call an ambulance cause the last time the Nurse said to her can't you watch your son.It wasn't her fault.We just watched and waited until he woke up.That's one of the reasons I won't take pain meds it's to easy to get used to them.I am fortunate to have a high tolerance to pain. Many Dr's in the US won't give out pain pills.I can see why.

[jiml]

You're getting on well with the injections ... Well done Glenda, as you say much better self injecting than turning out for a long winded infusion. Doing it at home you can fit it in with normal life without disruption
I'm like you I can't understand how a drug addict sticks their first needle in and always manages to hit a vein
Good luck and well done

[Kat]

Great news Glenda! I'm sure it is so much easier to take care of the injections yourself.

[glenda grant]

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[Grizzly Bear]

Nothing there Glenda