Enbrel | Arthritis Information

Hehehe Hula.  I feel you over my shoulder

It is such a non issue now. I used to faint at finger tip blood tests..Her is what works for me.

First thing give yourself time, this isn't a facial, but it is something you are doing for you. treat it like a gift. fix a cup of coffee, go someplace quiet, play calming music.

Make sure the syringe is WARM. your body is 98.6... room temp will be a shock. I rest the syringe across the top of my coffee mug. Then just before I inject I roll it between my palms until I can't feel it, since it and my palms are the same temp..

Inject in your tummy. I can't begin to imagine using my thigh. There are more nerve endings there and far less lose skin/flab. Ice the area of your tummy you will inject. Get it REALLY cold. I have an ice pack in a light tshirt, and leave it there for a good long time. You want that area numb. Wipe your tummy with the alcohol pad and let it dry.. Completely.

Pinch up a roll of flab about the size of your thumb and finger together, check the syringe, and gently push the plunger in a little to get the air out of the syringe..

Hold the syringe like you are throwing a dart, and slide the point into the skin you have pinched up. The ice will have numbed it so much you won't feel the needle slide in.

Release the flab, and shift your fingers on the needle holding it between the index and middle finger, with the thumb on the plunger.

SLOWLY depress the plunger..I depress to a chant..."My toes won't hurt, my ankles won't hurt, my knees won't hurt, my hips won't hurt, my fingers won't hurt, my wrists won't hurt, my thumbs won't hurt, my elbows won't hurt, my shoulders won't hurt, my jaw won't hurt...this shot stings, but far less than my body hurts."

You should be finished then, remove the syringe, place the ice pack back on for maybe 30 seconds, and dispose of the needle...now finish your coffee.

Hope this helps.  I used Enbrel the 1 X week shot, and now use Humira. I feel zero difference in the medication as it goes in. I truly believe the ice and WARMING the medication make all the difference.

Basically they give you 2x the medicine in a thicker suspension to slow the progress into your system. The thicker suspension requires a thicker needle. I felt the needle more and the medication burned as it went in. I often had to stop and then start again it hurt so bad.

Also, I felt like it was a "work week" not a calendar week dose. About 5 days in I'd be hurting.

Deborah

Welcome Roz~

I take Humira; not Enbrel but they are very simluar. I've been doing the shots since December and in May I started doing it weekly verses bi-weekly which is the standard Humira dose.

Still to this day I can't quite get use to it. My husband does it for me and although I hate it...I know it's nessesary. It has changed my life dramaticlly...although it took several months for me to get the full effect from it. Some people get great results right away, but for me it was much more gradual.

Where can you buy this numbing spray? My doctors office uses it; but I might want to get some too. Although to be honest it's not the needle that hurts me...it's when the medication is injected in and I'm not sure the spray would help with that at all. Will it?

Again, Welcome to AI. We're glad you're here.

Kathy your instructions are awesome!!! i start Humira on wednesday and i read the intructions they gave me and watched the cheesy dvd they gave me also but your insturctions have been the best yet

shannon

Can we buy this spray...and don't you agree Mags; it's when the medicine goes in that it hurts...not the needle going in. Would the spray help this?

My doctor uses it when I get a shot in the joint with cortisone...but it still hurts like hell!! (Way worse than Humira) It's not the needle that bothers me then either...it what they squirt inTo me the needle isn't what hurts either, it's the medication. I don't know if this would help us much or not...I'm thinking not too much .  Then again there was a post where someone got dull needles...if we had a dull needle then this would help..maybe best to spray first in case?

Hi Lovie,

Thank you for the welcome. Everyone is so nice and helpful and caring here. I have Psoriatic Arthritis and even though my condition seems far less in the degree of severity than the rest here it was coming on like gang busters. In less than a year my life completely changed. Depression was coming on too. Fortunately it seems to be selective with the joints and was hitting the left side of my body more than the right side. My thumb on my right hand and wrist and knee seemed affected. All the rest is my left side from shoulder, hands and fingers and my wrists in both hands lost all use. Had to keep them wrapped. My feet and ankles and toes were so stiff in the morning I would stumble out of bed. The Knees... Sat down on the potty one day and couldn't get up for the longest time. I'm so fortunate to have a good RD. She got me on the Enbrel almost immediately and I am one of the lucky ones that had immediate relief. I couldn't believe it. Thursday night will be my 5th injection. I even think it is starting to have some affect on the Psoriasis Plaque. That crust stuff is a drag. My best friend calls me Crusty (not much longer) and I call her "Hurry Up" because she takes forever.

Now, for the spray. It is by prescription and it is called Ethyl Chloride Med. Spray Geb. I get it at Costco. Cost is about .00. But you have to be quick. No waiting around after you spray because it wears off fast.

Let me know if you get some and how it works for you.