Hi all, my name is "bandit" (Ian). I live in Brisbane, Queensland Australia and have been diagnosed with RA for 12 years. I have held permanent employment over this period and take a mixture of drugs to "mask" the pain. Embrel, methotrexate, prendisone, planquenel and folic acid for RA and fosamax for ostioparosis (caused by the use of prendisone over years). These drugs have given me a much better quality of life than without - but recently my immunity was at such a low caused by embrel that I contracted a serious chest infection (of which I have never had a simular problem before and my l/h side of my face was poisoned, red and swollen from my ear to my eye and down my neck..........beware the side effects!
Hope to be talking soon....
Bandit
Scary Stuff Bandit.
Welcome to AI. I'm like you...dx'ed about 12 years ago and have been on numerous treatments to control it over the years. Presently on Humira and MTX and for the second time I'm off my meds due to a sinus infection.
The side effects are scary indeed; but I guess we all take that risk to have just a portion of our normal life's back.
Did you have to discontinue your meds all together since this infection?