Humira or Enbril | Arthritis Information

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Since I have been on Humria, switched from Enbril, I had a postive test to TB after 2 years and last week I found a large lump next to my neck. My RA did xray and sent me for CT scan last Friday, they sent her the results the same day and she called me the same day and said to come in on Monday for a consult. The result is I have Lymphoma, that started in  my left tonsil and spread in the lymphnoded down my left side of neck. I also develope heart problems and have a pacemaker now, so I am waiting on biopsy to find what stage and type of Lymphoma.

 
The reason I am posting this is, read the warning on the Humira and Enbril, and decide if it is worth the risk of getting cancer or TB for yourself. I am off of Humira now, my RA took me off of it, the only thing I can take for RA is Prednisone and pain meds now. I will go on Radation treatment for 6 weeks and Chemo. The Rad treatment will burn my throat up and i will not be able to eat or drink so they will place a feeding tube in my stomach during the treatment.
 
Take care all, and take the warnings seriously.
Hello rbw. I am very sorry to hear of your escalating difficulties. While I do not currently take either Humira or Enbrel, I think it is fair to say that the majority of RA patients are, for the most part, well informed regarding the risk/benefit ration of the drugs used to treat the disease and its comorbidities.

As has been discussed more than once in the few weeks I have been an active member of this discussion forum, RA in and of itself can increase our risk of heart disease, lung involvment, and a host of other illnesses.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and better days!
I am so sorry to here of your diagnosis.  I hope you have sunny days ahead of you and a much lighter path to follow. Let us know the results of the biopsy. My thoughts are with you...I am so sorry this happened to you.  Please keep us posted.
 
My doctors are concerned about a secondary illness from my drugs since it is very difficult for me to swallow, I always have a sore throat, swollen lymph glands.  I am having an upper and lower GI done to look for problems.  My health has declined so rapidly since taking RA drugs, it is hard to know if my poor health or the medications I am on have caused my multiple symptoms.    I take it very seriously the meds we are on and I only chose to go on them when my quality of life was almost nil.  Enbrel has an on and off effectiveness for me but I feel desperate.  You probably felt the same way. 
 
What is your prognosis?  How hard is lymphoma to treat? 
 
Many prayers and I will come back to the board to check on you. 
 
Take care and let people support you and help you through this difficult time. 
roxy2009-03-26 14:10:43I'm so sorry to hear about this. How serious was/is your RA? Not that it matters now; but given the choice now I'm sure you would have refused but looking back you took the risk as so many of us do. Did you feel at the time that you had few options?
 
I do appreciate the warning though. You do read about these things and always think "A treatment that works is worth the risk to me".  I've been on Humira for years....with a one year break in between my first two and my third ; due to unrelated problems. I've always been happy with the results but if I were in your shoes right now I would certainly be asking myself "Did I cause this? Or would have I have gotten this anyway?" That's a question that will haunt you I'm sure.
 
Wishing you a healthy future. Again; I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Please visit us often and keep us informed as to your progress. I'm sure many of us are going to be wondering how you're doing. I'll keep you in my prayers as you go through what sounds like a horrible experience.
 
So sorry to hear about your problems. I know it can be frustrating having this disease. Medicines that can help control the disease often do bring other problems. It's a tough road we are on. Don't lose hope. We are here for each other. I am praying that things will get better for you. Keep  us posted.

RBW,

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis.  We'll stand by to see how you're doing.

Have you ever been to www.roadback.org?  They have a few cancer survivors there last time I saw.

Hugs,

Pip

I have serious form of RA. I am disabled, have been for 4 years, and had to fight SS for the pittling amount of disability money they pay you that I worked for over the last 45 years.
 
I have some other problems as well, so I was limited to the kind of treatment for my RA, just Pred and HUmira. I had a bout with Hep B, and 2.5 years ago my heart went crazy and now I have a Pacemaker to keep me alive. Yep I have been thru a lot, but I enjoy the life I am living. I love Cigars and really enjoy The Creator by enjoying His Creation. Cigars are so relaxing and sitting out on the porch with a Brother of the Leaf makes life a little easier. But when my Rheumy handed me the Cancer report it kinda knocked the wind out of me.
Yes I knew the risks of Humira, but it helped after a couple of months and I felt better than ever. But then the TB test and a year of drug thearpy scared me. But here I am now....
 
Take care everyone, I am not trying to scare anyone, but only to make you aware that the dangers are real. Treat them with respect and make your INFORMED decision.
 
God Bless.
 
Robert
Thanks for the info Robert.  Best wishes and prayers to you.
 
Were your blood counts ever elevated, or was the lump the only signal?  I have a lymph node in my throat that is swollen, although it was before I started Humira, I have follow up on it in a couple of weeks.  They think it is reactive/infection related but of course they can't be 100% sure.
 
Also, did you have any risk factors for TB exposure?  Just curious.  And was the heart issue related to the Humira, or RA, or unrelated? 
 
Thanks, if you have time to repond, if not, I totally understand!  Take care.
i am so sorry to hear this robert. just fyi my rheumy told me he has 2 patients on enbrel diagnosed with lymphoma and he and the oncologist have agreed to keep them on enbrel thru treatment as the enbrel helps them so much. i was shocked to hear this but thought it was worth noting. i hope your treatment goes well. wil be thinking of you

isabelle
That is bizarre!  This is all so complicated...I took a TB test before starting Humira. I think it's maditory isn't it? Yep, I had to take one.  But I don't think it 100% means you don't have it, or couldn't get exposed while you are on Humira or Enbrel.Oh, I'm sure you could be exposed....I just mean that they make sure you don't have it before you start Humira.
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