I am taking arava and enbrel.....just started the enbrel 6 weeks ago and I see no difference. Sometimes we have to go thru a couple of different meds and a couple of different combination of meds to get to the one that works for us. Try talking to your doc about the enbrel not working for you yet. It can take anywhere up to 3 months for the DMARDS to work.
Hang in there and hope you feel better soon!
I'm so sorry you are feeling so bad. Ra can be very tricky. I have had the symtpoms for over a year but was just officially dx this past January. I'm still hurting as well and continue to search for the right drug combo. Its a tough fight, hang int here. There's lots of good info out there, get informed. Know your options. Be persistant with the doctors.Been through Enbrel and Humira, now on Remicade. I am just starting my process with SSD. It is depressing. I am young, with an exciting career doing something I worked hard for, loved , and great money....but the body and the brain just couldnt agree. It is much more difficult to take that step than some would imagine. I feel like I was defined by my work...so leaving it behind is like being stripped of my identity...but since I have been on medical leave (about 6 weeks now) I feel like the quality of my life has improved dramatically. I have energy to maintain the house work, fix meals, and spend time with my children. When I was working, everything else just fell apart because all I could do was sleep on my days off....and that was working 16 to 24 hours a week! It just left me so wiped out. I still have days when I feel bummed out, or wonder if I am making the choice...but then I just take a deep breath, and ask God to lead me down the right path. I have to remind my self almost every day to trust in Gods plan for my life...even if Idont understand why. I worked so hard in school, and only have been out for 5 years...and now it looks like I am leaving it all behind.
At least my background have made me more prepared to deal with my own illness...I think...LOL.
Good luck, I hope the answer comes to you.
If you love your work then you might want to wait and see if biologics are going to work. Not everyone responds in the same way. Took me 5 months before I had a response to Enbrel. Now on Remicade and MXT and it has taken 5 months for me to repond to them.
RA is a waiting game. Have you been on other meds? When were you diagnosed?
I had to retire because of RA and the damage and erosion that took place when I was undertreated by my previous internist and RD. I've discovered a whole new life since retirement. I don't know how old you are but I'm 61 and Stan and I both retired at the same time to enjoy our life together. We both had high stress careers and I guess you could say we abandoned that old life but we found a new, better life. It's filled with wonder, love, and companionship. I always had a life other than work, so in retirement I was able to expand on that life. I don't miss my work life, but I would miss my life as it is now. We travel and live 6 to 8 months in Mexico. I can get my infusions there and my insurance pays for it. Life with RA can be fullfilling. Be patient. You'll find an answer that suits your situation.
Crunchy~
Maybe don't think of it as being stripped of your identity but discovering a new part of who you are. Even tho you are not out in the work force the experience that you gained from it can be transferred over to the new life you are leading. I don't work outside of the home anymore, but being home is a whole new world of work lol. The nice thing is that you can take it at a pace that is comfortable for you and your physical condition. Even being at home you still have to be organized, on time for things (especially if you have kids), still have people to answer to, have to negotiate things at times, etc. You just do it in a different way now with all the skills you learned in school and in the work force.
There are times I do miss working out of the house. The adult contact is what I miss everyday. My husband works 2nd shift so I do get some alone time with him since the kiddies are in school. Something that worked really well for my husband and I is to have a "date night" with each other twice a month. It gets me out of the house and get some adult contact and it allows us to reconnect outside of all the typical things we deal with having a family.
God has a plan and a path for us to follow. It is up to us to accept that plan and path with confidence and Faith that He is doing the right thing for us.
You can make this decision in steps. I'm not working any more. It did get too much for me and the medicines just aren't working and the joint damage keeps increasing.
But in previous years, my doctor would take me off work for a month's time. That really helped. He also insisted I reduce my number of hours. He wanted 20 hours a week, work at home. I settled for 30 hours per week on site. I was able to do that for 3 more years.
When I would complain about not getting better, he'd remind me to reduce my work hours.
Check and see if you have any Short Term Disability or can use the Family Medical Leave Act to get some time off work. Or, the last thing that I tried was working from home. That didn't work for me. I found I could only function for about 1/2 hour increments and then I was in pain and exhausted. Taking that step cinched my decision.
It also helped me very much talking to people on the forums. I needed to come to terms with this illness. As long as I was working, I could pretend it just wasn't that bad. Now, I have to face it straight on.
Do it in steps if you can. If you feel like you can't even do that, then you have your answer. If you decide to quit, apply for everything right away. If you decide to try and work longer, then make as much financial preparation as you can. If you are already in good shape financially, why are you putting yourself through this? You deserve a better life.
Good luck with your decision. It's not an easy one.
thank you for your insight and encouragement. God has a plan and I need to be patient I guess