the best trip to the doctor that i have ever had... my RD was awesome he understood my problem,listened to me and took over... he assured me everything was gonna be ok and that i am going to get better. He called my PCP and insisted on having all my labs faxed to him immediately looked at the labs..everything was ok as far as my bloodwork.. i tested negative for my Rheaumatoid Factor but he said he wanted to wait to dx the actual disease until after he looks at my X-rays.. he gave me a prescription for prednisone and gave me an injection in my wrist that hurt like but he assured me i was going to be ok.. i then proceeded to the Lab to get more blood work done..and then i got my full body xrays done.. i will go back to see him on Friday to go over my options for treatment. He suggested Methotrexate + Enbrel or Remicade, he gave me like a stack of books to read. i have to admit i hate going to the Dr's office but i don't mind going to the RD because i felt so comfortable and he gave me the attention i believe i deserved.. he recommended i not return to work till i am better which can take 2-3 mos and that i should get the rest that i deserve, so he's gonna fill out my paperwork.. i thank you all for your support.. to know what to expect made the experience even better..
so my next questions is.. Is anyone here on Remicade or Enbrel or have tried these treatments out? which do you recommend? what are the pro's and con's of each.. has anyone had the IV Infusion with Remicade?
thanks again to everyone! i really appreciate all of your help and support!
Cheers to the path of recovery
I know there are some here on the Remicade iv infusion aswell so im sure theyll tell you what you need to know, and how they find it.
If you go into the "starting on enbrel" discussion (from main topics page) there is already a discussion on starting enbrel there. Lots of info in there already..
I have been on 50mg 1xweek with good effects and little stinging...and i put it off for almost a year!
good luck.. it took me 3 docs to find the one i LOVE!!!SKYYMAX-
GREAT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR APPT. WHAT A
DIFFERENCE HAVING A GOOD DOCTOR AND A
PLAN MAKE!!
I AM ON REMICADE BUT HAVE ONLY HAD 2
INFUSIONS. MY NEXT ONE IS THIS FRIDAY. I AM
ALSO ON METHOTREXATE. I'M NOT SURE I AN
DETERMINE HOW MUCH IT IS HELPING, BUT I CAN
SAY THE EXPERIENCE ITSELF ISN'T TOO BAD. I
JUST GET SLEEPY AFTER. Hey! Im glad your new RD is awesome. Its always great to love your doc
hehe. I started on 50mg of Enbrel last friday.. So far smoooth sailin.
I had a tiny bit of a headache the next day but nothing major. And
thats it. As far as the injection. I did it on my tummy and I didnt
feel it goin in at all, and when injecting as long as you do it slowly
all u feel is a lil sting. Nothin major tho :) Good luck on finding the
right med for you!
Sky that's awesome news. Having an RD you like makes a world of difference.
I take MTX and Humira weekly. I'm getting good results; but I hate fooling with the shots. They say you get use to them...but after more than 6 months I dread it every week. They are working though; but it took a good 3 months for me to get results. (That's not totally unexpected)
If I had it to do over again I'd start out with Reimicade. Go get your infusion and forget it!! That sounds like the ticket to me. I was given the option of all three; but opted for Humira.
It's my understanding that they are all closesly related. Your body my react differently to one...and you could be changed to another. I choose Humira because starting out you only have to do one injection every two weeks. That's less than the other options I was given. I've now had to increase that to every week...but I'm still happy with it.
Good Luck Sky; sounds like you're on a positive path so far!!
Lovie