Enbrel -- and shots

[Guest guest]

Hi New-a :-). I'm on Enbrel and Methorexate; I started the mtx a year

ago last October and it was very effective for about 8 months.. then I

started feeling worse again. Adding the Enbrel helped significantly, but I

had to go off it because I got bronchitis and a sinus infection that didn't

clear up for a month and a half. Now I'm back on course and it's slowly

kicking in.

I'm Not an expert. I'm 60 years old and 3 or 4 years back I got Lyme

disease which was treated (after zeroing in on an ankle that I twisted) and

probably (??) is gone. Recurrences in swelling and inflamation were taken to

be Lyme, but after a year and a half of ineffective treatment I finally got

to my Rheumatologist after my GP suspected R.A. She thinks all but the

first occurence were RA not Lyme.

My understanding is to try to slow the damage that the RA is doing to my

joints -- so in that light, I would say the sooner you start a treatment

that has the potential of slowing it down or (best case) remission, the

better. You don't want to wait till it's real bad to start treating

aggressively. Don't know if everyone will agree with this, but that's my

outlook at this point.

Regarding whether a person can give themselves shots or not. I've always

been an " eye closer " at the doctor's but I have a fair amount of experience

in giving shots because I was a part time vet tech and wildlife

rehabilitator for years. I was still afraid I couldn't do it -- but I'm

newly retired, I have an 88 year old mother to help, and I want to (finally)

write the books I've always wanted to write -- to say nothing of walking my

dogs and visiting friends. I feel that I need to go for the maximum

possible health I can achieve! So, the first night I bravely swabed the

injection site with alcohol, got a bandaid laid out and ready, turned the

syringe up and tap tap tapped it to get the air bubble up and out, pinched

up a good hunk of thigh (where I couldn't see any obvious veins), put the

needle where it was going to go------------- closed my eyes (yes still)

and pushed it in quick. Then, still not staring at it, I depressed the

plunger very slowly. But I wasn't looking. Sometimes it hurts like hec,

other times there is hardly any pain at all. I am always Sooo proud of

myself for doing it and am lucky .. I've had no redness or swelling or

itching. I dispose of the needle in the safety container and tell myself

that I am one of the Proud, the Brave -- The Injectors! Anyway, I guess

I'm trying to give a pep talk and getting goofy in the process. You don't

have to STARE at the thing while you're injecting. Just do it and then

praise yourself like crazy <G>. Good luck. The prospect is intimidating but

it isn't as bad as we fear. Also, one result I personally find Each and

every week is that for two or three days after the shot I am so much more

able to concentrate, my energy is better and the pain goes way down.

Personal observation only. Good luck. Carla in Rhode Island (given to

panic but trying to be hopeful)