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By sarah_me Friday, January 30, 2009

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For the first time in a long time I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks to this site and talking with people who are going through the same thing I have accepted that I have RA. I went back and forth for a long time between denial and depression. I didnt want this to rule my life. Well, accepting it doesnt mean RA controls me but that I am still in control I just have to learn new ways of living. I am going back to school and I am excited. I am going to get my associates degree as a medical assistant and learn how to be a medical transcriptionist so if I ever cant go to work I can still work from home. I get another chance and its only because of the suppport group on here that I know of it.

Comments (5) | Add comment

FlyfreeIzzie

1/31/09 8:49am

Congrats!!! Good fortune and keep us updated!!

Ellen Galo

3/13/09 9:29am

Hi Sarah-Me -

You could be quoting me the first time I talked with a counselor - "I don't want this disease to control my life...but I have to pay more attention than I like to myself, but not let it take over!"

Glad you found this site _ (glad I found this site too!)

Ellen Galo

3/13/09 9:38am

Hi again, Sarah,

I noticed that you said, your Enbrel shots hurt. I'm wondering if you're taking the 50 mg once a week (probably, since you said you did shots weekly and/or skipped weekly).

I do Enbrel shots 25mg twice a week. And I'm still doing the mix-it-up-yourself kit, though the pre-filled syringes are available. It does take a litle time, though less once I got used to it, and their quality-control seemed to improve (it seems to dissolve faster). It's NOT an automatic injector. I don't find that it hurts. The solvent can sting a little, but nothing major. I sometimes get the itchy redness, but Benadryl cream can pretty well take care of that. Ironically, the only time I have a hard time injecting, is when I inject in my abdomen - I seem to have hard spots developed, so for me it's easier to do in the thigh - more space, i guess. (Most people I've talked too feel exactly opposite, par for the course for me!)

Hope you are able to work everything out for yourself! It must be tough with young children & school, I didn't get bad until my daughter was in college....

Best wishes,

Ellen

sarah_me

3/13/09 2:05pm

Yeah I do take the autoinject shots 50mg. I cannot give myself shots though because I am terrified of needles. I get sickish and pass out. I am a big baby but cant help it. I had to have cortisone shots in between my toes and on the side of my foot and that really turned me off to needles and painful medicine. And Heck no!! Not in the stomache...OUCH! Only in the thigh and it does help to numb it with ice first too.

Thanks for replying,

Sarah

Ellen Galo

3/13/09 2:12pm

Hey, everyone's got their preferences - that's why it's good to feel like we have some control! I had a couple of those cortisone shots between the 3rd & 4th toe joint (Morton's neuroma). The podiatrist was great, he puts a little xylocaine in it, which really helped. (The orthopedist didn't - I think he likes to see his patients squirm, to know if they're faking. Not my friend!

But then there was one shot on the bottom of my big toe. That hurt like the dickens,a and I got dizzy & woozy, so I understand your reaction!

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