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sarah_me Living With It I have been living with this since high school. I didn't know what... Send Message Subscribe: 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...

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FlyfreeIzzie
Saturday, January 31, 2009 at 08:49 AM

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

quoting me on that!
Ellen
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 09:29 AM

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!)

about taking Enbrel...
Ellen
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 09:38 AM

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

re: about taking Enbrel...
sarah_me
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 02:05 PM

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

re: re: about taking Enbrel...
Ellen
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 02:12 PM

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!