My health is good, which is why I haven't had to write anything lately. The Humira shot this past Sunday produced a much less intense local reaction. Weird. I always take 25 mg of Benadryl, but for some reason the red, itchy patch was much smaller and not raised like usual. This is a blessing, but I'm perplexed.
I haven't had any flare-ups in my joints since mid June. A miracle, to say the least.
I'm doing some research into other treatment options for Crohn's. TNF-alpha blockers are just too intense. Too many strange, hidden (and unhidden) side effects. In my ideal world, I would have surgery to remove the diseased portion of my small intestine, then never have symptoms again. That would be a wonderful day in my life...
Until then, I will continue to trust the Lord one day at a time. He clearly is taking good care of me. :)
"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well."
James 5:15
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Everything is going pretty well right now! Still no stomach problems, of course, and my ankles haven't been acting up either. =D
So I had a strange occurence on my neck a few weeks ago... I went biking one evening and came back with a ringworm fungus on the side of my neck. Random?! Chris confirmed that it was fungus, so I promptly went to walmart and bought some generic fungal cream (i know it says "for athletes foot" but you can use it for just about any fungus, believe me.) So I apply this cream like twice a day for 4 days or so and wah-lah! fungus is practically gone. But suddenly my neck is extremely dry, red, blotchy and itchy. Great. Husband-doctor Chris examines it again and says he thinks my ezcema has flared up on my neck due to the fungal cream drying out the skin so bad. Awesome. So I lather up my neck with Aquaphor just about everyday (whenever I actually remember) and hope that it simmers down without the use of steroid cream. Whenever I did anything that got me hot or sweaty, my neck would itch like crazy to the point of me wanting to claw it off. I was miserable during our entire game of disc golf last weekend. Anyway, thanks to my sweet husband for faithfully applying moisturizing ointment to my neck, the ezcema is finally under control I think. You can barely see it now.
I do have dry ezcema patches all over my legs, but I'm lazy (let's be honest here) and don't use lotion like I should, so that's what I get.
The positive thing to take away is that I'm not sick and I can walk without issues! Praise the Lord.
So I had a strange occurence on my neck a few weeks ago... I went biking one evening and came back with a ringworm fungus on the side of my neck. Random?! Chris confirmed that it was fungus, so I promptly went to walmart and bought some generic fungal cream (i know it says "for athletes foot" but you can use it for just about any fungus, believe me.) So I apply this cream like twice a day for 4 days or so and wah-lah! fungus is practically gone. But suddenly my neck is extremely dry, red, blotchy and itchy. Great. Husband-doctor Chris examines it again and says he thinks my ezcema has flared up on my neck due to the fungal cream drying out the skin so bad. Awesome. So I lather up my neck with Aquaphor just about everyday (whenever I actually remember) and hope that it simmers down without the use of steroid cream. Whenever I did anything that got me hot or sweaty, my neck would itch like crazy to the point of me wanting to claw it off. I was miserable during our entire game of disc golf last weekend. Anyway, thanks to my sweet husband for faithfully applying moisturizing ointment to my neck, the ezcema is finally under control I think. You can barely see it now.
I do have dry ezcema patches all over my legs, but I'm lazy (let's be honest here) and don't use lotion like I should, so that's what I get.
The positive thing to take away is that I'm not sick and I can walk without issues! Praise the Lord.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Allergic Rxn
So the last four or so Humira shots have produced a localized allergic reaction on my stomach. The injection site gets a very large red, itchy area around it and it feels hard under my skin. A couple doses of Benadryl clears it up in one day, so my doc isn't too worried about it. The shots are keeping me Crohn's-symptoms-free, so we don't take me off the med just yet. I continue to have issues with my ankles getting arthritis-like problems, but the pain and inflammation goes away and comes back later. It's weird. The eczema on my legs is trying to flare up again too. I think I even have some spots under my arms- no wonder they were itching...
Philp 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philp 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Trust God- he knows what he's doing.
Trust God- he knows what he's doing.
In response to Thomas' comment
Hi Tom-
I use the pen. There is no way you could convince me to use the syringe. People say it's less painful only b/c you can inject the medicine more slowly. I'm not gonna try it. (Fortunately, my hubby injects it for me, anyway.) Plus, with the pen, you can't mess up. You push the red button and it does all the work.
My loading doses hurt like crap b/c the medicine was cold. It felt like fire, as you probably read. The trick is to numb the injection site with a cold pack for at least 10 minutes (I usually go like 20). Make sure you get the shot out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to give the shot so that it's not cold. It's very tolerable- not a big deal at all. The medicine goes in for 10 seconds while you hold the pen, then you're done. You can't see or feel the needle. I haven't had any post-injection pain or site irritation. I bruised once.
Humira is working like magic for my disease. I had a reaction to the Remicade after a year, even though it was also working magically for the Crohn's. Humira is MUCH easier, much more convenient and much less painful (no IV!!)
You've got to have good Rx insurance- Humira is an expensive little booger without it.
Good luck at the doctor!
Best regards,
Sara
I use the pen. There is no way you could convince me to use the syringe. People say it's less painful only b/c you can inject the medicine more slowly. I'm not gonna try it. (Fortunately, my hubby injects it for me, anyway.) Plus, with the pen, you can't mess up. You push the red button and it does all the work.
My loading doses hurt like crap b/c the medicine was cold. It felt like fire, as you probably read. The trick is to numb the injection site with a cold pack for at least 10 minutes (I usually go like 20). Make sure you get the shot out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to give the shot so that it's not cold. It's very tolerable- not a big deal at all. The medicine goes in for 10 seconds while you hold the pen, then you're done. You can't see or feel the needle. I haven't had any post-injection pain or site irritation. I bruised once.
Humira is working like magic for my disease. I had a reaction to the Remicade after a year, even though it was also working magically for the Crohn's. Humira is MUCH easier, much more convenient and much less painful (no IV!!)
You've got to have good Rx insurance- Humira is an expensive little booger without it.
Good luck at the doctor!
Best regards,
Sara
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Forgot the shot
My last shot was supposed to be Oct 31... Halloween... I kept reminding myself all day long at work and once that evening rolled around, it completely slipped my mind. We went to bed pretty early. We only had 3 groups come by the house Trick-Or-Treating. I think all the parents are taking their kids to these Trunk-or-Treat events or Fall Carnivals at church.
Anyway, I digress. So I wake up November 1 and freak out b/c I forgot my shot the night before. My husband had already gone to work and I refuse to give the shot to myself. I just can't psych myself out to do it. Once I got to work, I looked on the Humira website to make sure I haven't really screwed everything up. It says when you miss a dose, give it as soon as you remember, then return to your regular schedule. So I was okay.
I iced my stomach for more than 30 minutes, staring the shot on my desk, trying to convince myself I could do it. Finally, I gave up and called a co-worker, who is a nurse. It was fine.
It was the least painful shot thus far.
Hopefully I won't forget next time.
Anyway, I digress. So I wake up November 1 and freak out b/c I forgot my shot the night before. My husband had already gone to work and I refuse to give the shot to myself. I just can't psych myself out to do it. Once I got to work, I looked on the Humira website to make sure I haven't really screwed everything up. It says when you miss a dose, give it as soon as you remember, then return to your regular schedule. So I was okay.
I iced my stomach for more than 30 minutes, staring the shot on my desk, trying to convince myself I could do it. Finally, I gave up and called a co-worker, who is a nurse. It was fine.
It was the least painful shot thus far.
Hopefully I won't forget next time.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The 2 shots
On 10/17/07:
Leaving the medicine out at room temp was a very good thing. I iced the left side of my stomach until it was good and cold. The shot stung a little, but it was nothing like the first 4 from two weeks ago. It was definitely tolerable and not a big deal at all.
My mistake came when I didn't ice the right side of my stomach for long enough. The ice pack had warmed up, so my tummy was barely even cold. When Chris started the injection, I just about yanked the shot out of his hand it hurt so bad. Not only did I feel the needle, but the Humira burned worse than any of the 5 previous shots. I grabbed my pillow and squeezed it as hard as I could for those 10 seconds. The medicine continued to burn for a few minutes since I wasn't numb. It sucked. My poor husband felt so bad for having to inflict the pain on me.
Whoever said not numbing the site hurt less must be crazy... =)
Note to self and others:
1. Freeze the injection site first.
2. Make sure medicine has warmed up to room temp prior to injection.
Now I am down to just one shot every other week. I know how to do it from here on out.
1 Peter 5:7
"Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you."
Leaving the medicine out at room temp was a very good thing. I iced the left side of my stomach until it was good and cold. The shot stung a little, but it was nothing like the first 4 from two weeks ago. It was definitely tolerable and not a big deal at all.
My mistake came when I didn't ice the right side of my stomach for long enough. The ice pack had warmed up, so my tummy was barely even cold. When Chris started the injection, I just about yanked the shot out of his hand it hurt so bad. Not only did I feel the needle, but the Humira burned worse than any of the 5 previous shots. I grabbed my pillow and squeezed it as hard as I could for those 10 seconds. The medicine continued to burn for a few minutes since I wasn't numb. It sucked. My poor husband felt so bad for having to inflict the pain on me.
Whoever said not numbing the site hurt less must be crazy... =)
Note to self and others:
1. Freeze the injection site first.
2. Make sure medicine has warmed up to room temp prior to injection.
Now I am down to just one shot every other week. I know how to do it from here on out.
1 Peter 5:7
"Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you."
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