Tomorrow I'm starting a new treatment in the hopes of improving the symptoms of a couple of my autoimmune diseases, specifically w Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosinwg Spondylitis.
I have been self-injecting Enbrel weekly since May, and while it has helped (and I had not realized how much it helped until I stopped, natch) it just didn't seem to help "enough". So, tomorrow I start infusion-based therapy with another biologic, a drug called Remicade, which is delivered via IV and can take anywhere from three to eight hours to administer. I know!
I'm really nervous. I'm terrified of some of the side effects (heaviness on my chest? Aiiie), "serum sickness", and of course my constant fear about liver damage and dying from a common cold. :P That said, I'm also hopeful, even as I'm afraid to be too hopeful. 2012 has been the worst ever for me as disease-related pain is concerned, and I am just so ready for the pain to be over. Or, if not over, at least managed.
I'm lucky to have a friend with the same doctor and same treatment, so I am armed with some pretty good tips for staying comfortable: I'm bringing a blanket, wearing short sleeves, I have things to do in case I end up awake for the whole thing (I'm staying up late tonight to try to sleep through the infusion), and more. I would never have guessed, so I'm really grateful to her for sharing.
I am, as you probably could have guessed, considering liveblogging the experience, but I'll have to wait and see how I feel. I'll keep you posted.
hoping it's not too terrible an experience. {{{hugs}}
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