Hi Jules - I also live in my Birkenstocks at home but I work outdoors and need sturdy shoes / boots.
I’m keen to try out FitFlops some time, but thought they might make it worse by stretching the back of the leg? Their boots look lovely, far too nice for muddy gardening and nursery work!
HelenJ
Where have you gone? We haven't heard from you for months and months. Drop by and tell us how things are going for you, why don't you?
We're still here, itching and aching ... LOL
Hello! Sorry for disappearing for months on end…
My news is that I’ve been in Enbrel for a year now and it has totally changed my life. Apart from slightly wonky hands and feet (I’m assuming this is PsA damage) and about 5 minutes of early morning stiffness I hardly notice I have PsA at all. It has been a miracle drug for me.
I’ve had a few ups and downs with blood tests and my WBC levels hover just under normal and I’m currently going through a bad patch with raised ALT and nausea. Switching to injectable MTX has not helped and I’m down to 7.5mg weekly now. My rheumy insists on keeping me on a low dose but I’ll probably have to take a break for a bit until my ALT reduces. I would love to drop the MTX altogether but anything that might possibly keep the Enbrel working for longer is a positive for me.
I’ll post on the working hours thread but I am now back to working full time doing physical work. I’m stronger, and feel I can contribute as an equal member of my team.
Yes, I sometimes worry about 2 things and they are quite contradictory - one is what the medication is doing to my overall health, and second is that Enbrel may at some point stop working. I’m probably no different to anyone else on that front…
I feel lucky to have been given the opportunity to try a biologic (although I certainly did my time on DMARDS) and lucky again that it is working so well.
Hi HelenJ,
I'm glad to hear you're still doing so well on Enbrel. I've done really well, too, and have been on it 2 years now. Like me, you got really speedy results when you started Enbrel, from what I remember.
I've had a lot of trouble with my feet for about a year and a half--problems resulting from PsA damage. My back is weak, too. Lately--just the last few weeks--I've had some moderate pain that's really bothering me. I feel like it could be Enbrel is losing strength and the pain I'm having is PsA. It's so discouraging and if it keeps up I'm messaging my doctors!
Some people have years and years of feeling good from a single biololgic. It sure would be nice to be one of those people!
My white blood cell count is at the low end of normal--how's yours?