I've heard that a change in diet can work. I'm supposed to start Humania after Christmas. Anyone with success with that? I'm not in the best of places mentally right now.
I am kinda in the same boat as you…jan 9th I will be meeting with my dr and it will be my 3 months on mtx date as well if my pain and swelling hasn’t decreased ii will also start humaria. Not wanting to have to do that if I can at all help it I’ve beeen taking fish oils and a mulit vitamin everyday, eating healthy and trying to be as physically active as possible which is really hard for me right now since my whole body is completly sore now, I’ve seen improvements as far as the sweeling in my joints seems to have gone down a bit and I’m not as exhausted as I was all the time, its only been a little over a week so as we all know its a wait ans see process but I was willing to try anything to help with my pain
Hope this is helpful to you!
I understand you Dave, it can be very emotionally draining and sometimes our emotions take us through so many fears. I know that I have had bouts of deppression and insecurities, and I still do. For me it took away so much, and some people can't understand the everyday struggle that we go through. The good days and the bad ones, sometimes we feel alone and that nobody understands us. But .... in saying that, I also have to say that their are people here who understand, care, listen and give support, so if your feeling blue or just down, remember there is always people here to listen to you and give you support. As for Humira, I have never taken it, but there are people on this site that have, and I am sure they will give you input. ....Hope you feel better soon!
I can't add too much but I did start Humira in October...so far it's been okay but I have to say I was very hesitant to start it and have been paranoid about side effects but so far have had nothing major. Good luck!
oh, and I have also found a change in diet pretty beneficial. I went to a naturopath and was tested for foods that give me an autoimmune response (not necessarily an allergy). I have tried my best to cut out a lot of them (there were many) but I can't seem to stick to it completely (sugar?!, come on!). Wheat and milk were big ones for me to cut out....discovered that's why I was feeling sick so often too!
Hey Dave. I have never taken Humania, but I can absolutely relate to not being in the best of places mentally. I'm in my early 30's but spent more than a decade suffering from the terrible pain of this awful disease. I had people make fun of me saying things like, "O, I see your pain comes and goes from one day to the next..... snicker, snicker" implying that I was somehow faking or seeking attention, or people not understanding why I just couldn't do certain things some days. There seems to be an unfortunate social stigma attached to "arthritis" and people do not understand what PsA is and how it affects our lives. That in itself is super hard to get over, so between dealing with PsA and the holidays coming up, it is totally normal to feel down, but here's the thing... some treatment at some point is going to work, it has to, and you've got to believe this. It may take awhile, as it has for most of us on this discussion board. I'm pretty sure everybody here has felt the same way as you at some point. The most important thing you can do for yourself is have a strong support system, this board is a great place for that.
~Angie~
I've had great success with Enbrel, my PsA is 98% controlled and I feel great. Good luck to you with Humira, chances are it will work very well for you. Go to psoriasis.org and look up the educational webcasts.
I'll look at the webcasts, thanks!
Andrew said:
I've had great success with Enbrel, my PsA is 98% controlled and I feel great. Good luck to you with Humira, chances are it will work very well for you. Go to psoriasis.org and look up the educational webcasts.
This has been an interesting week for sure. Thanks for all the support. So many of my friends and family have acted like PsA is just getting older. At least my wife understands my pain, and how some days I feel good and others I can barely move. I just finished up a week of high dose steroids, and actually have had less pain then in the last 6 months with just those. However, I've not slept but about 10 hours in the entire last week.
For me it was like night and day. September I was a cripple, October I was myself again.
I'm sorry to hear you are not feeling well. It is so isolating, I find, this disease, and as may others have said, people don't recognize what we are all dealing with. Sometimes I perversely wish I had something acute and horrible, where I would get visitors, flowers, help with kids, etc. Chronic illness is not dealt with well in this country.
I have been planning to start an anti-inflammatory/psoriasis/PsA diet after the new year and adding many supplements to see if I see a difference. I am fortunate to be fairly well-controlled on mobic and methotrexate, but I am concerned that is short-lived, and every cold, root canal, etc become a full-blown health crisis. I hope that the Humira works for you as well as it has for others. It is very hard feeling like no one understands, missing the things you love, and not knowing what the future brings.
I wish you the best, and strength to get through the initial period of waiting to see how the Humira works. Keep us posted and best of luck.
I have just started a diet change (gluten free) along with the prednisone. My joints feel great, but can’t for sure say which thing helped more.
And I am about to start some supplements rec’d by research. Krill oil, which two studies showed decreased arthritis pain. And glucosamine chondroitin, which is supposed to slow joint damage.
I am trying it all! Maybe not sensible but I can’t wait.
Agree re not sleeping on prednisone. I have taken an ambien a few nights and it gave me a great night sleep. But I am taking it sparingly to be safe.
I went from hiking 7 miles with a 25 lb kid on my back to using 2 canes or a wheelchair in a matter of months. I started Enbrel 3.5 weeks ago and have yet to see improvement, but it can take a while. I also found out I have celiac disease, so am now gluten-free, and will be making other dietary changes in the new year including cutting out dairy and possibly going vegetarian again. I'm hoping to see improvement between Enbrel and dietary changes. My doctor wants to put me on mtx if my dietary changes lower my liver enzymes (I have simple fatty liver), as he thinks that I need both the mtx and the Enbrel to stop my PsA in its tracks.
Dealing with PsA takes work ... and I'm trying to deal with it from different angles (medication, diet, etc.) because I believe that a healthy body and lifestyle are a huge help with PsA.