I find myself at times wondering as I watch my 34 month old son and 19 month old daughter play is this Thing going to disable me? My doctor says that I’m not doing that bad with it but they have said that through the whole thing so far and I’ve been in some pretty severe pain. I am doing well on the MTX of only six a week which I hear is great. I feel like poop most days though.I am 36 and waited to get married and have kids and I want to play with them as they grow up. My wife is a RN and we are both terrified of the drugs like enbrel. We both hope the PsA doesn’t get worse to quickly. Sorry if it sounds like I’m whinning but my rheumatologist hasn’t really told me much on how bad or how not so bad it could get.
I feel you.. I have been on Remicade and methotrexate for a yr. The methotrexate did absolutely nothing for me.. I am a 32yr old mom of 3. I have always been one who wouldn't take ANY medication until I got to the point where I could barely walk. For ME the "side effects" that may or may not happen could not out weigh the potential of a pain free existence.. being able to play with my kids and walk without pain. And to be honest, I would like to know the answer to that question you posed.. "Will this disable me?"
This is a scary disease at any age, but I can't imagine being young and having to ask that question. My kids are grown and having kids themselves. I so enjoy my grandson but know that I can send him home when I need to. Just look at all the treatment options available right now and just think that with research that is ongoing how much better the treatment options will be in just a few short years. I tend to think that only better things are coming down the pipeline. Unfortunately people like us (me and your wife) who are or who have spent years in the medical field can read all the fine print and it does scare us when we are suggested to start a new med. I have learned I can not stress over the possibilities and have to look at the big picture as well like rem.believer said. None of us can answer the question of disablility, however, we can just trust and have faith that whatever happens we are strong and can adapt! This is how I have to look at this thing...it is what works for me...
Good luck with this journey, glad you are here, there are some awsome people on this site with unending knowledge.
you can't predict the future You will quit feeling like poop soon. You got to get on my band wagon and fear the disease not the meds. In the beggining of my PsA saga I decided to toss all my eggs into my rheumatologist's basket. I liked him, he was personable and had years and years of experience. He is about my age 50ishy. I had no other option as I was totally freaked out about the meds. MTX OMG it was going to kill me for sure. Anyhow I live and so will you. He (rheum) has had me on all kinds of meds. Some made my hair fall out, most made me puking sick. but I am here on humira ( stronger that enbrel I think) and MTX. I have had countless steriod shots into my knees ( I have them replaced now) and kenolog shots to get me over rough spots.
We have all been in your place at one time or another . You are not whining. Your fears are real. You will get a handle on this disease. You will get on the right meds. It takes time to figure out what to do.
Things will change in your life but not neccessarily for the worst.
I’ve been there. I’m 30 years old with a six year old son and hoping to have at least one more kid soon. Will it disable me? I have no idea. Could it? Sure. What I’ve decided is that I will fight tooth and nail Ro my last breath before I give up on playing with my kids or spending time with my family. I’ve done two shots of Humira so far and am feeling better than I have in a long time. Am I scared of the potential side effects? Of course, I lose sleep at night some nights worrying over it. At the same time, my wife works in the physical therapy field and has seen first hand what happens when you don’t treat this disease. It’s a difficult path that no-one should have to walk, but the fact is that we are on it and there’s no way to change that. I’m not sure what advice to give other than don’t let it change you and definitely don’t let it beat you without a fight. Doubt and fear are par for this course. The only path I can see is to spit in their eye (pardon the expression) and play the game your way anyhow. Good luck 
I think everyone wonders about being disabled by PsA. It's a tough disease because there's no simple fix and the things they try can take months before you know if they are going to work. I think your rheumy is not telling you now bad it could get because he/she doesn't really know how you will progress. As long as you are out of pain and able to participate in all the activities of your day then there's really not much more you can hope for.
My hubby and I have been having a lot of talks about the bio drugs. For us they are a no go. We decided that while having PsA sucks, having one of those rare side effects on the bio drugs would be worse. Maybe once they are in general use for 20-25 yrs so they can get a good picture of long term effects I'll revisit the topic but for now I've made it clear to my rheumy what I'm willing to try.
I work in construction and on my bad days feel like if they ever knew how bad I felt physically I might very well be expendable. It’s not like I can go in to them and say you know if I could get an easy day today that would be great. I just get to it go as long as I can and hope its good enough. There are a ton of healthy people who would love to be able to have my job at this point so I fear being laid off almost every day because of the stupid thing.
I feel you Redsfan. I teach martial arts for a living. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had to hit a pad to show a student the proper way to punch and had to do my best not to scream, swear, grimace, or otherwise acknowledge how bad it hurts to do so. There have been days I’ve wondered how long I can keep it up. The plan right now is to simplify our lifestyle and eliminate as many expenses as possible so if the day comes that I have to be a stay at home dad instead of a working dad it won’t mean a major problem financially. Take a good, hard look at life and decide what’s most important to you. I’m willing to bet it’s the wonderful woman you’re married to and those two little miracles you get to watch play. Besides them, the rest is just details. One way or another, it will work out. Some days, it might just take a different perspective to see how good you’ve got it.
Reds, I have been on Enbrel and getting half way to the 3 month marker am feeling it's effectiveness am feeling the results, and they are amazing results. Get past your fear, and get better! The biologics are the medicines of the future, everything has a possible side effect.
This disease will knock you down and keep you down, continue to damage your body, you have to get with it!! We do not represent the drug companies, we have the disease, they have the only stuff in the world that is going to help you!
Is Enbrel as costly as Humira? If so that will have to wait. A paperwork screw up has effected our health insurance in a way that is not good for someone who has to see specialists and I’m afraid it will be to expensive for us if it is that costly.
Boy, that's a tough situation for you and Bumble to be in. Especially in this economy. I can't imagine doing such a physical job and feeling so badly as you do. You must have a remarkably strong mind and spirit, which is a huge plus for you. You and Bumble will be in my thoughts.
Redsfan said:
I work in construction and on my bad days feel like if they ever knew how bad I felt physically I might very well be expendable. It's not like I can go in to them and say you know if I could get an easy day today that would be great. I just get to it go as long as I can and hope its good enough. There are a ton of healthy people who would love to be able to have my job at this point so I fear being laid off almost every day because of the stupid thing.
tntlamb just talked to someone about how to get into this without going broke, I'll see if I can find it, if he doesn't get to you first. No, Enbrel is not as expensive, and you can get it free for 6 months and/or get payment assistance with insurance. Not sure which would be best, but if you are able to go on the med your Doc recommends is going to be the greatest help to you.
Page 3, of discussions BuickBoy's post 'cost of humira'. lamb is on now if you have any questions after reading it.