Glenda's journey with prescribed treatments

[glenda grant]

Having psoriasis psoriatic arthritis has really been a challenge to say the least.As i said before i had the psoriasis long before I knew it.I had what I thought was dandruff during my teenage years and my nails were always weak.I didn't have pretty nails like the other girls at the time.Plus I used to bite them.About 9 or 10 years ago my scalp was so bad I went to a Dermatologist and she said I have Psoriasis and I had about 20 steroid shots in my scalp.Talk about painful but I got thru it.I showed her my knee which was double in size and she told me she thought I has Psa on top of the skin issues.So i started to see a Rheumatologist and sure enough I have both.They call it a double whammy just my luck to have both!I had tried all kinds of pills to help me but nothing seemed to help.One time was on Clinerol don't know how to spell it.Was generic for sulfasalazine and my hands swelled up like baloons from it.My Rhemmy was on vacation so I went to the ER they gave me a steroid shot plus steroid pills you take 7 day pres.and you keep tapering down.Was on Cymbalta,Lyrica.Celebrex and nothing helped finally the Dr said well Glenda looks like it time for biologics.Started out on Remicade was on it for about 8 months then I broke out in hives last Jan,not bad thought it was from a food allergy.March had another infusion hives again.Thought it was something else.Then May 1st had another infusion ended up in the ER.could't breathe they gave me an IV coctail of steroids,benadryl,pepcid.Finally figured it was from Remicade.So now I am on Enbrel for the past 3 months and so far so good.My PSA is better I am hoping after a while I'll see improvements in my skin.Keeping my fingers crossed.I try to go to the tanning bed a couple times a week not for the tan but to help with the psoriasis.I only stay in the bed for 7 minutes scared of getting skin cancer.Will keep all informed on my progress with Enbrel.

I gave myself my injection of Enbrel Sat,I am proud to say I am getting quite good at it.I was a little afraid the first couple times,but each one gets easier.Sure beats going to the infusion center and and the Nurse not being able to find my veins.One time I was stabbed 5 times.I told her if you can't get it call in some help.Then laying in the recliner for 3 hours until the Remicade was flowing thru my veins.Was really scarey when i got the hives especially the last infusion.The enbrel is so much better,delivered to my door and no more digging around for my veins.I told my Nurse how is it the Drug Addicts find them the first try.How can they do that to themselves.My brother was an Addict and one time my Mom called me to say she found him unresponsive.I went to his bedroom and pulled out the needle he had in his vein.My poor Mother didn't want to call an ambulance cause the last time the Nurse said to her can't you watch your son.It wasn't her fault.We just watched and waited until he woke up.That's one of the reasons I won't take pain meds it's to easy to get used to them.I am fortunate to have a high tolerance to pain. Many Dr's in the US won't give out pain pills.I can see why.