Saying hello and some Humira talk..

mkuniversal

Hello Everyone!

I thought i'd start by saying hello as this is all new to me.. I have had Psoriatic Arthritis since i was about 11 although I'm now 33.. started with bad knees at school and a specialist refusing to believe it was anything other than me being so sporty & damaging my joints myself.. exploratory surgery, a leg in plaster, loads of physio and a couple of years later it was a simple blood test by a different specialist who diagnosed me.

Since then i've been on Meloxicam, Salazopyrin, Methotrexate (although that depleted my white cell count so i had to come off it), azathioprine.. things levelled off for a while (a good few years in fact) but then started to go downhill again. It was the birth of my little boy and the problems i had changing him in the night or dressing him when i had flare ups in my hands that prompted me to make a fuss about a year ago. I realised that to run about with him when he's older & look after him as i want to i needed to have my meds looked at again. I took the tests to see about qualifying for anti-tnf treatment & ended up getting prescribed Humira Pen injections.

I found this website by searching for Fatigue & Humira as i keep finding myself nearly dropping asleep at work & feeling exhausted from time to time when normally i'm full of energy. I have also had insomnia on other occasions & the feeling of general muscle weakness despite be active and exercising regularly.

I have read people's posts where it suggests that this would have been a flare up before the Humira injection so is that the general consensus? Do many people have insomnia too & feel generally weak from time to time before it wears off and you feel like you again?

I hate to admit it but maybe i'm doing too much as i get on as if i don't have any form of arthritis after my specialist told me to do as much or little as i felt i could and if it hurt then stop, otherwise go for it.. so that's what i've been doing. I go to the gym several times a week, play football, run about being daddy etc.. i feel really lucky as i'm sure i have it easy compared with so many people & Humira really has been a wonder drug for me, giving me back my youth.. so i'm not complaining, just trying to understand.. and decide if i am having normal side-effects or need to take it a little bit easier generally!

Being my first post i've waffled and given background info so i hope that's ok?!

Matt

stickywicket

Hi Matt and welcome to the forum. I'm sorry I can't help with the Humira as I've never had it but, if you copy this post onto the Living With Arthritis forum, lots more people look in there and I know we have several on Humira who, I'm sure, will tell you what they can.

To be honest, you seem to be coping amazingly well if you can do all that physical stuff. Mine's RA which I think is quite similar to PA in that both can make you feel exhausted, humira or no humira. (As can small children!) Maybe you need to ease off a little until things get back under control again. I do hope some of the others will be able to help you.

chile168

Hi Matt and a big welcome from me too.

I have RA and don't know anything about PA sorry :sad: but we share the same obstacles on a daily basis.

Wow no wonder you are tired with all that physical activity. One of the things I have been advised on is that I should pace myself and slowly I learned to do that. I tried being all active on those wonderful moments when you feel like your old self but hey the pain, symptoms come back with a vengance and oh boy do they kill which I am sure you have experienced over the years. I appreciate that you have a litte one and you do want to be active as possible so its hard but its worthwhile pacing yourself.

Once again, welcome and see you around in the other chats / forums

Eve

dreamdaisy

I am a humira veteran of two years and initially your post sounded to me as though it is doing very little to control your arthritis, but having said that you sound very active for someone with this dross. Are you having regular blood tests and are they showing anything? I was promised all sorts of things when I started the H, none of them have come true. It does boost me from grotty to the dizzying heights of moderately grotty for about five or six days, then the steady decline resumes. My inflammation markers have been negligible but that's the only tangible benefit. Try resting a little more and doing a little less, that may help the fatigue. I wish you well. DD