Enbrel Treatment

Approximately 7 years ago, I was returning to my office from lunch when I suddenly felt a sharp, excruciating pain in my left shoulder. I felt this pain as I reached up to close my car door. This pain continued for more than a week and became so severe I had to ask for assistance combing my hair and getting dressed. After a week or so, the pain subsided in my left shoulder and began in my right shoulder. I was completely baffled as to what was happening to my body. I knew I hadn’t been injured. I wasn’t afraid because at the time, I just thought it was an inexplicable fluke. I tried over the counter and prescription pain medicine to no avail. Although I wasn’t fearful of the cause of the pain, I knew I needed to see a physician.

I visited a family practitioner and he asked me a series of questions including whether or not I’d experienced a blow to the head. He ordered an X-ray of my back to rule out a bulging disc. Although the X-Ray did not show a bulging disc, the doctor prescribed physical therapy. I went through physical therapy for approximately 3 months and the pain seemed to subside. After I concluded physical therapy, the pain returned with a vengeance after about a month. This time, the pain was not confined to my shoulders but now my fingers, my hips, knees, toes, and elbows. I still wasn’t quite fearful but I knew something was wrong.

Because the first physician I consulted was a bit nonchalant and quite dismissive of the fact that something was wrong with me, I decided to visit another general practitioner. I explained to this doctor the excruciating pain I had been experiencing and assured him I had not been injured. He asked what the previous doctor thought, and I told him about the speculation of a bulging disc. He shrugged and said “well that’s probably what it is” and then gave me a breast exam. I felt so violated and was so upset that I swore to just give up on doctors.

Unfortunately, the pain continued over the next year and maintaining mobility became a daunting challenge. I was too embarrassed to ask for assistance with personal hygiene which was quite difficult for me. I just resigned myself to the fact that each bath would take me at least 30 minutes. During my next annual gynecological exam, my OB/GYN asked, as usual, if I were having any issues she should know about. Because she was always so caring and never dismissive as the male doctors I had visited, I knew I had nothing more to lose by explaining my ordeal one more time. After explaining my pain, my OB/GYN asked if anyone in my family ever had RA. I told her I didn’t know. She told me she would order a blood test and call me with the results.

One day later, I received a call from the Doctor’s nurse informing me I had a positive RA factor blood. I was instructed to see a Rheumatologist right away. I was so relieved to finally have a diagnosis but enraged that 2 male doctors had previously dismissed me. If not for my OB/GYN, I shudder to think of my prognosis.

After finding a good Rheumatologist, the level of joint damage was assessed and I began treatment. Over the next year, my Rheumatologist tried several combinations of RA drugs to no avail. Finally, she prescribed Enbrel to go along with the Methotrexate I was already taking. Within 6 months, my pain had subsided and the number of flare ups had decreased to perhaps every other month. After 18 months on Enbrel, I am happy to report my RA is in remission. J

I continue to use Enbrel Sure Click once a week and I am currently being weaned off the Methotrexate. The only challenges I face with Enbrel are the sting of the injection and re-occurring YI’s. I’ll tell you in another blog how I beat the YI’s. After I’m completely off the Methotrexate, my Rheumatologist has promised to begin weaning me off the Enbrel as well. I’m very excited.