I started my new biosimilar infusions to treat my autoimmune arthritis in May 2022. Everyone asked me, “Is it working?” Honestly, it’s hard to tell. I was cautiously optimistic. Slowly, I noticed I could walk my dog for longer periods, walk upstairs to use the bathroom at the end of the day (instead of crawling as per my norm), and was able to stand up in the morning without feeling like my ankles were broken. I saw it as progress and was grateful.
Fast forward 5 weeks and I am 100% sure my drug is working. How do I know? Because it is wearing off and I feel terrible. I’m 5 days out from my next infusion and I am experiencing a huge flare up. Fatigue, crushing pain, and general feelings of malaise. I hurt and feel terrible. The worst part is I am supposed to be taking care of my mom, but barely got out of bed today. I feel worthless and her medications were messed up as a result of me not being awake. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot because I felt good. Now that Inflectra is wearing off, I can barely function. It’s not a good thing to have my medication wear off before my next infusion, but it’s good to know that the drug is working (for the most part.)
I’ve been on 10 biologic drugs over the years. Some did nothing at all for me, while others gave me some pain relief. Kevzara was the first drug in 18 years to provide pain relief and decreased swelling of my joints. It lasted almost 3 years before the effectiveness wore off. It was soul crushing when that medication began to fail. It’s an emotional roller coaster to constantly search for a medication to help improve my quality of life. Until then, I’ll deal with my painful hands and rheumatoid nodules until my next infusion provides me with relief. I’d cross my fingers if I knew it wouldn’t hurt so bad. You can cross them for me if you wouldn’t mind. 🤞

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