Humira

I had a ton of anxiety about starting Humira injections. I wasn’t worried about the medical aspect of taking a TNF Inhibitor (Tumor Necrosis Factor… my mom keeps asking what I’m taking). What gave me anxiety was the fact that I was going to have to inject myself. Here’s a video I made with the Humira pen.

Well, I ended up using Simponi instead of Humira. It’s a once a month injection rather than bi-weekly. They’re quite similar in many ways, and Simponi appealed to my doctor for various reasons. It appealed to me because I was thinking that I’d just pay a nurse to do the injections for me. I figured it would cost a little bit of money, but that’s why we make it, right?

I’ve been really uncomfortable, like canceling vacations uncomfortable. I’m taking a boat load of medicine just to be able to move well, and now I’m gobbling Prilosec twice a day because we’re worried I’m going to get an ulcer from the number of pills.

So I got the Simponi. And I looked at the setup and thought, I can do this.

I told the kids I needed some time alone. I went upstairs, read the instructions, opened the pen up and sat down to inject.

I wiped my thigh a few times with rubbing alchol and waited for it to dry. I squeezed a bit of skin into a hump and placed the pen at a 90 degree angle to my skin.

I pressed the button until I heard a click, and then I held the pen tightly against my thigh until I heard a second click.

And then I had to double check the medication window because I didn’t feel anything. Not a thing.

It will be several months before I know if this is the right medication for me, but unlike the methotrexate I don’t have constant diarreah, and unlike prednisone it holds some promise for a more permanent remission.

Whomever came up with that delivery system is my hero. I’m not at all worried about the next injection. It’s quite likely that I’ll take a video when I do it, because I’d hate for anyone to feel as terribly afraid as I’d felt just a few weeks ago.