I've got soul but I'm not a soldier...

Yesterday was shot day. Three pens, as expected, no big deal. Except one of my pens misfired. The needle didn't even touch the skin. I pressed down, counted to ten, pulled it away, and the Humira started spraying. I put my hand over the end to catch to fluid so that it didn't spray all over the carpet. According to the Humira rep with AbbVie this is a normal mechanical failure. I explained the incident, gave them some info from the package, and as soon as they confirm with my doctor a new pen will be on the way. I have extras in the fridge, so no lapse in dosing. Still, injecting is anxiety inducing enough without equipment failure. The other problem: I noticed two lumps in my right arm pit on Thursday morning. Around 9 AM it was the size of a ping pong ball. I sat in Sus' house all day while she cleaned, unable to help her because the building pain was just too much and movement would only make it worse. By dinner time it was roughly the size of a tennis ball, and more...

On Friday I forgot my morning medications. By Friday night I was having killer acid reflux so I checked my pill box and the dose was sitting there, not taken. I took what I could that night and made sure to take the right things the next morning but this happens every time I miss a dose. It just takes a while to realize that the single missing dose means a flare that starts a few days later. I’ve only forgotten my morning meds maybe... twice in the last year. We had a super busy weekend and I'm sure it didn't help, but I had no choice. As much as I wanted to get in some treadmill time today I thought that letting my body recover would be a better use of time. 

The dermatologist said that sweating might help with the flares. Not losing weight necessarily, just being more active. For the first week I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, five times that week. I did it. I took my ass down stairs and did my treadmill time. I sometimes crashed afterward, but I did it. I bought new sports bras. I run to get my heart rate up then walk for a while, alternating as needed. I couldn't run with my old shitty sports bras. I bought the sports bras. Then there was a holiday weekend and a funeral and I didn't walk. And now I have hard spots in one arm pit and my stomach is raging. I did 20 minutes this morning. It was slow, I had to take a break, but it was 20 minutes. Now my stomach hurts and it's not getting better. But I did it. And I will try again tomorrow.

I took my second increased dose today. The last week went well. No side effects aside from minor dehydration and fatigue the day after injection. I also get really hungry the day OF injection, so Sus and I had Waffle House for breakfast. It normally bothers my stomach but the Crohn's doesn't seem to react as much at this increased dose. If you're taking Humira make sure you hydrate the day of, and the day after injection. It's incredibly dehydrating and, for me, summer in Georgia doesn't help. My current drink of choice is unsweet tea with mint tea added to make it a bit more refreshing. Dr. Wolf's nurse called and went over my labs again today. She confirmed that Dr. Wolf wanted me to continue with 120MG per week for the next eight (8) weeks, however, she reminded me that insurance has not approved this dosage yet and she doesn't want me to run out and not have any medication left. They submitted paperwork, and for the first two doses I had enough on ha...

It seems to be working. Some of the spots have flattened out and stopped draining, others are lightening in color. I take my next dose on Thursday. Reminder: I am on Humira for Crohn's Disease, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, psoriasis, and polymyalgia rheumatica.