New Treatment (Crohn’s)
One of the main reasons I started my blog was to share my Crohn’s journey with people who are going through the same things as I am. When I got diagnosed with Crohn’s I kept googling about other people’s experiences concerning the disease. Whether it was a blog or online forums about side effects, medications etc… I was just looking for any personal information that would make me feel better about the situation I was in. Unfortunately, I did not find what I was looking for so I decided to document all of the big milestones regarding my disease. This blog is mainly for me but hopefully someone who is also suffering from Crohn’s comes across this and finds it helpful. It has taken me a couple of years to even accept that I have a disease, some days I don’t even notice it because I have gotten used to some of the symptoms but other days it is harder to live with.
Crohn’s is a chronic disease meaning I will have ongoing treatment for the rest of my life or until they find a cure. When I was first diagnosed I was put on Prednisone which is an oral, steroid pill, used for suppressing the immune system and inflammation. This medication unfortunately did not work with my body. I was also put on this medication when my disease was at its worst so that could have been part of it but nonetheless, my doctor thought another medication would be more beneficial for my health.
After my surgery, I was put on Budesonide (an anti-inflammatory drug) and Azathioprine (an immunosuppressive medication) which which are both pills… that I later found out weren’t the right fit for me since they were doing next to nothing to make things better. Either they were working a bit or they were just not making things worse, but overall I had to change my treatment.
I have to go in for yearly checkups, colonoscopies and other standard tests. At the end of August I had an MRI done and the results were good which was nice to hear. I was scheduled for a colonoscopy a few weeks later and the results were a bit more concerning. The thing I dread the most about colonoscopies is the preparations the night before…
So, fast forward to me getting all my results from all the tests, they weren’t necessarily bad, but they weren’t perfect. My doctor advised me to get off of the medication I was on and start a new treatment so that my conditions do not worsen and so I will not have any complications resulting in another surgery or hospitalization. So, I began using Humira. Humira is a biological treatment option. So far I have only had my first dosage but overall it sounds like this treatment will be very convenient since I can inject it myself, and I only need to do it every two weeks.
Before I started the treatment, I had a lot of support from my doctor, parents, boyfriend, close friends and most importantly the Humira staff, who called me multiple times explaining to me how my life will change using this treatment, answering all my questions and explaining the whole process. I wasn’t that nervous while talking to all of the medical professionals so when I booked my training and first dosage I didn’t ask my parents to come for support because I thought I would be fine. Not that I wasn’t necessarily fine but I will admit, I am a crybaby and I hate needles. I always knew that this was going to be a needle but the nurse administrating the needle told me that it will hurt and sting but the people who were explaining the medication to me before did not say that it will hurt… They told me it hurts less than the tuberculosis test, which I had to do in order to start this medication. Let me tell you one thing, it hurt a lot. My first dose had to be four shots and normally it is only one. So I kept telling myself that it will only get better from here.
There are four points on my body that I can insert the needle, the right and left side of my stomach and my right and left thighs. I have to pinch some skin and insert the needle while holding it there as the medication goes into my body (this took about 10-15 seconds each insertion), it stings a lot and overall it isn’t a nice feeling. So having it done to my four times, sucked. I cried, while I was getting each insertion and I cried after each insertion. I was also pretty sore and it hurt to touch my stomach. I got my first injection on the right side of my stomach and I wouldn’t let the nurse put it into my thigh because 1. She told me people prefer the injections in their stomachs and 2. I was scared it would hurt more in my thigh… I mean it could maybe hurt less… maybe next time I will try it there ( I will update you if I do). So I got all four injections in my stomach (keep in mind this is the only time ever that I will have to get four injections, the next time it will be two and then I will begin the regular dose of one injection every two weeks).
Here is a photo of my stomach after the injections with all the bandaids on it, also you can see my scar in this photo which I have never showed… I was hoping the scar would have faded by now but it isn’t that noticeable from far away and thankfully my surgeon was amazing and the scar doesn’t look horrible.
It took about a day and a half for my stomach to not be sore anymore and I don’t really want to comment about the side effects because again, this experience is not going to be the same as my other experiences with the medication will be. I also didn’t have any major side effects other than a bit of nausea and pain. I did feel light headed as well and I had a headache but all these side effects are normal after administrating this medication. I am sure it will hurt again, but honestly maybe the two weeks between each injection will make me forget HOW much it hurts and then I will just do it… It takes a couple of months to feel/see the results but I am hoping it works. It works on most patients, I haven’t heard or read of anyone who hasn’t had good results with this medication. So fingers crossed :)