Hi-
Just joined the forum and the Humira Support Group.
I was diagnosed with Crohn's in 1994 and have had 2 bowel resections. Have run the gamut of medications and am now on Humira, which my Dr says is my last ditch effort drug - if this doesn't work, I have no other meds to try and will be winging it on my own. I believe I am having some bad side effects and wanted to know if anyone else here is familiar with any of the things I have going on.
I have been on Humira for almost a year (it's a holiday today so my pharmacy isn't open to give me the exact date)
I give myself injections every 2 weeks with the epi pen, rotating between my stomach and thighs for injection areas.
I get big welts at the injection site that show up the day after my injections and last for at least a week; my Dr told me to use Benadryl and to not worry about it if it's tolerable.
About a month ago, I woke up with a big itchy swelling on the bottom of my left foot, which I thought was a spider bite and really didn't think too much about it until my whole foot was inflamed and it hurt to walk (I wrapped my foot up with Manuka Honey and it went away eventually). Then, out of the blue, my right knee started to hurt so bad I couldn't even walk, but stopped hurting the same way it came on, the next day. My knee was pain-free for about a day then started hurting again, mostly at night. I am unable to sleep because at night everything (all my joints) hurts and I can't get comfortable.
I need to back track a little here, sorry....
I went to the Dr for the umpteenth time about my shoulder pain numbness in my arms a few weeks ago (which has been an ongoing since my early teens but getting increasingly worse), and he finally sent me for an ultra sound and xrays, the results of which are: I have a torn rotator cuff on my right arm, arthritis in my neck and also bone spurs in my neck that are closing down the holes the nerves travel through and are causing my arms to go numb. My right elbow has started aching constantly as well. I have an MRI for my neck in January.
So, to continue. 2 days ago, my right wrist started hurting and swelled up, I couldn't even move it without extreme pain, wrapped it in an ace bandage and it seemed to be better the next day, except, then my left wrist started hurting last night and now the red itchy swelling is back on the bottom of my left foot, but in a different spot, red, hot, hurts to walk on it.
I am not sleeping at night. Did I say that already? It's become quite stressful. I can't get comfortable and if I lie in the same place for even a few minutes, my arms go numb, my knee and shoulders and now my wrists, start aching so badly I can't stand it. The Dr prescribed Percoset, which does nothing for the pain but puts my head in a fog. Ibuprofen helps a bit, but is harsh on my liver in conjunction with all the meds I've been through.
I've looked up the side effects of Humira and I am pretty certain that I am experiencing some of them: joint pain, coughing, lupus-like symptoms(the wrist problem I'm having now). There are other symptoms going on, but I had a hysterectomy about 5 yrs ago and I'm not sure where those symptoms end and these new ones begin.
I will be calling my gastroenterologist tomorrow.
Thank you
