A week after starting Humira
So this is what came in the mail last Tuesday. My Humira starter kit for “Severe to moderate Crohns Disease” *James Earl Jones voice*. I actually got two for some reason. Eh. Anyway here’s what’s in it and how it works.
•cooler with medicine in it
•carrying case with ice pack for travel
•practice pen
•instructional/informational DVD
•information pamphlets about the medicine-risks, instructions, what it is etc.
You also get a red disposable thingy, but that gets mailed to you around the time of your next refill. What I use to dispose of the pens is plastic water bottles. You’re not supposed to put them in the everyday trash by themselves because they’re needles.
How it works?
*always do what your doctor says*
You meet with a nurse either at home or at your doctors office and they do some check in stuff. How long have you been sick, what you can and can’t do/eat, all that and if you watched the DVD. It’s for their knowledge and stuff. Then they demonstrate how you are to use the medicine and store it.
DO- store the medicine in the fridge.
DON’T- freeze or use directly after taking from fridge because well that’s bad lol.
Of course wash your hands before doing anything.
What’s next?
•take med out if fridge 30mins before you want to inject. So if you want to do it at 10, take it out at 9:30.
•when it’s time to inject, make sure you check the pen and that it’s clear liquid flowing and no flakes or looks cloudy (same with syringe).
•while you’re doing all this, put an ice pack or peas or something on the area you want to inject at (thighs above knee cap or your stomach away from your belly button and scars/stretch marks). It helps with numbing. I used a pack of frozen mini pancakes.
•next, use an alcohol swab to clean the area.
•what you do next is remove caps 1 & 2 by pulling and not turning. The caps are colored, 1-gray and where needle is. 2-is maroon and that has to be facing upward when pulling of the cap.
•after you do all that it’s time to inject. If it’s your first dose, you’ll do 4 that day. I did mine all at once within a 5 minute interval between each shot. I hear you can do them in groups of 2 during that day but talk with your doctor or nurse. I did mine 2 on each thigh.
•put the open end (where the needle is) and apply a little pressure and press the red button with your thumb and let your thumb go but still hold the pen in place where it is. You don’t have to hold the button because the pen will administer the med for you. Wait for the med to go completely in to pull away. There will be a yellow marker in the window and when it’s all the way down and the pen clicks you’re good. Be sure to count to 10 while doing all this.
•afterwards clean up, get a band aid and throw away your pen in a safe container.
Does it hurt?
For me it burned like f*** each time and I ended up sleeping the rest of the day because it was a lot to take in in an hour and a half. It’s not like that for everyone tho. The burning is said to get better over time so I’m happy about that. The needle doesn’t hurt at all it’s just the med going in. Its been a week since I started the Humira and it was all interesting to say the least.
What to look out for?
I had a couple bruises and it itched a lot but that’s normal. The bruises weren’t that big and they are fading away now. Your immune system is compromised with this drug so you’re at risk for infections, the flu, TB, and of course the scary c word and some other stuff. Humira is a TNF blocker like Remicade (see Remicade post on what a TNF blocker is) and it helps you by lowering your immune system but it sucks because you can’t fight infections like you used to so I think it’s like a catch 22 or something. So if you have a fever, a cold or anything flu or cold like, call your doctor THAT day so they can give you antibiotics or whatever you may need to fight it off. Don’t get paranoid tho and think every sneeze is cough is something bad because you’ll know the difference. You can of course take vitamins, get flu shots an eat foods that are good for your immune system and stuff to help you fight stuff like that but talk to your doctor also and ask for advice.
Yep and that’s about it. If you have any questions, don’t be a stranger!
The very best to you guys
The Crohner
This is what I could be looking at if the 6MP keeps giving me back pain :/
