At 6:55 p.m. last night, the UPS truck pulled up and the driver dropped a box on my doorstep, knocked on the door, and sped off into the night. What timing since overnight deliveries are to arrive by 7:00 p.m. This moment was filled with anticipation since being prescribed Cimzia a week earlier after Enbrel was no longer doing its thing for my RA. The box was carefully opened and the styrofoam cooler inside gave off a mist of cool air as the lid was lifted. Inside was a brightly colored, ergonomically designed box full of a magic potion in ergonomically designed syringes. But anticipation quickly gave way to fear as the thought of jabbing myself with two needles crept into my mind. This was never an issue with the autoinjector Enbrel Sureclick pens. My heart raced as I opened the box and read all of the safety material (I didn’t really read it all as I had spent much time reading websites already). The reading seemed to calm me down a little as I joked with my children about the side effects of the clear, viscous liquid.
Band aides were arranged, sterile conditions were ensured, hands washed, and alcohol was swabbed on my stomach. The moment had arrived. I removed the protective cap, tapped the syringe to get the air to the top, pushed the plunger up until the air was removed (see pic that my son took), and then quickly pushed the needle into my stomach. To my surprise, I didn’t feel anything which was quite unlike Enbrel whose large needles hurt when they go in. Confidence was raised. But then I started slowly plunging the Cimzia into my flesh. Much like Enbrel, the sting of the medicine was quite noticeable and lingering. But, I wasn’t finished. I repeated the steps with the second syringe. It was all over in 10 minutes but I emotionally felt much better. I could actually jab myself! I still am amazed about how quickly my life became wrapped up in high level, biological medical treatments.
Now the wait begins. How long until I notice an impact? Will I get my energy back? Will joint pain diminish? Will I be back here in 5 months looking at another medicine. Stay tuned for results.
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