My Biologic Keeps My Flares Away

I got a reminder this summer about how effective my biologic is at keeping my flares at bay.

To give a bit of context to this story, I have been taking Humira, one of the first being developed and most distributed biologics, a bit over 9 years ago.

After a couple of years on it, I was in remission of my AxSpa symptoms: no more flares, no more swollen joints or episodes of inflammation. This was quite a striking result in terms of efficacy as I had a very active disease before taking this medication. At some point I thought I would end in a wheelchair because just walking was so painful. In contrast, being in remission meant living with no symptoms.

Trying to stop my biologic

After a while, I had a discussion with a couple of rheumatologists I worked with and trusted, and I decided to try to stop my treatment. I did it in a phased-out way and with supervision, and that did not work.

After that attempt, I was back on Humira, taking it every three weeks. With the support of a new rheumatologist, this is the prescription I now have whereas Humira is usually prescribed to take every 2 weeks. Quite quickly after being back on it, I stopped having flares and got to exercise again, I resumed my life activities and daily routine like before.

I was able to function better when using it

I even reconnected with horse riding, a great passion of mine. Being able to ride without any pain and enjoy the company of horses is something I could not have dreamt of after my diagnosis. I decided to surround myself with more pets so I adopted a puppy three years ago. This was another dream coming true, and I have been fit enough to look her on my own, with daily walks, playing games, whilst carry on working.

Then, this summer, I decided to take my dog to France with me for the first time. It was a long travel from the North of the UK, and I did it alone with my big suitcase and my lovely furry companion. We made it and we had a great month together! With the idea to try to travel light, I did not take my injection with me. It’s possible to travel with it and I have done it before. I was worried I would not be able to keep it cool enough for that long journey.

Taking my meds late puts me into a big flare

I thought that one more week without my medication would not be a problem, I was going to take it once back to the UK. What a surprise it was to get a big flare in my knee as I reached the three week mark, when the next injection was due, and I did not have my medication with me...and what a pain to deal with a very swollen joint during a holiday, away from my home, with access to tablets only sold over-the-counter that clearly are not effective enough to manage that type of inflammation.

And yet, because this kind of flares happened to me before, I knew what to do to help myself, and stay in control with a positive attitude. I kept mobilizing the joint every day, applied ice on it morning and evening, and I made sure to pace myself and avoid carrying weight.

I've learned my lesson

The past experiences of having a flare have made me stronger mentally and emotionally to deal with these, and more resourceful in terms of ways to help myself towards the recovery. In addition, taking my medication on time is a must and this is a lesson learned. I have worked towards the acceptance that I need Humira in order to have a good quality of life with AxSpa and keep the flares to a bare minimum. If I am being honest, every time I had a flare, this was at the time I was not taking this medication. So, I have my precious reminder there.

If you relate to this experience, or have any questions, please share below 😊thank you!