Merry Christmas, Knee

Was reading all the posts from this year. Amazing how everything changes in 6 months. I have officially flunked Simponi. Back on Enbrel since the end of November, and it's not working either.
Stress is the defining factor in my end of year flare. I tend to hold a lot of it in, because nobody wants to hear about my RA. I am thankful to my RA groups and a few close friends who also have RA and PA, they can relate to flares.
I have had several major stresses in the past few months.My brother had all his utilities cut off and was evicted from his rental house a week ago. He knew it was coming and wanted me to bail him out with $ and let him live in my house. I had to stand firm and say no, except for a few $ for food. Suffice it to say he won't help himself.He is now with a friend and is planning to move to Alabama to be near our other brother.
My other stress is work. I work as an RN in the nursery of a small hospital. OB is not a money maker for any hospital, and rumors have been flying around all year about our unit closing. No one will say what's going on, but we have given one 14 bed wing to surgical patients and are expected to cross train to care for them. There are mostly joint replacement surgeries and other "clean" surgeries (no infections) Most OB nurses have never worked anything But OB. The rest of us left other types of hospital units because we hated it. So the introduction of male patients, elderly and slightly confused patients, plastic surgeries (total overhauls), and the ever embarassing penile implants has gone over like a lead balloon. We have lost over 20 of our best nurses, and the rest of us are job hunting.
If they close the OB unit, most of us would leave. Hopefully they will let us transfer to the big hospital downtown, as they are going to have to absorb our OB patients. The threat of the unknown is a huge stress.
My FMLA for chronic illness was another hassle. Should have been approved in July. But I had to work so many hours (hidden federal law) before they's approve it again. Finally got it approved in late November; along with a verbal warning because I called off twice this quarter for my RA before the FMLA got approved. I literally faxed Human resources my FMLA forms every work day for a month so if I had the magic number they had the paperwork.
SO, I have spent the last 2 weeks spiralling downward with my RA..joints sore, exhausted from lack of sleep, my eyes and mouth drier than the Sahara desert. My left knee has ballooned. Was finally able to get in to the rheumey yesterday. Got a cortisone injection in my left knee, and we are going to persue the IV Actemra.
I asked her "when is it enough to stop working?" I have trouble holding the heavier kids, opening baby bottles or maintaing a grip on a tiny wiggling hand or foot. Computer charting 6 hours out of twelve is wreaking havoc with my hands and wrists. The doc mentioned I might consider having a functionality exam to see what limitations Ihave... would probably have that done privately, don't want it under my work insurance.
My best bet would to be going out on disability while I am still employed full time. Once I go to part time I am no longer eligible for my STD or long term disability.
Will have to see how it goes with the function exam.
Anyway, I am now off until Decmber 30th....yay! And I have to organize Christmas in the next 3 days. Hoping my knee injection kicks in soon so I can at least grocery shop.
All for now. Have a wonderful Holiday, and a Happy, healthy new year! I am blessed to have you all as my comrades in the RA Army!

here I go again

Time for a new biologic in the battle to conquer/tame my RA.
Thank goodness biologics are not a college course with a grade because I have failed 5 of them so far. Each one lasted about about a year before they weren't really helping. I was actually on Enbrel for 2.5 years, but the last year I was in a drug study that added Rituxan to the mix with the Enbrel....not that it did anything besides totally deplete my immune system and made me use up all my sick time because caught every bug around.
The drug study ended in February, and I am no longer eligible for another drug study until late fall. So, I quit taking my Enbrel the beginning of May and now I am on Simponi. Took my first dose today...have to admit the sample dose from the rheumey's office came in handy since my insurance wants to play games approving it. Pulled the autoinjector out of the box 30 minutes before the dose and took one look at the injector device and just about quit before I started...that thing was huge, and it delivered the same .50mL dose as the enbrel in a pen six time the size! Thankfully it was easy to use after watching the video on the web page, and it hurt a lot less than the Enbrel pens did.
I suppose it takes a few weeks to feel any effect. I didn't do too bad off the enbrel, had a couple of bad days, but nothing major that wasn't solved by lidoderm patches or pain meds or and extra prednisone.
Never had any injection reactions before, but tonight my thigh hurts like i got a tetanus shot..no redness or swelling, just achey. Anybody else on Simponi and want to trade stories? Going to get my cold pack out of the fridge and use it on my leg for a while before bed.
On the bright side, I have a new "grandchild" that arrived Sunday. My son and his fiance adopted a kitten from the shelter and i got to go play with him yesterday. Nothing like some good old fashioned kitten love to brighten your day!