Things I wish I knew about Immunosuppressants Injections before taking them for Ankylosing Spondylitis
By my early 20’s, I had already spent close to a decade feeling like a Benjamin Button character as my body felt much older than my age. The pain and fatigue were overwhelming as I was trying to finish my undergraduate program. I had been on NSAIDS for 7 years and they were causing severe gut distress and their effects on my inflammation were diminishing. The conversation around Biologics and Immunosuppressants were finally being considered. I was fearful of the list of side effects but ultimately my desperation said “yes, I’ll try anything at this point.”
The nurse came over and injected my first bout of Humira for me. I was playing basketball for the first time in years the next day. My pain dramatically reduced over the next couple years BUT it would ultimately find its way back with the fatigue.
It didn’t feel consistent, and I continued to have a deep curiosity if I could feel better through other ways. I sought out a Naturopath doctor who would introduce me to the world of our lovely nervous system. I spent years going down a deep rabbit hole of learning how to manage inflammation through diet, stress, recovery strategies, exercise, cold exposure, breathwork, etc. I eventually built up such a strong routine of healthy habits that I got off my Biologics for 2 years. The first year was the best I had ever felt UNTIL I started pushing myself too aggressively in my sports that I would ultimately fall back into a spiraling flare up. Because I had gone natural the last year, I refused to go back onto the biologics. I had little success getting out of this bad flare up naturally, and endured the pain of breathing for an entire year before deciding to go back on biologics. They didn’t work as quick this time, but I could feel my spine “unwinding” after about 3 weeks and the pain severely reduced again.
Since then, I have learned that the biologics play a huge role in managing my foundation inflammation, but it is NOT enough on their own if I want to feel at my best. Life is short, and that’s how I want to feel for as much of it as possible. I find it is very easy to get reliant on our medication and not pursue all the other aspects of our lives that are equally as important. When I’m not living a balanced lifestyle, the biologics can only do so much. It takes an immense amount of patience and time to build these healthy habits, but I firmly believe it is worth the effort. I am now a healthier and happier person because I was forced to learn these lessons and adopt them.