Depo injection. Bad flair up is there anywhere I don't hurt!!!

[Sunflower62]

Having the worst flair up I can remember... Feel feels like I am walking on pebbles... Ankles swollen, knees swollen, neck so stiff and pain ful hurts so much to turn it..hands and wrists are the worse never I have ever seen them so swollen they are so crabby. Phoned RD nurse yesterday she said call my GP get a Depo injection the hospital is 28 miles from us so GP much closer 2 mins in car. Receptionist said only two DR can do it next appointment for the dr is three weeks.. I asked why a nurse could not do it or give me an emergency appointments with any doctor. Her reply was having an injection is not an emergency my reply was you want to try living in my body and then you to see that it is an emergency. Why do you have to get rude and cross with people to get results I'm not a rude person and yet at the moment some people, seem to be making me be rude for me to get anywhere at all. Last night another receptionist gave me a ring and she has booked me in with the triage nurse on Friday at nine so 40 so thank goodness I have hopefully only another 36 hours of this awful pain. Has anybody else had a depo injection and I would be interested in how you found it helped. Sorry to moan I am just in so much pain I could just cry.

[allanah]

Oh gosh I can say I know this feeling. Why are you grumpy in such pain... Cos it's awful, mind altering, depressing and be grumpy if it helps you!

Next time ask to speak to the practice manager instead of the receptionists. It's not just an injection , it's a essential piece of medical treatment for a lot of us when flaring.

I just had one least week and the difference is amazing. Pain has gone down, mobility goes up and you get what I call a steroid holiday!!! Be careful to note your mood though as some people can have bad mood swings . I don't it just helps me so much, wish they lasted longer but mine help for about 6 to 8 weeks.

Good luck and hold on in there till Friday ( or call practice manager and ask for their help , u don't have to tell receptionist why you want to speak to the manager ) xxxx

[Beaches2]

Hi sunflower

Am so sorry you are in such pain right now. I feel fortunate that my rheumy nurses run 2 SOS clinics a week and will fit you in for a steroid as soon as you need one. I have had several depo injections, for me they work like a miracle, they calm everything down ........the first one was at my first appt .......I went in hardly able to walk and just a few hours later the pain and swelling was more or less gone. They last a varying length of time, from a couple of weeks to a few months, but hopefully long enough to get you through this time.

Good luck, hope you feel better soon xx

[Barrister]

I would argue that it damn well is an emergency! Such pain is soul destroying and having these receptionists tell you you are not an emergency is not part of their remit. I think that if it had been me I would just have said that I needed to see the doctor and it was an emergency. But I am lucky, our surgery is very good and they usually manage to get you seen sometime that day if you really need it. Clemmie

[farm123]

Glad you got an appointment in the end. For me they can be hit or miss whether I get relief or perhaps I should rephrase that as 'enough' relief as they do help some but not always as much as I would like but that is probably wishful thinking. As Allanah said it can make your mood swing - whenever I say I can have an injection whether joint or IM or oral steroid the family say 'watch out she will be touchy'. Its annoying sometimes as you can feel you are doing it but helpless to stop - its like bad PMT. Has you rheumy team contacted your GP with the request and dose level as they can sometimes recommend a higher dose of steroid than the GP would routinely give?

[Sunflower62]

The hospital did offer to do the injection yesterday the day I called them up but it's a 50 plus mile round trip all my friends work I have no family near me so they advised I call the GP I am thinking should I call and say I feel a lot worse today and ask of they will fit me in but I find it hard to be forceful when I feel so low I guess it's less that 24 hours now

[nomoreheels]

As allanah says, if you have problems such as this again when it is, in effect, an emergency please ask to be redirected to the Practice Manager. It is part of their remit to intervene, diffuse & seek a suitable conclusion in situations such as this. It really shouldn't be necessary but unfortunately as in my Practice, the Receptionists are increasingly being given more authority by the partners to make decisions at the first point of contact they aren't qualified to make. There are those of course who request an emergency appointment as a matter of course & don't need one at all, but it's my feeling that if receptionists are being increasingly expected to determine who & who doesn't need urgent treatment then external mandatory training must be put in place to ensure the possibility of a devastating situation doesn't occur.

It does occur to me that maybe someone overheard your original conversation or the receptionist in hindsight sought further advice with you getting a call back giving you the appointment for Friday & do hope that you feel better when you have your injection.

[Sunflower62]

I totally agree some of the receptionist are so job worth! Last Feb I was taken poorly with a bad reatIon to Cimzia I called the GP no appointments they said the nurse was also off I was told to call back after lunch I called back after lunch told to call again later I said I was getting worse. My daughter who lives two hours from me called told me to phone 111 I did they sent an ambulance the paramedic called the GP and asked them to see me urgently they put him through to the doctor not my personal doctor but a doctor and he asked was it life-threatening the ambulance the paramedic advise that at this point he didn't know but I needed urgent attention the GP said they could see me at 4 o'clock this is 1 o'clock and the paramedics said I couldn't wait so he'd take me to a name and ana admitted that me and I was in hospital just over a week. On returning at the hospital asked me to report this to the GP service didn't happen to somebody else the hospital also reported it to the GP I got a phone call from the perfect practice manager apologising she gave me a point of contact for any problems regarding that case that this isn't to do with that county so I didn't feel that I could ask to speak to the point of contact to make any trouble but if I do get any trouble again then I will ask to speak to the practice manager. I do wonder if after the phone with put down my name flagged out that somebody that was to be helped because of last time's problems

[Rosie_rabbit in reply to Sunflower62]

Hi sunflower, on a slight side point and having taken my first dose of cimzia yesterday and feeling a little anxious about taking it ...what was the side effect of the cimzia and the symptoms you were experiencing? I'm not looking for it to cause me a problem but I don't underestimate how vulnerable these drugs can leave you??

As far as your current experience I'm with the others on the reception not being equipped to determine what an emergency is. If you're flaring as badly as you, if you don't get it calmed down as soon as possible, not only are you suffering unnecessarily but aren't you also leaving yourself more vulnerable to erosion. The depo will calm the inflammation and help reduce this risk ..in my few that's pretty urgent. Hoping you get some relief soon and thinking of you. Rx

[Sunflower62]

I was one of four in 20,000 who had pins and needles all over its a very rare side effect of all the anti TNF drugs.

Please don't feel anxious Cimzia is amazing it gave me three of the most amazing relatively pain free years.

If I was offered the chance to give it another go again I would it's that good a drug but they won't let me go back on it. Your so lucky to have been given the chance to take the drug as it's very expense within a couple of months you will see such a difference good luck x

[Rosie_rabbit in reply to Sunflower62]

Thanks so much sunflower for your reassurance which means a lot. I know I'm really lucky to finally have been offered biologics as there are many out there still suffering and need of these unfairly rationed drugs. Yes I'm hoping it's my miracle drug. Somehow I can cope ok with the pain mostly I just can't cope with the fatigue and the impact it has on my life, so here's hoping I'll be a new woman soon haha!!

I hope you get the relief you need from the depo. Ive had a few and yes they do help, but vary from person to person and in fact from injection to injection. My husband always used to say that the drug had a lot of bum to get through if I moaned it didn't help quickly enough ..cheeky bugger!! Rx

[hatshepsut]

That's really interesting. I had to stop a rituximab infusion when I got pins and needles all over, and was taken off it. I was told they'd have to yellow card it, as it was unknown. Now on 2nd anti tnf, humira. Allergic massively to enbrel. So fingers crossed. M x

[Sunflower62 in reply to hatshepsut]

Really that is very interesting to read guess I won't try that either then lol... Had my depo injection the Dry says 72 hours to feel better so hope it works

[abeliever in reply to Sunflower62]

Just looking into Depo having read a few posts before on here about it. How are you now after 11 days?

[Sunflower62 in reply to abeliever]

The relief is amazing I have no swelling in any of my joints currently long may it last

[hatshepsut]

Sorry, don't know how to do that! !! M x

[Birminghamowl]

Hi,

Sorry to hear you are having such a tough time - it's just horrid. I had this injection 4 weeks ago - OMG - what a difference!!! Had argue my case for it; the pain was awful and just trying to do everyday things like walk, eat and personal hygiene were becoming a real problem. Within 24hours there was a marked difference. My hands and feet are "working" again and it has been an absolute relief. Still have some pain but it is very mild. Today I have felt my first "real" pain in my ankle and am limping a bit. On the whole it has been fantastic. Let us know how you get on.

[Neonkittie17]

Yes they bring instant relief. When I have had the general ones in the bottom I can walk out of the hospital twenty mins later after having a cuppa in the cafe and not need my waking cane. Just don't be tempted to do anything nutty like go in the loft and clear it out or decorate the lounge as you can feel quite euphoric and full of oomph after you've had one! They last for different lengths of time for different people. They give me 2-3 weeks whereas an injection into a joint gives my whole body relief for 6 months and more, but as I said we are all different and when my meds weren't working or waiting to start one I had a couple of the depomedrones into the derrière. It is a tiny scratch .. and well worth it for the relief it will bring. Not long to wait now! 😀 x