I have been on so many drugs and injections . im fed up i have ankylosing spondylitis. And fibromyalgia. I cant work. I had pain since 17 . i dealt with it untill strange things started to happen. And now they want me on cimzia. I am afraid of loosing my home if i cant get this disease under control.
Just scared😭
Hi I also have anklossing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis. I'm on my 7th different biologic enbrel it really helps.could u get some advice re ur house .have u applied for pip and ESA. Please try not to be scared it gets easier I have had this since 1997 .do u have the eye condition uvittius I do it affects my vision .I'm here if u need to chat amy
Sorry fedupwithlife51 ment to put this in ur reply amy
You should be able to claim ESA and PIP if unable to work, like Amy said: NRAS do really good booklets on nras.org.uk/publications/ca... above & benefits: They also have a v good helpline.
Please don’t despair; it’s hard if you’ve worked all your life but felt same as you a year ago, that I would lose house etc but I do manage now on these & small ill health pension. RA’/AS are bad enough without all the associated financial stress. Truly hope cimzia works for you x
Hey, I have ankylosing spondylitis and I take cimzia. I started last July and have had 2 breaks in that time, once due to funding running out and the other due to a dental infection. This is my first crack at biologics and it's been great. My rheumy always starts on cimzia as in her opinion it is the best for AS, I've spoken to other patients under the same rheumy on FB forums and we all take the same thing 
For me it took a good six months to make much difference and it was very gradual so my advice would be to not give up too soon.
My only side effects are a light discolouration around injection site and sometimes I get a migraine aura the day after, so moved my injection day to Friday and I inject just before I go to bed. I also now take amitriptyline as I had a bad episode of neuralgia due to tooth infection and since I started taking that no migraine aura.
It says to take cimzia out of the fridge for about 30 mins before injecting - I leave it out much longer as it does sting if it's cold! I often hold it in my hand while I watch TV to get it up to body temp, much better experience then!
I'm here to chat if you like. I'm 46 and have been unable to work much of my adult life due to the undiagnosed AS. I ended up becoming self employed as a web designer but always worked on a part time basis as that was all I could manage.
Definitely give the cimzia a go and let us know how you get on. Good luck!
PS if you haven't joined nass it's worth doing so, they have lots of info about biologics, benefits, managing your condition and hydro classes and meetings in your area. They also have a helpline and an online forum
Awww please don't despair! We are all here for you and have experience most of what your saying. Please get professional help from your local citizens advice helpline concerning your home and job, they will also help you fill in any forms if necessary. Please take it a day at a time, not sure what you mean when strange things started to happen??? Keep ya chin up! things will get better 💕🤗x
I am so sorry that you are having to deal with all if this. I am in same boat. I am praying that we (all of us ) can both find the answers that we need. I am in the process of seeing what aid might be available. I just wanted to reach out, I now that sometimes it helps to know that someone understands what a toll these chronic nightmares have on us mentally and physically.
Steph
Hello. I have that nasty toad of AS too. I have had all the other “little” complaints that go with it too. IBS, sore joints, plantar fasciitis, “sciatica “, migraine, fibromyalgia ... it’s a b#tch. I now take Enbrel - reduces the nastiness of the pain by 40-50%. I take hot baths, use hot packs, the trick for me was to find something to distract my mind. A hobby I really loved. I also take Topiromate - which blocks pain pathways. That helps too. I don’t smoke and don’t drink. I have a little dog who needs me and a husband who does too. AS is something I have, it’s not who I am. Sometimes the pain in my back, ribs & feet is quite horrible ( I can no longer take opiates) - I just have to use paracetamol, hot packs, breathing, and ride the B@$tard out. My life is much, much smaller than I thought it would be. I have very few friends, as many on here will understand, AS isn’t visible. You need to talk to someone. I don’t know where you live, but there should be help somewhere. Your Doctor, a good Rheumatologist, family, someone.
You have MORE than one problem , you have your AS, you have the accompanying chronic (bitch) pain and now you have depression either mild or more. You need to see someone before it gets all too much.
I send my love and a hug to you. A gentle one.
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