I've never looked forward to getting shots so much in my life. Between the COVID-19 vaccine and my second Simponi shot, I've started to get hearts in my eyes whenever I see a needle.
Flashback to the weeks after my first shot... I felt almost immediate relief. I was very suspicious of some sort of placebo effect because relief that quickly off the first shot seemed suspect. The proof was in the pudding though, and I was able to go for some short runs and stuff without any sort of ill effects. I did feel much better across my whole body. While the worst of the flare had subsided before the shot, I still didn't feel great. After the shot, I almost felt normal. I still wasn't normal, but I was much closer.
Over the weeks it seemed like the effect slowly faded. I guess that makes sense when the shot is only once a month. I looked up the half-life of Simponi and it is two weeks. So if I'm doing my math right, that means at the month mark you are rocking about 25% of the original shot. There is the potential that I could start feeling arthritic a week or so before each shot, which would suck.
Before the second shot I did feel much better than before the first shot though. So I was still getting some effect. What I'm hoping for is eventually, after a few doses, it will have tamped things down to the point where I don't start feeling stuff again before my next shot. Let's say a terrible flare is 100 on the "PsA scale." Before my first shot, I was at like a 50. And let's say each shot you can subtract 50 points. So I was at 0! I felt great! But slowly it crept back. But let's say every month I only gain 35 "inflammation points" back. So after my shot yesterday, I went from 35 to -15! And before my next shot I'll only be at a 20. So a few shots in, I'm suddenly not in the positive "I feel arthritic" territory.
That's my hope at least. That's what I going to tell myself will happen. I mean, I did feel immediate relief again after my second shot. So much better. Hopefully by the time my third shot rolls around, I'll feel better than before my second shot, even if I am feeling a little arthritic again. And then four or five shots in, maybe I'll have it back in remission status. That would be great. Because I'm having no bad side effects (that I know of) to Simponi and the fact that it is only once a month makes things really easy.
Anyways, that's the update. I'm getting out for runs twice a week. My long run right now is four miles. I'm completely out of shape again. Oh well!
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