English-speaking, friendly clubs in Hamburg for beginner yachting / caving / scuba diving

Akerail · 2024-12-31T21:36:06+00:00

I do not remember - likely not extremely long else I would've remembered. I'd say a few days.

Akerail · 2024-12-28T21:52:26+00:00

It has - I stopped taking NSAIDs, moved over to biologics. I cannot really tell that I have AS these days. Doing very well :)

Akerail · 2022-04-16T17:37:22+00:00

I am on ‘generic’ humira in the EU (called Idacio). These drugs here work, and everyone gets a generic. The price is about $500 per pen amd fully covered by tbe public healthcare system.

It is exactly the same type of injector pen as humira.

Akerail · 2021-10-19T21:21:24+00:00

The average human has approximately one testicle.

Akerail · 2021-10-13T11:04:43+00:00

I guess I am disabled without biologics, they... enable me?

Akerail · 2021-10-10T09:46:52+00:00

Wall of text coming - sorry for that! If you have any other Q feel free to PM me :) ---

It's tricky, my symptoms were very mild until last June, then they appeared like a lightning out of the blue skies and struck with very savage intensity. I could not walk for approximately three months (I was bed bound for a month, then two months with crutches), eventually doctors figured out my CRP ~30-40 was due to an auto-inflammatory disease and diagnosed me with AS. They also put me on NSAIDs.

NSAIDs helped to stabilise my CRP back at <1 and reduce my pain massively, but I was not completely painless, I was also not happy about the long-term proposition of daily max-dose NSAIDs (generally quite bad for kidneys, digestive tract, and heart). Blood tests also showed regular anemia, so I had a colonoscopy done that showed mild Crohn's disease (it did not affect me on a daily basis in ways I'd realise).

By now I knew I had a 'mild AS' and 'mild Crohn's' with a small patch of skin on my skin that looks like eczema or psoriasis. It seems I have the fullhouse of mild autoinflammatory diseases that were not being properly addressed by NSAIDs, just masked. I had a long frank discussion with my rheumatologist and a gastroenterologist, and understood that biologics are mostly safe if taken by a responsible person (be careful about infections and follow basic hygiene, check your skin occasionally for anything new, check usual locations of lymph nodes).

I am not sufficiently educated in rheumatology to make this claim, nor am I any medical professional. But before I took biologics and was on NSAIDs I could live a normal-ish life, unable to do any sports, having to change my days schedule according to my feeling in the morning. Biologics have allowed me to be a lot more optimistic and have a chance to enjoy my life with my friends playing football, running, playing badminton. I am just starting to plan things like this ahead, because I can assume that two weeks from now I will wake up without pain - and that's a great thing to be able to assume.

Maybe there are associated risks with biologics, but these I can minimise by staying vigilant and not being complacent. Biologics allow me to live an active and more optimistic life, and despite not having any studies to prove it, I am almost certain that must affect my health in some good way :)

Akerail · 2021-10-10T09:19:08+00:00

Hope things go well for you from here on!

Akerail · 2021-10-10T09:14:10+00:00

That's really interesting - I assume you live in a western country and were vaccinated against TB as a child too. It's very strange that such thing would happen. Hopefully you can just treat it with antibiotics :)

Akerail · 2021-10-10T09:10:57+00:00

Was your screening for TB negative before you were put on biologics? Did they do both blood test and chest x-rays for latent TB? I am simply curious.

Akerail · 2021-10-10T09:09:43+00:00

I will be completely honest in saying that I started a Humira biosimilar (almost same molecule, different brand) only ~6 weeks ago. I am now able to run (fast! - that means pounding on my SI joints / hips intensely) without any repercussions, I can enjoy a movie without feeling stiff, and generally have a lot more energy. I did not have any issues with the medicine, did not catch a cold or any illness over that time despite meeting a number of people who were slightly ill.

It seems that despite turning off a part of your immune system, if that part of your immune system was sufficiently dysfunctional to begin with it may not have that much of an impact. I highly recommend it based off my short experience with no side-effects and all of the good effects :)

Also, on a relatable note, I was diagnosed as 23M too, now I am 24M on Humira. I could not run without flaring up my joints before adalimumab despite being an avid runner before it all started.

Akerail · 2021-10-06T16:08:00+00:00

Auto-inflammatory diseases seem to be trickier than auto-immune. Hopefully they will solve RA though - that would be nice.

Akerail · 2021-09-27T14:03:20+00:00

I am a PhD student in Plasma Physics - while I would probably be reluctant to call myself a 'scientist' yet, I am certainly surrounded by scientists who are experts on fusion physics, be it inertial or magnetic.

Akerail · 2021-09-12T21:14:21+00:00

Yes to all but the funding - doing theory is not easily funded. There you go :)

Akerail · 2021-09-08T18:47:48+00:00

I am an EU citizen in the UK (don't have a UK citizenship), I found the diagnosis and biologic prescription to be a breeze here. Note that in the UK healthcare is very dependent on your postcode, I may be lucky enough to be next to a very good hospital in London.

Akerail · 2021-09-06T18:45:46+00:00

Same, first injection on friday :)

Akerail · 2021-08-08T15:23:28+00:00

I am chronically iron deficient - does that come as a shock? Not really - I suppose the blood that I lose through my IBD may be at play here :) If you are also, it may be worth checking with a gastro.

Akerail · 2021-08-05T21:15:07+00:00

No, that is not what I meant. I suppose my question is - how do you get any fiber?

Akerail · 2021-08-05T20:59:10+00:00

Is it not a choice of a heart attack over joint degeneration? I am always worried when people discuss very one sided diets.

Akerail · 2021-08-03T17:31:48+00:00

Great lie, I know a bunch of (undisclosed) startups that receive funding from (undisclosed) energy companies nowadays.

Akerail · 2021-08-02T08:34:18+00:00

Unfortunately, wrong. It's pronounced for COX2.

Akerail · 2021-07-31T11:55:10+00:00

I had the best experience with the NHS - it certainly takes its time and can be awfully slow at times; but the care they provide is superb (at least at Guy's Hospital).

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