The Enbrel Crisis

Call your congressmen and women, the President, the local media, anyone who will listen... We are in a crisis... There must be a shortage of Enbrel in the world! No, I'm just joking... There's no shortage that I know of, just incompetence- I think.

Enbrel is an essential part of my medication regiment. How it works and why, I couldn't tell you, just that it helps me have far less pain, stiffness, and fatigue. I inject myself twice per week with the medication that includes some DNA from mice (I believe) and it makes all the difference in the world. 

We already know that Autumn isn't the best time of the year for me, too, so when it was time for my delivery this month (delivered each month on ice from a specialty pharmacy after an approved renewal through my insurance), I never received the phone call to schedule delivery. I called the pharmacy several times, and they said my doctors office never completed the authorization. I'd call my doctor's office and they'd listen to me, call me back later that day and tell me everything is approved and delivery will be scheduled later that day. Then the same cycle starts all over again. It's been 2 1/2 weeks of the same story. Since I receive my medication 2x/week, and this cycle started before my final treatment I still had, I'm now 1 1/2 weeks or 3 treatments off now. 

I'm a mess. I hate to admit that. My stiffness is 3x worse than before throughout my body. I can't reach down and touch my toes, which I proudly could do before. I get winded walking up stairs. I have pain in places I'd forgotten could be painful. I'm sure my inflammatory markers have skyrocketed.

I'll call everyone again tomorrow. I'll explain once again that I still do not have my medication. At $3,000 or so per month, and the need to come from a specialty pharmacy there's no way to just get some... I happen to have an appointment with my doc this week and I know that it will all be sorted out perfectly by then. At most, I'll go without four treatments and then I'll be back on track. 

At Carswell, it took a month to get approved for my Enbrel and that's because I had outsiders advocating with the right people. I went without Enbrel for 9 treatments. At that point, I was barely walking, breathing was heavy, and I slept all day. I hate that I have a chronic health issue that is so controlled by medication, but at least it is controlled to the point that I can control it and my health doesn't control me. I will be back on Enbrel soon. It's a first world problem that I'm having to wait as long as I'm having to, but I can wait. So, call off the emergency search party for Enbrel, I'm sure there will be some on its way to me soon.