Hope you are all having a very festive weekend! I cannot believe Christmas Day is just over a week away!
Yesterday, we headed to Sheffield Christmas Market for a last bit of festive fun, before I head into hospital tomorrow. It’s not a bad Christmas Market! It wasn’t too busy like some, and it was full of so much festive joy! Definitely one I recommend a visit to!
I’ve Been Accepted!
I came home from work to some great news on Friday! A letter from my rheumatology team, informing me I have been accepted for a biological treatment. Honestly, it’s one of the best Christmas presents I could have ever asked for! I had to re-read the letter to check I had read it right. I even got Alex to read it too! Honestly, we were both over the moon! It’s given us both hope for 2024!
Even though I knew I had a good chance of being approved, I still wasn’t convinced I was going to! It’s a treatment I know I desperately need. It’s a treatment I know if successful, could turn my life around. Even my nurse has said to me many times, how this medication could be such a game changer for me. Yet, it’s such a hard medication to get approved for!
For anyone who doesn’t know, you only get offered the biological treatments for Lupus, once all first-line treatment has failed, and disease activity is high. Sadly, this is were I am at in my Lupus journey. It’s not a great position to be in, but at least I still have treatment options.
Approved For Belimumab
I’ve been approved for the drug Belimumab, or some of you may know it by the trade name, Benlysta. I don’t know if I will be having it as infusions or injections. I don’t know if I’ll be able to inject myself at home, or if I will have to go to MDU. Basically, I know very little at the minute! But the thing I do know is that everyone who I’ve talked to, who’s on this treatment for Lupus, has given me nothing but positivity about it. So I have a lot of positive hope for this treatment!
Concern Over Lymphocytes
Of course, things aren’t just as simple as getting approved for my new treatment. There is a lot of concern about my lymphocyte count, as I’m currently suffering from lymphopenia (very low lymphocyte count). The new biological treatment is likely to put extra strain on my lymphocytes. So I’ve now been asked to reduce my Methotrexate from 20mg to 15mg. Not ideal, but hopefully if the new treatment works as well as we all hope it will, I probably won’t notice the dose reduction.
The Dreaded Iloprost
That’s it from me this week! Only a short blog today, as I’ve got a lot to do before I head into the hospital tomorrow for the dreaded Iloprost infusions. I need to pack for the hospital, I need to pack for Norway, and I need to get all my housework done. I feel like it’s one of the days where I just don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done!
I had my lung function test this week, and that went ok. Now just waiting on my results, along with my blood test results from Thursday.
Next weekend, there will be no blog as I’ll be in Norway. Have a very wonderful Christmas!
Until next time,
Goodbye for now,
Emma
xox
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Want to catch up on my previous blogs, head to: My Weekly Lupus Diary
