My Latest Treatment!

 Hi all,

I thought I'd try my hand at blogging again, since I really quite enjoyed writing about my virtual cycle ride. So, I've dusted this old blog off! I thought I'd start off with an update on my Crohn's blog... If you haven't read my blog yet on my Crohn's/Colitis, you can read it here.

Back in June, I'd just started my latest treatment of Ustekinumab and Azathioprine. I'm now over 6 months into this new treatment and I realised I don't really know much about them.. So thought I'd talk you through them, and educate myself in the process. However, if you don't like needles though, I'd stop reading now!

Ustekinumab is an immunosuppressant - it reduces the immune system. It targets proteins in the body (interleukin-12 and interleukin-23) which are produced to help fight infections. Ustekinumab binds to these proteins and stops them from working, relieving inflammation and any symptoms.

The first dose of ustekinumab is given through an intravenous infusion (an couple of hours in the hospital MES department) and from then on, doses are given through self-injections. For my first injection, a nurse visited to show me how to do it. She brought practice syringes, demonstrated how to do it & then watched me do it for real. It was so against any natural instinct to stick this needle in my belly, but after the first time, it's been absolutely fine.

This is my little injection set up! Injection, sharps bin, a wipe & a pressure pad.

The drug gets delivered and I have to keep it in the fridge until I'm ready to inject. I prepare the injection site, squeeze some belly chub & the needle goes in at a 45 degree angle. I have to push the plunger in really slowly & then it's all over in about 30 seconds - for another 8 weeks that is!

Injecting! Look, it's me! ^

My second drug is Azathioprine - another immunosuppressant. Azathioprine can affect the way your body produces new blood cells, so I need to have regular blood tests to check everything is still dandy! They're pills I have to take every day, so a bit less scary than the needles! Using these two drugs together is a 'combination therapy', which will hopefully work a little better than my last drugs. They're doing their job so far, so we'll keep at them & see where we end up!

I hope you enjoyed reading this. If anyone has questions about Crohn's or IBD, I'm always very happy to talk about it! :)

Lots of love,

Katherine xxx