I have hit the three month mark on Avonex. Not that three months has any sort of significance, other than the fact that I'm calling it an "anniversary." It's like the first year of a relationship where every month is an anniversary. Okay, maybe only I am that lame. Anyway it's nice to have finally hit a point where I'm no longer waking up on Monday mornings with dread, wasting time worrying about how the shot will go. The last two weeks have been my most smooth needle work yet. Even with doing the powder form, which requires me to mix up my drugz before I inject them, I'm generally done within about four minutes. I have been fortunate enough to not have dealt with severe side effects, and the small things I do feel are easily avoided or dealt with by alternating Tylenol and Aleve. Avonex has also helped me become much better at guzzling water and staying super hydrated, I'm crossing my fingers this isn't the only benefit this drug will have for me.
It's obviously no secret that I have some reservations about being on Avonex. There are times where I feel like a huge sucker, and am slightly grossed out that I am contributing to the money mongering pharmaceutical industry. The general stats for Avonex also leave much to be desired, in my humble opinion. I once read someone compare taking one of the MS drugs to buying a Cadillac, and asking if you would really buy one that only worked 30% of the time. Although I can't argue with this logic, I'm obviously behind the wheel. I'm just hoping the car doesn't go "Christine" on my ass. Either way, this is where I'm at right now. I am giving it a fair shot, no pun intended. I will continue Avonex for all of these reasons: I have mastered the art of the jab, it isn't making me ill, I have insurance and an insanely cheap co-pay, it makes my family happy to know that I'm doing what I can, and there's a chance of a chance that this could keep me from relapsing in the near future.
Part of what compelled me to again touch on my use of Avonex was the recent release of the "Champs" study, ten year follow up stats. The average relapse rate of patients on Avonex was once every four years, and that aint bad. I could continue to get analytical here and say the same could be said if you weren't on therapy, but I think that's a given. Drugs or no drugs, if I could go four years without a relapse, I would be pleased as effing punch.
