Is the Enbrel fading -- that can happen but if it is not, I would stick
with what you are on for now. Changing horses in mid stream for no
reason reduces the number of options as for some reason the drug will
never work as well again. At least that seems to be the pattern. Of
course, I am no doctor.... yada yada
Duckie

Not for me but other people have received help where Enbrel did not help
them.  I hope you have good insurance and give it a try.    With AS and
already 100% fused we are a few years too late in what we are doing here.
FireChief has AS and could answer you better than I and good luck with it.
Harv

I was 39 when diagnosed in 1976.    2 doctors I had between
then and 2000 kept my on Indocine.   I was rated disabled in
2000.

I began to read about  Bextram Cekebres and Vioxx in the
papers and here at ASA in 1999.  When I asked my rheumy
at an appontment what they were all about, the bitch shouted,
"I KNOW WHAT"S BEST FOR YOU!"  (This followed her telling
me to put a hip replacement until I couldn't stand it (pain) any
longer.  Then wWhen I told her it was time, she replied,
"Wellllllllllllll, it may be too late.")   That was my last
appointment
with her.  I found another rheumy in 2000 who had my THR
arranged and completed within 4 months of my first appointment.
 With a staff of 6 MD's, a PA, a PA and  several nurses, in
additon to regular patient appointments,  he runs clinical on
6 to 8 drugs a year.

I don't know what you mean by "final stages".  I was diagnosed
in 1976 and I DO NOT consider myself in the "final stages."

Following my THR, I resumed square dancing, can tolerate a
3- or 3-hour shopping trip in the commissary every 6 to 8
weeks (between trips to COSTCO for meats and veggies).

The Spondylitis Association of America may be what you're
looking for.  Local chapters pop up and disappear coast to
coast, so at any one given moment in time there may be one
near you......or not.  If not, you can become a member-at-large
if you wish to do so.

http://www.spondylitis.org

Joe in SoCal  (who remembers........)

... Oooh, Ee, Oooh Ah Ah, Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang

Sorry -- didn't realize you were asking about things for AS [my father's
disease]. I have RA [was first diagnosed with SA [spondy...] but since
my spine refused to join the fun, my diagnosis was changed.
My mention of differences in drugs was based on what I have read here
and from personal experience about DMARD's in general.
My father lived until his mid 70's [20 years longer than any male
relative of his and nearly 28+ years longer than his father] and he had
been completely fused since his late 20's with diagnosis around 22 at
Duke Medical center. Aspirin was the only drug of choice and it did keep
him from being bent double. That was years ago. My father died 10 years
ago from complications of his AS but doubt if anyone faces those
problems today.
Duckie