I've been on enbrel for about 5yrs for RA and also developed respitory problems. I coughed for 6 months and had every test possible. No diagnosis proved true. I even had surgery to remove swollen lymphnodes in my chest, which were deemed hyperplastic. Whats left from the illness is a once-a-day wheeze attack. I stopped taking enbrel for the past month and feel like sh*t. Heading back to the DR. soon.
are u on prednisone?I was wondering if taking prednisone was making you lose taste or smell?I was on Feb.2008 and havent been able2taste hardly or smell.I had a severe bronchial infection that was likely pneumonia but never diagnosed correctly.prednisone helped after day12 but only took half the recommended dose b/c docs tend2overmedicate us and i read that we should only try half recommended dose.it may work better.my symptoms got better and went away but i now have long term taste and smell loss.
Boy, do I emphathize with you! Since 9/04, I've had 19 pneumonias...8 in the first 8 months, then a gap of 8 months, one more, then a year's gap, then 9 since spring of 07. It's been a merry go round for sure! I'm just waiting for the 'other shoe' to drop on a daily basis - I rarely get notice...go to bed fine, wake up sick as a dog - vomiting with high fever. Docs figure it might be aspirant, but the pattern...I don't know. I'm on bipap now to see if that helps (I also have GERD and COPD which are major components, plus sleep apnea, which makes you wake up multiple times during the night (unknown to you) and gasp for air (the gasping is what they think is causing the gunk to hit the lungs, as well as a few episodes of reflux from the gerd - waking up chocking and coughing).
My guess is that your enbrel is what's causing your immune system to go on strike and make it easy to get infections. For me, it's prednisone that's doing the same thing. I'm not suggesting stopping enbrel, no more than I can stop prednisone (breathing), but that might be an explanation for why you keep getting it.
Hope this helps - and hugs! I know how you feel!