There Is Hope

There is hope out there to those of you who are wondering…

I’ve had ulcerative colitis for about 3 years and just now have finally got it under control. Neither Asacol or Lialda worked for me, but Apriso worked for about 2 weeks and then stopped. I was getting depressed thinking it wasn’t going to be an easy fix, going to the bathroom 20 times per day, looking very pale and being tired all the time was wearing me down. I was on my second round of Prednisone (evil, evil drug…avoid long term use at all costs). My doctor and I had discussed Remicade in the past and I finally agreed to try it. After my TB test came back negative and my Flu vaccination I was ready to go.

The nurses at the infusion clinic were very nice, most of them were retired nurses volunteering so it was nice to know they actually wanted to be there. My first infusion lasted 4 hours; a lot longer than I had anticipated, but the doctors found there were less reactions to the medicine when given more slowly. My second dose was 2 weeks later and was only 3 hours and the most recent was I guess that’s going to be the standard time from now on.

I noticed a difference the day I had my first infusion! Literally I felt better right away. I was tired afterward, but didn’t need a nap necessarily like a lot of people have said. I have my next infusion in 2 days ( 6 weeks after the last one ) and I’m starting to feel the need for it. The nurse told me some people can feel when it’s time for another infusion so I suppose it’s normal. I’m just excited to get the next one over with so I feel better again! :)

For anyone who is losing hope and has not had the discussion about Remicade with your doctor, I strongly recommend it! It’s worth a shot at getting back to a “normal” life.

written by-Abbey on the Pot