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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 7/20/2011 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I have lurked on the forum reading others questions for awhile now, but now I have officially joined. 

I was diagnosed when I was 20 yrs old and have now been living with it for over half my life (I am now 43).  I would say that my Crohn's has always been mild to moderate.  I have been hospitalized off and on over the past 23 years, but not for quite some time now.  I must be getting smarter in my old age and recognize the signs better. 

I have been on a number of medications in the past, but I am currently just on Humira.  I have been on this for about 10 months now, but I do not think it is working very well.  My bowels have been very noisy over the past month or so.  Also, I just started having some pain the past 2 days.  I have an appointment with my dr. tomorrow, so I am sure that will mean a colonscopy to see what is going on. 

The next alternative that my dr. has talked about is Remicade.  Hopefully, we can figure something out other than that.  I am not sure how well my insurance will cover that, but hopefully it will be as good it does for Humira. 

Anyway, just wanted to say hello to everyone on the board.

Posted 7/20/2011 2:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Domer! Glad you joined in. I will hope that the Humira can continue to work and you just need to get past a current bout of the rumbling. It seems that Remicade is pretty well accepted in the insurance world so I do not think you should have much issue (many insurances actually were looking for you to use Remicade before they would authorize Humira so I think you passed that hurdle already). It really just comes down to how IV drugs and injectibles are covered on your benefits.
Not many folks like to share information with their insurance carrier, but if you get concerned about Reimcade coverage you can talk to your case manager at the insurance company. Most the case managers at insurance companies are really great nurses with a caring touch and can help.
Posted 7/20/2011 2:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Domer! Great help from Habshockeyfan on managing the insurance issue.

I'm like you, my Crohn's has always been on the mild side, and my GI has consistently refused to consider the biologics for me. Unlike you, I've never been hospitalized thank goodness. But I had to change my meds this summer due to some side effects, and I'm supposed to meet with my GI on Friday to review what the plan is. I have a CT tomorrow to check the belly.

Let us know how the talk with your DR goes.
Posted 7/21/2011 1:16 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the warm welcome to the forum. I will let you know it goes with the DR tomorrow. Hopefully, I can get back to feeling well. I have been feeling a bit fatigued lately. Today certainly didn't help as I played in a golf outing for work and it was 98 degrees with a heat index of 110+. I am wiped out now. Not to mention spending over 5 hours on the course without a decent bathroom is never fun.
Posted 7/21/2011 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Domer...where are you located? You described the same weather I had so I figured you were in the Northeast US and was wondering if you are near me. I am in western NY state.
Posted 7/21/2011 11:32 AM (GMT 0)
I am in central Indiana. It is supposed to be 99 today. I will be staying inside today.
Posted 7/21/2011 1:56 PM (GMT 0)
I just got back from the DR and he wants to try adding Entocort (9mg) while still staying on the Humira. Hopefully, this will work. I have been off and on Prednisone a number of times over the past 20+ years and it always helped with my flareups. Hopefully, Entocort will help me as well. Also, no colonoscopy for now, so that is good. While the actual procedure is not bad, the prep sucks.
Posted 7/21/2011 2:09 PM (GMT 0)
I thought Entocort was very helpful for me. But get ready for some sticker shock.
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