Ready for my monkey rectum replacement

I started Remicade about two years ago to heal a terrible fissure. It worked! But almost right after I developed a superficial fissure which was so minor compaired to fissure #1 that I denyed it for years and just dealt with the pain. However, I decided to get another colonoscopy this year in fear that I might lose my job and not have the money for the procedure later. The GI saw the fissure and bumped me up to the max dosage of Remicade. Now, only a week later, the fissure seems worse. What is going on? Has the stuff quit working? Other than my fissure my guts are completely normal. The small ulcers I had in my terminal illeum are gone. I have never had any other symptoms: no diarhea, no constipation.

My GI said if the increased dosage does not work then he will switch to another biologic but I don't have hope for that since Remicade is the one that is supposed to cure rectal issues.  I've been talked out of surgery. What to do???

Yeah, and I might start throwing stuff around. OK, I'll take the cyborg rectum.

Oh well, things could be much worse for me so I try to stay calm. It's just such a mystery that all I have are fissures but they won't go away.

I've already started calling myself the Million Dollar Rectum because everytime I get a statement for a Remicade treatment it's $7,000. Now, it will be closer to $15,000 since I doubled my dosage. Times 7 a year is $105,000. In ten years it would be over 1 milion dollars!! Just so my butt doesn't hurt!!!!

I told my wife it makes me feel kind of guilty to be using that much money but she tells me it's not my fault that the drug costs such an insane amount of money.

Keep it clean, please, folks.

Ivy, My GI believes Botox to be a temp solution when it comes to healing crohn's fissures. It stops the spasm for awhile and the fissure goes away but then the conditions for the fissure are set up again as the Botox wears off.

On a bad note, I saw blood this morning so I am actually getting worse. One week after my Remicade was doubled. Should I wait for the new dosage to kick in or call it a failure now?

The blood is definately from my fissure. It was just on the TP.

I know what you mean about temporary relief being better than nothing, but this battle has been going on for four years. I just want something done to end it. I have a way of dealing with the pain which works pretty well but it's insane: I wake up at 3:40, have my bm (yep, like clockwork!), take a warm bath, eat breakfast and go back to sleep by 4:30 and sleep until 5:40. I am sleeping off most of the pain. However, the other day I missed my morning BM and ended up going that afternoon and realized just how much discomfort  still have. Urghh!!

Thank you Ivy.

.... Another idea: could you give yourself an enema of a local anaesthetic before you do your bm? Something like Proctosedyl could help, and I think it even comes with its own enema applicator thingie.

Ah, so this is a different fissure? I'm glad to hear it, because the first one sounded terrible.

Still, Snaps, it doesn't sound as if your quality of life is too brilliant. I agree; your gastro would probably be horrified if he knew you were getting up at 3.40 just to deal with the pain.

It's so frustrating: there must be some way for you to get some relief.

How did they sort that one out? Could they do the same thing again?

That's right. Remicade healed it all the way. Strangely, my new fissure is on the opposite side!

Surgeon says yes, GI says don't do it unless you have to since you'll lose rectal tension which could be bad when I'm older.

Good Night!