Can't resist any more

Have you seen your dr lately, maybe you need a new scope done, or move to a different medication.

Minnie, when I was on Remicade I had my infusions every 4 weeks, that is what worked best for me. When needed he would do an infusion every two weeks to get me over the hump. By chance are you given pre-meds prior to your infusion? I was given IV Soluable Medrol & Benadryl which warded off future reactions, but it helped with the side effects you have mentioned.

Just a thought, while you were involved with getting your Phd, you were under a lot of stress & the adrenaline I am sure was in high gear. Now that you are finished, perhaps your body is simply trying to regroup. It is hard for me to describe what I am really trying to say. With myself, when I was under a lot of stress especially for a lengthy time, once I got the high stress pretty much resolved, my body would crash. I have to wonder if the same may be happening with you. Other than managing your flare, I think you may want to give yourself some time to decompress & chill out for awhile. Let your body reset itself.

Let me make a couple of suggestions, every evening squeeze in some quiet time just for you, even if it is taking a walk, going off alone in a room & turn down the lights & listening to some soft music or just total quiet. Pamper yourself, go get a massage. Its hard learning at first to give yourself that 30 minutes an evening but if you will stick with it long enough, it will become a part of your routine. I worked in a very high stress job, worked long hours & loved it. However, every 2 weeks I went for a 1 hour massage, helped the migraines & other physical issues, but most of all it helped me relax. I did not spend my weekends doing house work, laundry, grocery shopping, none of that. My weekends were for me & whatever we wanted to do for fun. During the week I did the house hold stuff to free my weekends up. Hire someone to come in & clean weekly, bi-weekly or once a month.

Now is not the time to take on all of things you ignored while finishing up the schooling. Give your body all the time it needs to regroup & re-adjust.

Minnie,

It sounds like you might have let yourself get extremely run down as you were working so hard to get your Phd. You very well might benefit from a very good rest. During which, you might want to schedule some diagnostics. It might be good to get a fresh look at what's going on.

It your having active disease, then it might be time to transition to another anti-TNF. Stelera seems to be the most well received since Remicade.

I'm sure things will start looking up soon. Especially after a good rest. It tends to get us recharged, and able to reason through our difficulties. Hope you're feeling better soon. Keep us posted.

Minnie--
Congrats on your PhD! Yes it sounds like you were in "fight or flight" survival mode and now you are crashing. It also sounds like the Remicade isn't working very well anymore. You might need some steroids (I hate them but they work like a charm) to either get you over this "hump" with the Remicade or to bridge the gap between Remicade and another drug.

Definitely agree with the fight or flight idea. It's what I go through after any major stressful period and I'm dealing with to some extent right now. The first few weeks after my thesis was finished, i was able to keep the energy and momentum going. Now I've crashed and need tons of sleep and my joints and back are flaring. You really need a break!

Is surgery an option?

Maybe you should consider seeing a CRS just for a consult, see if there are any options available. At least then you will know & not be going down the what if trail.