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starting remicade tomorrow

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 2/6/2015 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
My GI Matilda Hagan out of Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, MD is starting me tomorrow on Remicade.. I've been hospitalized now for 4 days and I'm just a little concerned about what to expect. Luckily I have my amazing wife by my side..

Hopefully this will be the end of this flare up
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Posted 2/6/2015 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck! I have had great results with remicade. Should be easy since I'm guessing you already have an IV in place. Once you start receiving it as an outpatient, wear comfy clothes, easy off/on shoes for when they weigh you and whatever entertainment you like. I always bring my iPad, earbuds, and snacks.

The only side effect I experienced were headaches during the loading dose phase.
Posted 2/7/2015 12:08 AM (GMT 0)

platinumpixie said...
Good luck! I have had great results with remicade. Should be easy since I'm guessing you already have an IV in place. Once you start receiving it as an outpatient, wear comfy clothes, easy off/on shoes for when they weigh you and whatever entertainment you like. I always bring my iPad, earbuds, and snacks.

The only side effect I experienced were headaches during the loading dose phase.

I luckily brought my laptop with me when I found out it was going to be an elongated stay.. I keep hearing that remicade really is a wonder drug, and I'm hoping for that.
Posted 2/7/2015 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
I just had my first loading dose yesterday. I'm almost 31 weeks pregnant and couldn't get the flare under control.

It was much easier and not any where near as scary as I thought. I didn't have any reactions to the infusion. A little headache and a little tired after but that was it.

I've heard wonderful things as well. I wish you a smooth infusion and fast results. My nurse and people on this forum all say that you can start to see results after the 2nd or 3rd infusion.

Please keep me posted on your progress :)
Posted 2/7/2015 12:52 AM (GMT 0)
Remicade infusions are painless other than the slight needle prick once the IV is set, but you already have an IV. Often you get a premedication, Tylenol plus an antihistamine (either benadryl or claritin) about a half hour before the infusion. Remicade is mixed and added to a saline IV bag, it's given over a 2-3 hour period (so I second bringing a book or your laptop). The nurse will check your temperature and blood pressure periodically. That is to make sure you are not having an infusion reaction. In the event you had a reaction (a headache or increased heart rate), they slow down the drip rate temporarily. They remove the IV, put a bandaid on, and away you go.

Remicade pulled me out of a yearlong flareup of uc, and saved me from prednisone dependence. I was having multiple accidents a month. I noticed the first positive improvement a week after my second remi infusion, a much bigger improvement a week after the third infusion, and steady improvements thereafter. I am now in remission with one bm a day and no urgency. I've had uc for 3 years and remi is the only drug that got me into remission.

Good luck, I hope remi works well for you, and gives you the much needed relief you need.
Posted 2/7/2015 3:39 AM (GMT 0)
I love remicade! I do not receive anything before it like benadryl like iPoop said. Just the saline bag and when the pharmacy has my remicade ready then they switch the saline for the remicade. Mine is not mixed. I also just get my temp and blood pressure checked before the iv is started and that's it. No periodic checks cuz if I were to drop they're right there in front of you watching. It's nice because then I can fall asleep and not be disturbed.
Posted 2/7/2015 4:07 AM (GMT 0)
Catie are you on both 6mp and remicide? Op good luck I hope it goes breezy!
Posted 2/7/2015 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
Nope. I was just on remicade for about a year and then my dr saw some inflammation in December so I just started imuran (in addition to remi) about a month ago. But imuran is making me puke so it might be 6mp soon.
Posted 2/7/2015 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
Update on the remicade.. Not trying to count my chickens too fast, but wow I feel better, just 4 hours after the infusion! Let's see how tonight goes... Haven't had a movement in over 4 hours, that's huge for me.. And not to sound gross but I can actually pass gas again, before it was blood.
Posted 2/7/2015 10:01 PM (GMT 0)
That's awesome. Seems like people either respond right away or don't respond that well at all. There are a few people who take a few infusions to get in good shape but that seems less likely from what I've seen here. I didn't respond at all. Remicade was like saline for me :(
Posted 2/7/2015 11:25 PM (GMT 0)
I hope it's a sign of even better things to come. Good luck,
Posted 2/7/2015 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you guys so much. I may not have posted here frequently, but just knowing that there are people out there dealing with this like I am made me feel way better. I can't thank you all enough.
Posted 2/8/2015 3:39 AM (GMT 0)
I'm so happy your getting some relief. And feel the same way about passing gas...dry farts never meant so much ;)
Posted 2/8/2015 5:09 AM (GMT 0)
That's awesome! I hoped for relief like that when I started but it took a while before I got to feeling that good. I'm good now though so I don't care! Hope it keeps working for you!
Posted 2/8/2015 5:37 PM (GMT 0)
I'm now 24 hours after remicade.. Wasn't feeling that great this morning, and it had me worried of course. I'm feeling a lot better now, just had my first non bloody movement.. My hemoglobin and crit levels are staying pretty consistent "8.5 hemo and 24.5 crit" so I don't believe I've had any active bleeding.. I might get out of here tomorrow!
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