Just got approved for Humira - how long does it take to work, and misc. UC talk.

Remicade and humira are very similar medications. It's kinda like asking does someone prefer coca cola or pepsi? Or prefer Toyotas or Subarus? We have posters who've done well on both meds.

Generally you'll get a response in 6 weeks or less, but it varies a lot person to person and depends how severe your flare is. These are pretty quick working drugs. Humira works by muting or at least muffling your immune system's battle cry for an attack (humira is a small protein that blocks the immune system's signaling protein known as tnf-alpha). Your body must heal itself as humira doesn't do that directly. If you've got a lot of damage from this flare then it'd take a bit longer to fully heal. Internal healing does take time.

Thank you both for your responses. I am overall looking forward to trying this drug. Somehow its only approved for one month to begin (?!@%) but at least its a start. Downsides already are it gets FedEx'd...so have to sit at home all day to not miss the delivery. Or have it delivered to work, which overall is fine except I am caring for a woman much sicker than me who occasionally has emergencies...so hoping an emergency there does not coincide with Fed Ex delivery....chances are slim but i like being prepared for situations so this a bit annoying.

So a delivery is scheduled and I get my first injections next Tuesday.

songlady....glad you have an international trip planned and will have had this going for a while, and to hear the progress you have already made. I am going cross country in exactly two weeks so don't think I'll have enough benefit to have a tiny bit of freedom going out to eat. I don't know if you eat a special diet or not. (I already know from previous posts that you, ipoop, don't follow anything like the GAPS)....

Basically I am eating bone broth, very well cooked veggies, probably not enough - some kind of cooked meat. What do you eat?

My gastroenterologist...whom I normally don't turn to for dietary suggestions, suggested trying white rice and see if I can digest that (then the age old question of how do I know if something aggravating me if already things are horrible in the poop department?) in the hope I may get some freedom eating out.

However, the Biologics pharmacy that is delivering the Humera....I had a mandatory conversation with their director of pharmacy....she also suggested white rice, even white rice with my yogurt (fermented 24 hours) - that in Persia thats what they eat for upset digestion...and she said something about the white rice "drying out" my system and that would be good...as well as if do eat out (after I decide if can tolerate the rice), ask for rice, chicken dry...no sauce....etc. Interesting perspective. Going to see my dad - he is in assisted care living and his favorite thing is to get OUT of his tiny rooms and go out to eat. I've told him up front I won't be able to eat along with him/which I'm quite used to when really sick - although tentatively hoping to a tiny bit.

Nourse - I am not on any special diet; that had never made a difference for me, other than the common sense things: when flaring, I stay away from raw fruit and veggies, things that are especially gassy, greasy, or spicy-hot.

I have relatives in assisted living in nc also. What part of the state is he in?