question for Glove

How are you making out with the insurance company? Did you have your 3rd infusion of Remicade? Unfortunately, I am having symptoms of a flare. I caught a stomach bug less than two days after my 3rd infusion. That or it was an adverse effect of the Remicade....fever, nausea, diarrhea, body aches. It only lasted 24 hrs but my bowels have been heading south ever since. Now I have urgency, bleeding but only a bit and it is bright red so it may be from hemorrhoids, and pooping a LOT. Formed stools but extremely soft.

Glad you were able to have your 3rd infusion and that you are doing well. Do they give you Benedryl before your infusion? I swear that made me sick. I didn't get the virus from it, but it just made me ill. I believe the nurse gave me too much...50 mgm! Next time she said she will cut the dose in half. I probably scared her because I thought I was going to pass out. The guy in there who was also having a Remicade infusion said the first time she gave him Benedryl he did pass out! Sheesh!
I called my GI today. One of his secretaries took my call but she is sort of a ditz. I usually talk to his nurse but she must have left for the day and this secretary answered the nurse's phone. The secretary said she would get back to me because my doctor was making hospital rounds. This was at 4 p.m.. He never called back and that is sooo unlike him. I have a feeling the secretary left for the day before my doctor phoned in and she never left the message with anyone else in the office. Oh well, no emergency. If I don't hear from him tomorrow morning I will phone the office again. Don't want this to wait over the weekend.
I noticed you are taking Flora critical Care probiotic. Where do you purchase it? Is it very expensive? I take Powerdolphilus twice a day but don't think it does anything really. I also take Flaxseed oil and fish oil capsules once a day. I think I will just cut them out.
When was your last colonoscopy and when are you scheduled for your next one?

Hi Glove. Well, bad news. I am flaring most definitely. I have terrible tenesmus....cannot hold the bowel movement at all and my husband had to retrieve the portapots from the basement. My rectum feels like an army has marched through it. Very uncomfortable. I am wondering if this is due to the stomach virus I had, Remicade, or just not watching my diet as carefully as I should have. Could be a combination of all three. Anyway, the doctor's office called earlier...he is doing hospital rounds this week, and he wants me to go on 40 mgm of prednisone today to jump start things and tomorrow drop to 20 mgm and stay on 20 mgm till he sees me on Tuesday. Wonder if he will even do the colonoscopy now which is scheduled for Feb 2nd. If not, this will be the second colonoscopy I had to postpone, but I know he won't want to try going up there while I am flaring. He did years ago and could only go up 20 cm for fear of perforating the ulcers

Oh Christine!

I'm so sorry to hear you are flaring again, even with the Remi.. I'm hoping it was the stomach bug that got you going again and after you do the pred for a short time you can get things back under control... I'm thinking and wishing you good thoughts :)