Hello, new here!

I just wanted to post to you all, and say HI!! I am new here.  Just got the link to this site from a friend (Thanks Adrienne!).     I have kind of browsed the forums and found them to look like an AWESOME place to get some good info/stories/etc.    A little about me,  well,  I have a couple health issues,  that sometimes really seem to take over my life!!  For one,  I have Ulcerative Colitis.   Add this on top of my Diabetes,  and it seems all I'm doing is worryin about my health/diet/meds/ etc.    I hate having to think about my health all the time,  but its kind of important, I guess since  I have a husband and 2 kids (and myself!) to keep healthy for.   But, I"ll tell ya,  it really gets waring sometimes!!  *sigh*       I look forward to chatting with everyone here!!  

Hi Christie, welcome to Healingwell :) I'm glad you found us too! Yes we do have a great group of people here with a wide array of information. If you should have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask ok (no matter how gross you think it sounds, trust me - we won't bat an eyelash!)

Hey girl, sounds like that friend of yours is pretty smart... LOL.  Welcome and glad to see you joined!  I'll talk to ya soon!

Welcome, Christie. I'm sorry you needed to find us, but glad you're here since it is needed. This is a great group, and you can always get suggestions and information.

Hey Christie, let me give you a tip on the meds they give you beforehand. I had the same effect from the Benedryl...totally wiped me out, and someone here said they take Claritin before instead of the Benedryl. So next time I went in I got brave and stopped at a pharmacy and got Lortadine (same as Claritin) and it worked so well that I've been taking it ever since. Now I'm just a little tired, but not like I can't function. I mean....I couldn't even hardly drive home and slept for 12 hours straight through.

As for the fatigue, your doc is right; I too felt the fatigue until I finally got off the pred. It might take a few more infusions for your body to "right" itself, but remember that you are having new meds put into your system, and trying to get off the others. Wow! is what your body is saying! Try some Vitamin Water or Gatorade to help give you a bit more energy. I also started taking a B-100 complex with Vitamin B-12 (for energy) and Biotin (for hair and nails.) Good luck to you, and glad the Remi is helping.  

Welcome, Christie! Glad you're feeling better today! Welcome to the board.

Hi Christie and welcome! I'm new here too! I'm a 49 y/o female R.N. with U.C. I also was told (by my old g.p.) that I was a diabetic (non-insulin dependent) almost a year ago and then my endo said I'm not!! Go figure! My sugar levels were repeatedly high d/t the prednisone, and still are (115-120).

In any case, I started Remicade yesterday (354mg). No one offered Benedryl or Claritin to me beforehand, but I was lucky enough to not experience any side effects (so far)!
I also feel constant, extreme fatigue - but I think it's also from the Prednisone. I was told not to start weaning down the prednisone just yet. Supposed to go for Remi #2 in 2 weeks and then again in 6 weeks.
I did feel slightly better today and had more of an appetite. But not an increase in energy. Still real bloated/distended - can't wait for that to disappear! What I did experience was a decrease in the number of visits to the washroom!

So glad to hear you're feeling so much better. Now I'm counting the days for my 2nd infusion!

Looking forward to hearing about your progress.

Sindi
aka "Colon Pow" !!!!!