As with all treatments, it is definitely best to consider the pros and cons carefully before hand. And again, as with all treatments, individual results are going to vary according to what, exactly,...
The short story... I'm a 43 year old male, suffering from CD symptoms since high school, diagnosed in Sept 2010. I've run the gamut of prednisone, humira, pentasa, azathioprine, entocort, and cimzia....
Just read this thread, right before I was going to post a new one asking, "How many CD sufferer's also have Rosacea?" I've been on Imuran on and off for a couple years now. I started taking it again...
Great information everyone, thank you. Looks like I'll give it another shot....
I had Entocort as part of my Crohn's cocktail for just over a year. During that time, I had so many changes and/or adjustments to my meds that it became quite confusing as to what was working and...
Psyllium powder (the best tasting one I've found so far is Metamucil) and prednisone are the only two things that have *really* helped my CD symptoms. Unfortunately, psyllium powder helped more in...
Nanners, the same back specialist that diagnosed my initial lumbar degeneration had me do the blood test for Ankylosing Spondylitis (which my brother and my mother both have). I have the genetic...
Seven years ago, way before I was diagnosed with Crohns, I discovered I had mild degenerative disc disease in the lumbar region of my spine. Sure, it caused some pain, but I dealt with it. Fast...
Grats on the success, Conor, I wish you many happy years of remission!...
Glad to hear it went well! And yes, us Crohnies *are* a tough lot. :devil:...
Yeah, it really sucks. It sucks even worse when you start to get it in your muscles and connective tissues, too. It makes you feel like you have a nasty flu all the time. Unfortunately, the only...
A lot of people attach a bad stigma to the concept of "counseling". To some, it's an insult to suggest they need counseling. Unfortunately, the limitations of text based communication make it...
Make sure you get *very* thorough instructions from your doc about how to adjust your prednisone dosage before self-medicating. Benisone, you are lucky you didn't have a full-on Addisonian Crisis by...
A nicotine craving is very intense. There's been many studies that say nicotine addiction is as strong and difficult to break as a heroine addiction. Until the craving is met, you suffer from...
Yeah, besides the cramping and bathroom trips, a lot of crohnies (myself included) just don't feel well in the mornings. It's like perpetual Morning Sickness. Nausea, stiffness, soreness, fatigue....
The mind of someone addicted to nicotine isn't rational. I know this because I had that mind for 25 years. It doesn't matter how many studies you show, or how many times you tell this mind that it's...
I wish I could give you a huge hug. And yes, I feel exactly the same way about friends. All of mine disappeared after I got sick. I am fortunate enough to still have my best friend (my wife) by my...
Yup, mornings are my time, too. Even when I'm doing well (as well as it ever gets), I still end up making at least three trips in the a.m. When I'm flaring, I'll start the day off with 3-5 trips in...
I dipped Copenhagen for 25 years. I was in the "chew what you can, and eat the rest" crowd; I never spit. I often wonder if it was responsible for me getting crohn's in the first place. My very first...
Yeah, I sure do. My boy is 7, and my girl just turned 2. I'm sure hoping they don't inherit any of this crap from me....
I'm having to taper completely off of steroids, due to an upcoming surgery. I'm having a discectomy and fusion. The neurosurgeon says that the bone won't grow correctly in the fusion if I'm on...
Yes, I stopped the Cimzia. The fatigue from it became intolerable....
I've been taking Entocort concurrently with azathioprine for 18 months now. Right now I'm taking 200 azathioprine, 25 prednisone, 9 mg Entocort, 4 gms Pentasa. That cocktail is keeping me in pretty...
It's not unusual to be started out at such a small dose. The goal is to get a good response from the lowest possible dose. So they start you out on a very small dose, wait about five months...
Surprisingly, I have gotten fewer upper respiratory infections since I have been on both prednisone and 200 mg. azathioprine....
Prednisone made my teeth really sensitive. It also gave me the first dental problem I've ever had. I'm 41 years old, and until last Friday had never had a filling, or *any* type of dental problem. My...
Well, it's been one month and three days. I'm down to 2.5 mg/day of prednisone. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Cimzia hasn't been able to completely replace the pred as far as CD...
I take three heaping tablespoonfuls of the sugar sweetened Metamucil everyday. If you opt for the sugar-free Metamucil, the equivalent dose would be three heaping TEAspoonfuls. SOLUBLE fiber and...
Tara13, Azathioprine breaks down to mercaptopurine (6-MP). The two medicines are just about interchangeable. That being the case, if you had liver problems on azathioprine, you are just about...
For me, 30 mg/day is the "magic" dose. It's capable of keeping me in total remission. It takes 40 mg/day to put me in remission, but 30 will 100% keep me there. 25 doesn't do too bad, and 20 is a...
Thanks, Sniper, and to you too, my friend....
Tsitodawg, I wonder if we have the same guy come to give the Cimzia shots... I think we're both in Utah. Anyway, I digress... I've been on Cimzia for 19 days. I got my first shots on Dec. 4. I was...
Yup, pretty much the same thing happens to me, except that I root for the Jazz and the Utes. How 'bout that Utah/BYU game, eh??? ;)...
Supplemental soluble fiber (Metamucil, etc.) will cause floaters, too....
You're welcome. :) There's soooo much information out there about CD and all the different meds, it's hard to sift through it all....
Tsitodawg, I'm sure sorry to hear your luck with TNF blockers has been so yucky. I know that TNF blockers are very controversial, especially when the discussion of whether or not a TNF blocker will...
I didn't try Remicade, but I did fail Humira. I had very little faith when my GI suggested I try Cimzia. Imagine my surprise when it put me in remission. I've had as good of a response to Cimzia as...
I've read several postings here on Healing Well and other internet forums saying how if you have failed to have a response to (or developed anti-bodies against) one TNF, then you won't respond to...
Prednisone helped my crohns to the point that I'd take it until my bones disintegrated, I was on insulin, I weighed four hundred pounds, and my face was as round as a pie plate, *except* for the...
Good to hear about the Crohns, yucky to hear about the arthritis. My mom is pretty crippled up with RA. It's such a debilitating disease....
Hey man, I always see you wishing everyone the best around here, which is very cool, but... How are *you* doing??? I haven't seen a thread where you've talked about how you're doing for... well, a...
I woke up this morning, shaking like a leaf, dizzy, feeling like I was going to pass out. I barely had the strength to get out of bed. I immediately ate a protein bar and took my prednisone. Within...
Hey Ne Ne, Here's a link to my continuing Cimzia adventures... http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=17&m=1304924...
I had the second round of shots yesterday. They went just as well as the first time. Yesterday was just an average CD symptom day. Not good, but not too bad. I went ahead and lowered the pred another...
Wow, pb4, reading your posts drew so many pictures in my mind of previous events I've been through that were exactly like this. And your symptoms are so similar to mine, too. I'm a guy, so obviously...
Even on days when I know eating is going to be a bad idea (isn't it funny how you can just tell on the days where eating breakfast is going to have a lasting bathroom effect?), I still eat a full...
Yeah, unfortunately most all of the prescription anti-emetics make you sleepy. Personally, I can't take pepto-bismol as it aggravates my crohns really bad. Also, if you are taking Lialda (or any...
Prednisone still seems to be the one med that is really capable of knocking Crohn's down the most effectively. How long it takes to work depends on how bad your flare is. Since I have mild Crohn's,...
I have Crohn's related arthritis, too. Right now, 150 mg/day of Azathioprine, 10 mg/day of pred and normal dosing of Cimzia are keeping most all of the arthritis pain in check. I still have some...
Here's another guy hoping for rapid relief for you. This disease just sucks so bad. I didn't get much relief from Humira, but there are those that have seen a tremendous improvement from it. Some...