Welcome back NCOT. Good to see you here again....
Agreed. Thanks Chrisnsteph. I also use a heating pad for the pain and I had no idea there were potential problems with long term exposure. Good to know....
anytime I'm on steroids :)...
This happens to me too. My GI never seems concerned. I've always just concluded it's hemorrhoids....
I am on Remicade and Immuran - seems to be working ok for me. My GI suspected pancreatitis when I started Immuran because of elevated lipids, but after an ultrasound and due to my lack of pain they...
What is the leakage? Leaking pus from a drained abscess is normal. You still have an open wound there that is healing. Unfortunately there is always a risk that it will re-abscess. If you do suspect...
I have taken MTX in the past with no problems. It is an effective drug and for many people exhibits no side effects. The bonus is that the majority of side effects, though annoying, are less...
Muscle spasms and feeling cold can both be side effects of the weight loss....
A GI who knows his stuff should be able to help you with this, or point you to a drug rep who can guide you through the process. These things vary from region to region. Roughly where do you live,...
It is interesting. Note that they followed a modified version of the SCD diet called IBD-AID (The Anti-Infammatory Diet for IBD). Also note that the study was quite small, involving only 11 patients...
There are a number of factors to consider. The first, is simply the presence of extra-inflammatory problems like fistula or abscesses indicate a more serious form of the disease. Another is the...
Humira closed up my previous fistula in about 6 months. Some data from a post I made a while back on the effectiveness of Humira and Remicade on fistula: ...
I can't offer much helpful advice right now, but I am sorry you are still in pain and the Humira is not working as well for you as it could be. If you are experiencing Crohn's related pain then I...
Hi friendly. Sorry you are going through this. It can be tough, and the pain can be intense at first, but it does taper down fairly quickly. I also found that after my first operation for a fistula...
Do it quick, and experiment with different techniques. The shots do sting, but it's over with quickly. I found that what one person said was less painful, would sometimes be more painful for me. So...
I'm glad to hear that she has a treatment plan. I hope the antibiotics work, but if not, the surgery is fairly straightforward and it will give her relief very quickly. Best wishes!...
I also switched to weekly doses when I was on Humira. I believe the card remained the same, but I don't recall the details. You will likely receive the same level of financial support - possibly...
I'm sorry to hear what your daughter is doing through. You have a lot of questions, but I'll try to respond to the gist of your post with some thoughts. Like your daughter, I have experienced...
I'm sorry to hear that you feel awful after the injection. Depending on what type of awful you feel, there may be over-the-counter options to counteract some of the side effects. You may just need to...
With anti-tnf therapy you run the risk of developing antibodies to the drug you are injecting. Your body generates "anti-anti-tnf". Studies show that this risk is reduced by maintaining a steady...
I get fevers when my Crohn's is flaring. So I have been going through a similar experience for the past 4 months. However my fevers aren't as bad (usually around 101.5 or so) and my GI has confirmed...
I agree with Nanners, try to get someone to look at it. The local emergency room is probably your best bet....
Ooooh, pre-meds! I am starting infliximab soon too - what pre-meds do they give you?...
As far as I know, there are not enough studies looking at the flu shot in immunocomprimised patients to conclusively say much or make reccomendations. There is evidence that the flu shot has reduced...
As long as you don't get a live vaccine (the shot is not live, I believe the nasal spray is), then you should be fine. The only vaccines you need to be cautious about when on immunomodulators are...
You can use an MRI to have what is known as a "virtual colonoscopy". They can image your abdomen and pelvis and construct a full 3d image of your insides. From this they can detect polyps,...
Add another person to the "this has happened to me before" column. I mentioned it to the Humira nurses once and they said the same thing cheeerpinky's doctor did. I probably got some medication in...
Typically there would be an exploration under anesthesia to determine the tract of the fistula, then the surgeon would determine the appropriate course of action based on what he finds. (Depending on...
Good indicators that your abscess is actually a fistula are: you pass stool through the abscess opening, or you pass gas through the opening. If either of those happens, it's almost a sure thing....
Humira and Remicade are extremely similar. Their efficacy in terms of study results is essentially the same. They have the same method of action - they are TNF-alpha antibodies. They both suppress...
I always liked this comic of the pain scale: http://www.xkcd.com/883/ That's how I usually feel. Sure it hurts... but compared to the worst possible pain I can imagine...?...
I had similar questions a few weeks back and recieved some friendly replies in my thread about some members' experiences with Remicade and Immuran. You can check that thread out too if you are...
I don't drink alcohol. It's never really been a problem. When people are sober they'll playfully pick on me, but no one actually cares. When they're all drunk they generally can't tell whether I'm...
Ah, I forgot to mention - make sure you are eating properly and getting enough nutrition. Healing a wound like that puts more demands on your body's resources. You'll want to make sure you're getting...
I wouldn't worry over it. The time to worry is when you start getting an infection again - fevers, increased pain, redness and warmth. Even then you don't really need to worry, you just need to see a...
I can sympathize with preferring a pill over the injection. I was taking Humira and MTX by injection and I remember always thinking "man, I wish I could just pop a few pills instead of pricking...
Reading various posts on here I think different people have different reactions to the injection pain from Humira. It seems like what works for some people actually makes it hurt more for others. So...
This sort of thing really depends on the person, the abscess (size, location), current Crohn's activity... many factors. I can say that I had an abscess that took about 2-3 months to fully heal (it...
I'm happy to hear things are proceeding well and you are happy with the results from your seton. I hope everything continues to go well for you....
That's really interesting. Flagyl + Metro always makes me nautious too - lately my GI has been giving me a different antibiotic (the name escapes me at the moment) because of the trouble I have....
Stuff like this is way out of my realm of knowledge, so I can't offer you any medical insight. However, I find that generally your GI will know the most about the medication he has put you on...
Sorry to hear you had to deal with the pain of a perianal abscess. At the same time, I'm glad to hear you don't have (or at least haven't been diagnosed with) Crohn's. That helps increase you're...
From the topic of your post I'll assume the surgery was done on an anal fistula. There are a few different proceedures you can have for this, but the common theme for most of them is that you are...
Hi citygirl, welcome to the forum :) Since I have started Humira I actually get sick far less often - most likely because I am now extra careful to avoid germs and sick people. The precautions I take...
Unfortunately you've gone beyond my knowledge of setons with those questions. Maybe someone else will have an answer - I'd suggest starting a new topic if you don't get replies to this one, attaching...
In people with Crohn's, setons are typically left in until the fistula heals. This offers a few options:1) Use of a cutting seton to encourage the fistula to fully heal - the seton is removed once...
In my experience, it doesn't actually take that much blood to turn the entire bowl red. It feels and looks like you're losing a lot of blood, but it's actually not as bad as you think. However, the...
I only had mspaint and 15 minutes available to me. But here's what I could come up with: http://tinypic.com/r/2nqvfk8/7 ...
Oh my goodness, this always happens to me too. As soon as I have an appointment to see my doctor, everything gets better and I start feeling fine. Inevitably I start feeling worse again after I see...
Thank you everyone for your encouraging replies! I felt the same way as everyone here - if my doctor believes the risk is worth the benefit, he's probably right. I'm glad there were so many positive...