Can a fistula close with Humira

[Gmama]

Has anyone had success with closing a fistula with Humira? And if so, how long did it take?
The watching and waiting business of this disease as a mom is killing me:ybatty:

 

[MikeinBklyn]

YES!

The closing process started right away. The dosage had to be adjusted as the healing would almost complete then open at the 10 day mark after the H injection.

Went to an every ten day H injection and the fistula closed in two days and has remained closed for three years.

Good Luck!

 

[Gmama]

Thanks Mike! LJ had surgery in March, had a Seton for 6 weeks & the surgeon at that point said that if it doesn't close by July we should do another surgery & "lay it open"
Since then we have a new GI doc who does not want to do another surgery unless it's absolutely necessary. We are at 5 1/2 weeks for Humira and so far so good. He has been a trooper with the injections with no reaction problems, so that in itself has been a relief.
I really appreciate your reply.

 

[Jessy]

I had a perianal fistula that was open for about 3 years and ended up closing on its own when I was on 6MP. It never really bothered me much when it was open - it would drain puss when I flared, but this was usually taken care of with a round of antibiotics. SO they can close on their own and I have heard that biologics like Humira and Remicade and especially helpful in healing fistulae. Good luck!

 

[MikeinBklyn]

Holding off the "laying open" surgery is a good idea, at least for as long as possible.

I've had 2 of those, not so much fun.

Best of Luck!

 

[Gmama]

Jessy-thanks for the reply and good luck with your surgery & YES long term remission!

Mike-GI said that although the surgeon just wants to get in there & "fix" it, it may not be a real fix. It's not like a bad knee that you can truly fix, it might work or it might just come back. So his theory is wait and try to get the meds to work on it. I am trying to be a more patient person...which is trying my patience! Ha!

 

[deb123]

I wish I knew if my fistula was healing or not.

I have a fistula which runs internally towards my pelvic area, and I have no drainage - never noticed any ever.
I had a flare of Crohns last year and a MRI scan picked it up.
I had reaction to Remicade, so i'm on Humira now. I had another MRI a few months ago and was told the fistula is partially healed.
I hope and pray the Humira carries on and heals this fistula

 

[Gmama]

Hi Deb123! It sounds like it is good news and the Humira is healing your fistula. If it was getting worse I'm thinking the follow up MRI would have showed that. I find this whole disease so frustrating with the watching and WAITING for something to happen. We have to keep the faith and I will pray for your healing. Thanks for your reply!

 

[Heavenfaced]

I've been on Humira for 6 months. One dosage pen every 14 days. I didn't have such luck with it closing my fistula. In fact, personally I doubt the drug is effective in reducing my inflammation, but it's hard to tell as I don't get many apparent symptoms. Maybe if my dosage were tweaked like MikeinBklyn, but my insurance wont cover it. That's only my experience; just one instance.

Similar to what Jessy experienced, I'm now just hoping for mine to close naturally because surgery doesn't seem like a solution and my insurance won't cover the expensive biologicals.

Patience...for sure, as a recent college grad waiting to get my start at life...thats what I've learned to embrace. When you have this disease its hard at times to really believe in anything, but we still have to hope. As such I hope Humira works for you!