Crohn's Disease and Remicade questions general and specific

[suschex]

I'm curious how many Remicade infusions different people had before they were in "remission"?

I will have my 3rd infusion Friday, March 7th.

I was in the hospital on IV steroids, IV Cipro and IV Flagyl for 7 days and then: Prednisone 40mg for 2 weeks
Prednisone 20mg for 2 weeks
Prednisone 10mg for 1 week
Prednisone 5mg for 1 week
My last dose of Prednisone was Saturday, March 1st!!!

Between the steroids and antibiotics the sores on my legs, severely swollen joints, diarrhea with blood, severe weakness and nausea all subsided or at least eased before starting the Remicade.

I have continued to have severe fatigue, weakness and varying degrees of diarrhea, joint stiffness/pain, nausea and overall feeling ill.

I have been on medical leave from work for 7.5 weeks and am supposed to return on March 25th but if I still feel like I do now I can't imagine being able to return.

My hope is that this 3rd dose of Remicade will do the trick but wonder what other people have experienced. Also, does it help with all the non-gut issue like fatigue as well?

Have you ever had all non-gut symptoms due to Crohn's but not any major gut-symptoms? I have been checked by a fantastic rheumatologist for every other possible autoimmune disease known and it has been determined I have only Crohn's Disease in my colon but also have a lot of the non-gut symptoms/involvement.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

remission is a hard thing to define. I have had a few infusions and feel better but still have issues. It could help with fatigue if your disease is exhausting your body and by fighting the illness you get more energy.

 

[rrhood1]

I've been on Remicade for 2 years now. I felt okay after each infusion the first year but not like I was in remission. The second year has been great though. I'm in remission - very few secondary symptoms and my colonoscopy came back clear with only 2 small ulcers at the ileum.

It works differently for everyone. The only diet I'm on with the Remicade is to watch out for too much fibre. Seeds and nuts can set me off. I'm not a stickler for this though - I just watch how often I eat fibre - so no salads 2 days in a row.