First Remicade HOME Infusion! Help! My medicine arrived and I don't know what to do...

[StrawberryRain]

Hi everyone,

I've been getting Remicade infusions at a Wallgreens facility for a little over a year now, but my health insurance changed the rules and now I have to get infusions at home. I have my first infusion on Monday. I thought it would be simple, but a delivery man just dropped off a box with my medicines! I have no clue what to do with this over the weekend. The box says to REFRIGERATE UPON ARRIVAL - should I just stick the entire box in there, or only the remicade pouch? I didn't get any instructions or explanations! Aaaah!!! Does anyone get home infusions and know what to do?!

 

[Trysha]

Maybe you should check the contents of the box and make sure everything is there that is supposed to be.
Don't leave any of the contents out of the frig, place it in the frig as fast as possible..
Remicade is usually a freeze dried preparation that the nurse giving it will reconstitute with appropriate solution.
and I would see no harm in opening the box to check things out..
How large is it? Will it fit in the frig unopened?
Good luck
Hugs and best wishes
Trysha
PS You could also phone Walgreens for advice

 

[Mistybear]

I find that hard to believe! I can't get past the fact that you have to do this at home! What happens if you have a reaction to it? Freaking crazy insurance company. How do you give yourself a IV? That's just unnerving, is this what insurance has become?

 

[lblair]

That's nuts!!!!!

 

[StrawberryRain]

Oh sorry, I should have specified that a nurse is coming over on Monday to administer it. I just have to hold on to the medicine for the weekend, apparently, because they deliver it a day before the infusion.

I called the infusion center but they are closed. I'm just going to keep the whole huge box in the fridge. My family will just have to do deal with the lack of space!

 

[Dragonfly72]

I would place the medication in the fridge and keep the IV tubing out if it came with it as you don't want to snap the tubing with temperature variation. best of luck

Michele

 

[Jennifer]

Indeed. Open the box and take out the contents that need to be refrigerated (the Remicade and any other bottles containing liquid which are usually in a bag, put the whole bag in). Anything else, needles, tubes, alcohol wipes etc don't need to be in the fridge. There may be ice packs in there that need to be removed as well.

I used to have my Humira delivered. Any needles etc don't go in the fridge.