Is remicade my next step?

[vickyhunter]

Hi everyone,
I'm currently having quite a severe flare, has been going on for 8 months and my bowel looks pretty horrible after recent scope pictures so I want to get myself sorted out quickly.

I am on 100mg azathioprine which was wonderful for 6 years but in the past 8 months just seems to have switched off and stopped working... I don't know why or how!

So, after the results of my recent scope which shows my crohn's has spread to the entire colon and terminal ilium, I don't know what my next options are, obviously azathioprine isn't working.

A few people on this forum have suggested that remicade be my next logical step. I can see why, and the benefits seem to be great when used in conjunction with azathioprine. But would an anti-inflammatory drug be effective as well?

My mum has UC and is on asacol, but I'm not anything like this. Although I've been researching on the internet and it says that anti-inflammatory drugs like this are used to treat mild to moderate Crohn's and mine is "severe" according to the endoscopist.

Any advice on this would be appreciated and anyone's experiences of remicade, too.

Thank you

 

[Dexky]

I can't remember if you said in your other thread Vicky. When do you see your GI next? Did he try something different following your recent scopes? Pred?

 

[vickyhunter]

I'm seeing him in 2 weeks time, not sure what he's going to say, I was given my results by a nurse after my scope. And I'd rather have a more long term solution than pred, I've been on it 3 times this year already and I'm going back to uni in October so need to get something sorted.

Thanks for the reply
xxxx

 

[Dexky]

Did your GI do or oversee the scopes? My son's GI does the scopes and makes recommendations on the spot. Yeah, I don't blame you about the pred. How long has this flare been going?

 

[vickyhunter]

No my GI doctor didn't do the scope, it was a different doctor and then I go see my GI in 2 weeks time to discuss the results. The doctor usually does it but he must have been somewhere else on the day I had it done.
And this flare started in late November 2010 with the usually symptoms but I was just so desperate to get through my first year of uni that I went on steroids for the most part of it and kind of tried to ignore it. I have a month and a bit before I go back to uni so hopefully my doctor and me will be able to sort some kind of plan out
xxxxxxx

 

[SdN]

For me Remicade took a few months to ramp up and start working decently. I'm scheduled to get my 5th infusion in a month (6 months from the date of my first infusion) but I'm still not in remission. Then again you may be one of the lucky ones and it might start working immediately. Either way best wishes to you getting things sorted asap.