honestly, I dont know why I havent came to one of these before. I have had CD now for going on 10 years. I have avoided surgery for this whole time by doing everything the doc has told me, except I do smoke, which, yes I get griped at every time I go into his office...I have on the other hand gone from 1 1/2 packs to 5 a day. Quitting is right around the corner, just cant seem to give up those last 5. Anyways, I have been on humira for the past 3 years, and it is no longer working, they are wanting me to start cimzia. I asked the pharmacist what the difference was, he was like not much just the amount and how often you have to take it. I am all for once a month shot instead of every other week, but, how long before this does not work? The doctor has basically told me if this does not work, the only option left would be surgery. I am kind of not really sure about surgery, I guess what is meant to be will be. I am thankful, I have God on my side and will be there no matter what happens!!
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Angrybird
Moderator
Hello and welcome to the forum 
Firsty well done to getting down to those 5, it is very hard to quit so you have done well to get this far.
I am sorry to hear that the Humira has stopped doing the trick for you, I have not been on either this or the Cimzia so could not say about the two and their differences however we do have a sub forum dedicated to both but do check out the Cimzia one especially so you have a chat with the folks here about being on this: http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=87.
I will keep fingers crossed that you can be feeling well again soon.
AB
xx
Firsty well done to getting down to those 5, it is very hard to quit so you have done well to get this far.
I am sorry to hear that the Humira has stopped doing the trick for you, I have not been on either this or the Cimzia so could not say about the two and their differences however we do have a sub forum dedicated to both but do check out the Cimzia one especially so you have a chat with the folks here about being on this: http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=87.
I will keep fingers crossed that you can be feeling well again soon.
AB
xx
Thanks, I will check out that. It has been weird had my colonoscopy a few weeks ago and the only thing I had going was cramping sometimes doubled over, no diahrea or anything to go along with the usual cd symptoms. But, my doctor said I was in "active" CD and the humira wasnt working, that is why we are doing the cimzia before we decide to go ahead with surgery...Other than that I try and ignore the pain and go about my day like there isnt a problem, which he said can be a problem also. But, I work in a hospital on the surgical floor and see all these people coming back from resections and I am like I really dont want to go through that..LOL
Angrybird
Moderator
I can certainly understand the desire to avoid surgery but I do agree with the doc, if you find you are still having pain on the new med you must let them know rather than live with it. The last thing you want is for things to get worse and worse inside until surgery happens on an emergency basis rather than something you had time to plan for. Hopefully though the Cimzia will sort things.
I totally agree with you, as I told my doctor...if I were to just sit and think about if I was having pain or not, 95% of the time I probably do, but I can not just sit and think about it, I want to live my life and not totally ignore it, but enough to where I can do things also...I usually wait till the pain becomes more intense before I call the doc, but not to where I cant deal with it...I just have a hard time admitting that I am in pain probably because I see what other patients go through and dont want to put myself in their shoes...so yes, I am praying to God this works for a very long time and not just a temporary fix
David
Co-Founder
Hi Jami and welcome to the community
Sometimes surgery is the best solution for people but in the mean time, I personally would hit the Crohn's from every angle in an effort to get things under control. For example:
- Western Medicine - Utilize the Cimzia
- Dietary changes - Enteral/elemental nutrition, [wiki]paleo diet[/wiki], or [wiki]specific carbohydrate diet[/wiki]. Juicing is also growing on me a lot.
- Hydration - Dehydration and loss of electrolytes is common. Proper hydration and adding electrolytes back in can help you a lot.
- Alternative treatments - I'm a fan of Low Dose Naltrexone. Research it. Medical marijuana has been shown to help a lot as well if that's something you're comfortable with and is legally available in your area.
- Stress reduction. Do whatever it takes to reduce your stress levels. In addition, a weekly or even monthly massage if funds are tight is great. Studies have actually shown that massage can reduce inflammation. Give yourself self-massages as often as possible in between the professional ones.
- Exercise if you're able - a gentle yoga is a good one
- Vitamins and minerals - find out which you're deficient in and properly supplement. People with Crohn's disease are commonly deficient in vitamin B12, vitamin D, folate, and magnesium as well as a host of others. But those four first ones should definitely be checked.
- Supplements - there are a variety that help improve overall health. Check our our diet/fitness/supplements forum for ideas.
- Alternative medicine - This could be stuff like acupuncture, including a naturopath in your treatment team, etc.
Bring your doctor in on the conversation for all of this. Get their input and let them help supervise your disease state. Some doctors might need a little push on some of this stuff, but we can provide studies that showcase the efficacy of all the above.
Again, welcome!
Sometimes surgery is the best solution for people but in the mean time, I personally would hit the Crohn's from every angle in an effort to get things under control. For example:
- Western Medicine - Utilize the Cimzia
- Dietary changes - Enteral/elemental nutrition, [wiki]paleo diet[/wiki], or [wiki]specific carbohydrate diet[/wiki]. Juicing is also growing on me a lot.
- Hydration - Dehydration and loss of electrolytes is common. Proper hydration and adding electrolytes back in can help you a lot.
- Alternative treatments - I'm a fan of Low Dose Naltrexone. Research it. Medical marijuana has been shown to help a lot as well if that's something you're comfortable with and is legally available in your area.
- Stress reduction. Do whatever it takes to reduce your stress levels. In addition, a weekly or even monthly massage if funds are tight is great. Studies have actually shown that massage can reduce inflammation. Give yourself self-massages as often as possible in between the professional ones.
- Exercise if you're able - a gentle yoga is a good one
- Vitamins and minerals - find out which you're deficient in and properly supplement. People with Crohn's disease are commonly deficient in vitamin B12, vitamin D, folate, and magnesium as well as a host of others. But those four first ones should definitely be checked.
- Supplements - there are a variety that help improve overall health. Check our our diet/fitness/supplements forum for ideas.
- Alternative medicine - This could be stuff like acupuncture, including a naturopath in your treatment team, etc.
Bring your doctor in on the conversation for all of this. Get their input and let them help supervise your disease state. Some doctors might need a little push on some of this stuff, but we can provide studies that showcase the efficacy of all the above.
Again, welcome!
