Hi,
Just an update on my experience dealing with this horrible disease.....
My GI put my remicade treatment in hold as bloods were showing some odd things, plus I was getting bad arthritis like pains and the remicade wasn't working as well as it used to! I was put on Pred in the mean time to try and keep things under control.
After less than a week on pred, no improvement so my GI admitted me to hospital. I was put on iv steroids and sent for an MRI, xrays, colonoscopy etc.
The initial plan was to try methotrexate asap. I was able to see a rheumatologist again while I was in hospital and was diagnosed with drug induced lupus from the remicade!! It was a suprise but I was lucky in that the arthritis symptoms have gone since stopping the remicade. It just sux that I can't take any of that type of drug anymore!!
After five or so days on iv steroids, still no improvement.....so there was a lot more discussions and a new plan!! (GI was concerned something had to be done asap and methotrexate would take to long to work)I had only one more option to try or I would be having surgery! cyclosporin and azathioprine.
I was put on a continuos iv of cyclosporin for 6 or 7days.....I got used to draging my iv stand and a portable telematry monitor around 24hour a day!!But the drug worked!!!
There were a couple of complications with an mild infection and some heart issues so the iv was stoped early(was suposed to run for 10days) but I finally got to go home 3weeks after being admitted!!
I'm still taking oral cyclosporin for a few more weeks until the aza kicks in, everything is going well. I have to get magnesium infusions twice a week, a side effect from the cyclosporin! So I managed to make it home in one piece.....I'm just hoping things will go smoothly when I stop the cyclosprin!!
Hope I didn't bore you too much.....
Thanks for reading this!
M
Just an update on my experience dealing with this horrible disease.....
My GI put my remicade treatment in hold as bloods were showing some odd things, plus I was getting bad arthritis like pains and the remicade wasn't working as well as it used to! I was put on Pred in the mean time to try and keep things under control.
After less than a week on pred, no improvement so my GI admitted me to hospital. I was put on iv steroids and sent for an MRI, xrays, colonoscopy etc.
The initial plan was to try methotrexate asap. I was able to see a rheumatologist again while I was in hospital and was diagnosed with drug induced lupus from the remicade!! It was a suprise but I was lucky in that the arthritis symptoms have gone since stopping the remicade. It just sux that I can't take any of that type of drug anymore!!
After five or so days on iv steroids, still no improvement.....so there was a lot more discussions and a new plan!! (GI was concerned something had to be done asap and methotrexate would take to long to work)I had only one more option to try or I would be having surgery! cyclosporin and azathioprine.
I was put on a continuos iv of cyclosporin for 6 or 7days.....I got used to draging my iv stand and a portable telematry monitor around 24hour a day!!But the drug worked!!!
There were a couple of complications with an mild infection and some heart issues so the iv was stoped early(was suposed to run for 10days) but I finally got to go home 3weeks after being admitted!!
I'm still taking oral cyclosporin for a few more weeks until the aza kicks in, everything is going well. I have to get magnesium infusions twice a week, a side effect from the cyclosporin! So I managed to make it home in one piece.....I'm just hoping things will go smoothly when I stop the cyclosprin!!
Hope I didn't bore you too much.....
Thanks for reading this!
M
