So I'm taking a higher dose of Remicade, but...

[Mountaingem]

:sign0085: I'm still exhausted and having joint pain, and now I have blood in my stool. Today was my third dose at 400 mg, and things are a little better in the joints, but I'm so tired I can't fuction normally, and when I push myself I get dizzy.

It's weird, I don't have alot of pain in the bowel, just achy low back pain, and now the blood,; I lost about a half cupfull. I haven't had the big D and minimal abdominal pain, so this is new to me. After I went to the bathroom I had a sinking feeling in the gut, like when you drop on a roller coaster.

I've been going through a very stressful time for several months, which was why I haven't been around for a while; it seems like the stress is preventing the Remicade from doing its job.

I'm wondering: does blood in the stool always require a call to the GI? Or should I just wait and see what happens? Anyone else have a similar experience?

 

[SarahAnne]

Is the blood fresh (like bright red) or is it darker? If it is a lot of fresh blood, or darker I would definitely call. A little bit of bright red could just be from inflammation, but if you lose too much you could be in trouble. I would call to be on the safe side, please don't take any chances, even if you aren't feeling too terrible right now.

 

[Mountaingem]

It was alot of bright red. I'll give my GI a call. I'm just confused-I thought the Remicade would control this type of thing.

 

[SarahAnne]

It's always best to be safe....I had lower right abdomen pain I associated w/the Crohn's for months. I wasn't worried, it seemed like the normal Crohn's pain. Turns out my kidney was swollen because I had a stone blocking my ureter. It took 4 procedures to remove it. My point is, if you have a question or a doubt, the doctor is probably the best person to ask. If it's nothing to worry about, all they'll say is there is nothing to worry about.