Remicade’s Final Bell

What up UC world? The Remicade Warrior coming at you from the Evergreen State, Washington!

Hope all your guts are treating you super and those BM’s are happening in the low #’s for you all!

Thought I’d start out with a huge praise. UC put me in the hospital for 29 days in 2012 and when I was released I made it a goal to compete in the 12K race that happens each year in my town. 8 months to the day I was released from the Hospital, God restored my body to a place to compete in the race. My wife and I logged 12 minute miles and had an amazing time. I have ran it in years prior, but through all this I have learned how thankful we need to be for the steps the Lord allows us to take, so I did the race with a smile on my face!

Well, it has been a handful of months since the last time that I updated you on the ‘Remi’ Life : ) Things have been going very well thanks to Remicade, my symptoms have been very low key and the gut has been feeling more like it’s normal self again. But every match has it’s final bell and it looks like Remicade and I will be parting ways.

Here’s why:

During my last infusion, much like every other infusion, I showed up 15 minutes early got my pre-game meds in me and awaited for the “golden” bag to arrive. As I waited I ordered myself a hamburger for lunch and broke out the Kindle for a little light reading. The infusion started, like always, and everything started fine, they bumped me up in the IV, then bumped me up again, but all of a sudden my arm started a slight itch. I scratched, then scratched again and again, finally I looked down and noticed I had what appeared to be a welt on my arm. I thought, “maybe I got bit by a spider last night?” That’s when my stomach and chest started to itch as well and when I lifted up my shirt I had 4-5 matching welts on my front side.

“uhhhhhh Nurse??????”

She came in and immediately stopped the infusion and called my GI. I was told they were hives and it seemed I was having some sort of reaction to the Remicade. They put some IV steroid in me (not the prednisone, thankfully!) and some IV Benedyrll to reduce the reaction. The hives reduced and the nurse finished out my infusion with no more hive issues.

Then came the chat with my GI. Apparently your body can develop anit-bodies to the Remicade and that is what he believes has happened to me. The problem with this reaction is each time they can get a little more severe and that is not a road him or I are wanting to take the risk of walking down. So he has recommended my trying out ‘Humira’ which is now FDA approved for UC. They say it’s an easier process to roll with then Remicade. Just because you’re carving out a whole day for Remicade while Humira is an injection, you do yourself, 2 times a month.

My UC peeps I gotta ask you:

I know all the Medical Deets on Humira but what have your experiences been on this medication? Please include both positive and negative experiences for you all. As for new nicknames, I was thinking the “Humira Homeboy?” Help me out here UC family.

I know SC is really for me and I have been slowly putting it into process in my life. It’s a learning process for sure. The wife and I are getting there and are planning to jump in feet first this summer.

Symptoms:
I have been experiencing the tightness in my left side, been waking me up in the mornings, thanks GUT DISEASE for the 5 am wake up call! : ) That is really been my only UC trait currently. BM’s have been solid and formed 1-2 times on a daily.

God is Good!

Kyle
1 Corinthians 1:9