Rheumatoid Arthritis

[lmjjc]

Okay - Pills have not been working. Had my first Remicade IV yesterday. Has anyone else ever done the Remicade and if so, how long did it take. I go back in 2 weeks for another one and then 4 weeks after that and then every 8 weeks hopefully.

Did you have any side effects? I read about it online but wanted to see what people out there really had.

Thanks!

hi - just wanted to say that i've been on remicade every 8 wks for abt 8-9 yrs now for my ulcerative colitis. It was the only thing that saved me when i landed in the hospital w/ a severe flare, and has really helped a LOT. DH was really worried abt it at first (he reads a lot) but so far no reactions. I get iv "benadryl" & tylenol w/ea infusion. A cpl times when my uc is flaring i've had RA flare up in my ankle so bad i couldnt get a shoe on - had to go on crutches & buy extra wide clogs just so my foot would fit in! REAL embarrassing when people ask what happened to you! also tons of fun to try racing to the bathroom 20x/ day when you cant walk let alone run!

anyway, i havent had ANY side effects ever, and if i remember correctly it just slowly & steadily helped get me into remission.
HTH!!!

[shashabell]

My mother had rhuematoid arthritis severly and became so cripple that she ended up in a wheel chair. That was years ago and they didn't have any of these wonderful medicines out that they do now. Back in the day, the best thing they offered were called "gold shots." Yes the were made with real gold.
My older sister has it now and she refuses to go get help. Don't know why because she has witnessed my other sisters husband who got slammed suddenly with rheumatoid arthrisis so bad that he couldn't even walk to the bathroom. He went to his regular doctor who told him he would never walk again. My sister and bil sought out a specialists who subscribed just the right medicines and he is pretty much back to normal now.
So, there is hope out there now and I hope you find the right medication that will help you.

[busymominfo]

Thank you all for all the support and information. This is so helpful and refreshing.

I do have a Great RA doctor.