Searching for a Miracle
Hello beautiful people! I hope you are feeling well today! ❤️
Today we're talking medicine.
A few months back, I began treatment for Crohn’s Disease. The severity of my case led my doctors to suggest intense forms of therapy. Initially, I tried natural remedies, eating clean and taking turmeric pills for inflammation. The tricky part was, my case had developed to a point where that wasn’t enough. In order to heal from my surgery that led me to this diagnosis, I needed a more intense treatment.
Enter Remicade, the miracle drug. That’s how YouTube reviewers described it, a “miracle drug.” I had been hoping for a miracle, turns out the miracle was waiting for me all along.
Remicade is an intravenous infusion, which is awesome as somebody who can’t look at needles entering her body. I wish I could say I have gotten used to it by now, but that would be a lie. Thankfully, as the doctors always tell me, I have great veins. Looks like I was destined for this.
The infusion appointment takes around 3 hours. Yay for forced rest time! There is nothing to do other than rest, so I really lean into it. I can’t seem to fall asleep, but what I can do is meditate. I tried other options, like reading and watching movies, but being hooked up to a machine makes me not want to move. So I don’t move, I just sit and breathe.
I was terrified before the first round of treatment. I remember sitting in my car for 20 minutes, too scared to go inside.
The few times I had been to a hospital before, people died. That, plus I was raised on the notion that you only go to the doctor when you are dying. That belief only made me fear what was happening, even though I knew it needed to happen. I was taught this idea due to being poor…yay…you only go to the emergency room and it better be severe enough to be worth the money spent. I got it into my mind that doctors just wanted your money and didn’t care what happened to you. Thankfully, I now see that that is not the case.
Eventually, I made it inside the infusion center and received my first round of treatment.
I felt like crap the next day. I only lasted 30 minutes at the office before I had to go home. Pro tip: If your doctors suggest premeds with this treatment, maybe consider refusing. The times I was given premeds, I could barely keep my eyes open on the drive home and I felt terrible the next day. One YouTube reviewer called it his “Crohn’s coma.” Suffice to say, I don’t take any premeds now and I feel perfectly fine.
Do I think this drug is the miracle I was hoping for? Yes, I do. I had been healing from this surgery for a year and I say “healing” lightly. I was not in danger of sepsis anymore, but I had an open wound. For an entire year. It was less than ideal, to say the least. And finally, after 4 months of treatment, I am healing. I cannot wait to be entirely healed, but hey, at least it’s heading in that direction.
That healing process comes with some side effects, so proceed with caution. Immediately after starting Remicade, my liver took a hit. This happens to approx. 15% of users, it looks like I’m one of the lucky 15. The strange thing is, I still feel better than I have in years. Then a few other results from my blood tests were flagged. And that’s where I am now. A few numbers elevated, yet I still feel better than I have in years. So overall, I say give Remicade a try if it seems like a good option for you. It is intense and scary at first, but it has made me feel so much relief. Crohn’s can suck, but you can feel better with help.
If you are in the US, make sure your health insurance covers as much as possible. This medicine is not cheap. It’s around $20k per round, just for the medicine portion of the bill. Remember money is just energy, it comes and goes, and your health is the most important thing.
I hope you don’t need this treatment, but if you do, I am right there with you.
Things do get better. I love you.