Off to get my Remicade! | Arthritis Information

Share
 

I am off to get my Remicade infusion. It comes at a great time. My hands & fingers are swelled... it is pitiful! But my knees are not as swelled as they have been and being the most swelled.

 
I have also figured out that I actually do gain weight when I have a lot of inflammation in my body. I got weighted at my last RD appt and I weighted 172, a month earlier I weighted 178. My swelling is down so... I am guessing it all inflammation that is causing my weight to teeter-toter like that.
 
 
joonie2008-09-30 06:08:28Yay!!  How long does it usually take to start feeling better?  Hope it's quick :)Good for you Joonie!  I found significant relief with Remicade almost immediately after my first infusion.  I am talking hours.  Cross my fingers that you have the same success.
 
 
I'm glad you're getting your infusion and if it's helped your knees it should start helping your hands.  Take care.  LindyHope the swelling goes down fast, Joonie!Thanks Everyone!
 
I am just happy I got to get it again. I finished that pred flare taper some time last week and by Friday... body parts were on the swell. My hands and fingers were the most swelled and were non functional and I could not even touch my fingers to the palm of my hands.
 
PLUS, we are to be getting some rain... so I am feeling the affects of the weather changing.
 
The Remicade nurse was just disturbed by my bruising I had on my arms from the bubble test fiasco. She said the bruising just looked awful... her exact words. She said he should have stopped after the 2nd blowed vein. She said he did have one vein that did not blow, which he thought it did.
 
Of course, like always she got my IV inserted in less than a minute and no blowed vein.... HOW ABOUT THAT?! Yeah... she said she thinks he was just not at starting IVs. I showed her where they drew blood from me 20 mins before he tried to start the IV. She said she just thinks he did not know what he was doing and that he was probably using too BIG of an IV cathater. I showed her the puncture holes, and she said it was a very big needle, by the looks of the hole.
 
I got another benedryl piggy back with my Remicade. RD really wants to make sure I do not have an allergic reaction to it.
 
The nurse told me the benedryl would make me sleepy, like she did last time too, and it does not make me sleepy. When it is being pumped into my body... I get a little swimmy headed, but once she starts the Remicade.... it goes away and I feel kinda hyper. I think the benedryl makes me hyper, my son gets hyper from benedryl and certain cough syrups.
 
I was not in much pain when I went there, so my pulse was good and my BP was below normal. 106/72 and pulse 88.
 
I should start feeling a little better RA crud wise in the next couple of days, if not a week or so. Last time I was delayed in getting Remicade for a month, it took a little longer to feel "better".
 
Since my swelling is already down a good bit, maybe it will not take as long to feel the affects of the remicade and will keep my swelling down.
 
Now if I can just get these spontanious twitches gone again, I will be set for a month or 2 LOL!!!
 
joonie2008-09-30 12:49:45Glad you got your infusion. I know it's been a while. See I pay attention. Hope you do not have any problems.Yay!!!!!!Feel better Joonie!
Wonderful that you are gonna be feeling a whole lot better very soon Joonie!! You sure do have to put up with a lot.
 
And have done for so long.
 
Cheers....Lyn
 
 

Thanks Everyone!

Naw... I have not been put thru a lot. Without most of it... my life would be TOTALLY BORING! It might be a battle, and knocks me down and all, but without these problems, I would not even know if I was alive! I do not let most of it get to me... ok I might for a little bit, but most times I have forgotten and moved on. Half of the stuff that happens to me I do not even remember anyways. So... one good thing for fibro & RA fogs!

 
I can now touch my fingers to my palms! YAY!!! Still some swelling in my fingers and hands, but in order for me to get this kind of result I would have had to have took my prednisone already and it be in my body for at least 4 hours before it helps with my swelling.
 
I am still having problems with my neck, but that is from fibro and my shoulder blades are still burning every so often throughout the day. I am sure once I start my new Fibro med it will go away again. At least I hope. New Fibro med is much cheaper than Nortriptyline and I only have to take one pill, instead of 4! WooHooo!!
 
Oh and I am on Fosomax (sp?). I just got it today. She did RX med Actonel a couple of visits back, but it was took expensive for me to buy it every month. SO... I just did not take it. She asked me this past visit if I was taking my Actonel, I told her no, not since the sample she gave me, because it cost a lot of money, so she RXed me Fosomax, much cheaper!
 
Yeah.... so.... I should be on way to doing a lot better! At least I am trying to be optomistic about it anyways. I am just tired of feeling like crud, sleepy, in pain, swelling and body parts just not cooperating or even doing involuntary movements!
 
I want to be able to clean my house again, and clean Abbi-Kitty's litter box out and all the stuff that NEEDS to be done, but won't because I can't do it just yet.
 
Oh and if ya'll will... please pray for my oldest brother. He was watching our mom Sunday and he went into the kitchen to make her some breakfast and he fell to the floor and had a seizure. Our mom went into the kitchen to see what the loud noise was and he was in the floor jerking around. SHe called my oldest sister to tell her to call an ambulance for him. He had a total of 3 seizures. They hospitalized him, and he came home today.
 
I asked my sister and him if he was trying to give our mom a heart attack!
 
Thanks for the prayers in advance!
Wow! Sorry about your brother. Sorry about your Mom. Prayers for your family. I am sure your brother did not know he was feeling that bad. He probably thought he had the flu. Seizures are serious but i hope it isn't to serious. Keep us posted.Hey Joonie,

My prayers go out to your family.  I'm glad to hear that you're getting going on the Remicade.  Hope it turns you into a new and more active Joonie!  Keep up that enthusiasm.  That helps a lot too!

Joonie, is this your brothers first bout with seizures?

No, my brother knew he should have went to the doctor to be seen about. He had been having chest pains all week and some other symptoms. BUT he did not want to hear what the doctor had to say he had to do to feel better.
 
He is an alcoholic, he smokes, he is diabetic, he has high blood pressure and a few other conditions.
 
He does NOT take any of his meds for anything, because he cannot drink with them.
 
Link - Yes, I believe this is his first with seizures. When I talked to him on the phone, he said he thinks they were brought on by his diabetes or that he lost 10lbs in 2 months. Yeah... he is not the smartest of my siblings, he might be older, but he is no wiser.
 
I remember back when I was still living with my mommy she made the comment that it looked like she was going to out live most of her kids. She has already out lived all of her family (mom, dad, & brothers) and has buried 2 of her kids.
 

Copyright ArthritisInsight.com