I'm here! Better late than ... Thanks for the birthday wishes. I turned 73. Went out to dinner in a restaurant with my daughters. It was the first time I dined indoors at a place since February 2020....
I have been taking Stelera since 2017. You should know that my Crohn's has been in remission for quite sometime, even prior to beginning Stelera. Stelera has been a gamechanger in helping my...
Thank you Randy! I think this is my 17th or 18th birthday wish from you! Can you believe it has been that long? Yesterday, I turned 72 years young. When I look in the mirror I always expect the face...
Thank you all! It was another very small celebration because of the pandemic. Hopefully next year I can celebrate 72 with a BIG celebration! I think this is about the 16th year of birthday wishes...
Wow! This is a blast from the past. Good to see you all of you again!...
Hi Lois! I remember you from the "old days."...
When I used to take Remicade, I was on antibiotics once, and was cleared for an infusion as soon as I finished the antibiotic course....
NiceCupOfTea - We, meaning family and friends, are hoping we can do a 70 and a 1/2 party. I am in significantly impacted area here in the US and there is no telling how long this will go on. Given my...
Randy, I'm impressed with your memory. I think you have remembered for something like 15 years. I was a sweet young thing then - now I'm a cranky 70 year old! And no celebrations. My kids all work...
You likely are suffering from bile salt diarrhea caused by having your gall bladder removed....
I have been taking Stelera for 2.5 years. It is the BEST of all that I have taken (Remicade, Humira, and Simponi). I took Simponi for 9 years after developing drug-induced lupus from humira also. I...
I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy in 2004 after having untreated, undiagnosed Crohn's for many years. I had every test looking for a cause and after punch skin biopsies, it was determined I...
I suffered the passage of a series of kidney stones in the early 80s. The first one was six weeks following the birth of my child. I would endure many natural deliveries over one kidney stone. They...
I had a very successful 9 year run on Simponi. It worked wonderfully on both my Crohn's and am ankylosing spondylitis. Keep in mind that when I was first diagnosed with Crohn's I was told it was...
I have been on Stelera for a couple years. I have not experienced any weight gain, in fact I have lost weight. I contribute the weight loss to having a very limited diet for 6 months because on...
Glad it went well for you! I take Stelera and a drop always appears when I pull the needle cap off. So no worries there. Also, your syringe should come with a giant folded piece of paper - that's the...
A-fib itself can cause clots to form. Clots cause stroke. Many people with A-fib are placed on medication to prevent the clotting issue. My father-in-law had a stroke because the doctor at the Army...
Happy Holidays, Randy! How are your new digs? I haven't posted much either. I am recovered from my ileostomy takedown on Halloween. My bowels are trying to learn to behave after months of not...
Welcome to Healing Well! I never experienced any of the symptoms you describe while on Remicade. Allergic reactions do occur with Remicade but mostly at the time of the infusion? When are you having...
I am traveling and staying in a hotel for the first time with my ileostomy. I am curious what others use for covering the stoma when they are changing wafers and/or pouches. I was taught in the...
Thanks for asking NSSG! At this point my reversal is scheduled for 31 October. I am going Monday for a barium enema to make sure everything looks good in the colon. Following that, the surgeon is...
In the early '80s I was hospitalized 5 times with kidney stones. They started while living in Germany and I was told the high calcium content in the water was contributing. I could only drink...
Good point by IamCurious...
If you tested positive for C. diff, you need to treat it. Vancomycin is actually tolerated better because it is poorly absorbed by the body so does its work in the gut to rid the C. diff. I had...
I has an ileostomy in July while still on Stelera. I had a 6" incision and 4 incisions of 1" each all on the abdomen. All healed without issue and in normal time according to the surgeon and ostomy...
Seems I have an answer. Consulted with the surgeon's office and after much discussion, it was suggested I not sleep on my stoma side. In my case, that's the right side. I am a side sleeper so this...
Had a surprise ileostomy 6 weeks ago. Was scheduled for a sigmoidectomy for diverticulitis. Multiple problems when they got in there necessitating a temporary ileo. I'm dealing it with okay for the...
NSSG, thanks for asking! Generally, I am doing well with some major annoyances Saw the surgeon last Friday and the goal is for the reversal to happen around or on Halloween. Prior to the surgery I...
My apologies to Heena, the originator of this thread, for the hijacking of your thread by those that wish to argue alternative therapies. In light of no additional posts from those with SCD...
Many years ago I had to stop Remicade because my joint and muscle pain went through the roof. Turns out I was developing drug induced lupus. I have been on Stelera for a year and my CD is in...
Last night was not the most fun. I had some abdominal cramping, nothing too severe UNTIL the moment I laid down in bed. Was hit with a vomit inducing pain. Nothing like vomiting feces. I then...
I have been on Stelera for over a year. I have always bruised easily but never had issues with other biologic injections. Now on occasion I will get a significant bruise at my Stelera injection site....
Thanks for the well wishes everyone! My surgeon told me she doesn't want me to get comfortable with this ileostomy. So I hang on to that thought that hopefully sometime in October, I get reversed. In...
Hello All! Back in March, I told you all about my diverticulitis vs. CD flare in the sigmoid colon. After a flex-sig, the GI said definitely a big, complicated diverticulum that had become infected....
Thanks everyone for the good thoughts and shared experiences! Randy, no suggestion to try and open it up by stretching because of the very large diverticulum that keeps getting infected. I have been...
Some of you might recall I posted a couple months ago about my inflamed and infected diverticulum. Had a repeat CT scan that showed marked improvement, the inflammation was gone but "some" thickening...
Also, have you consulted with a rheumatologist to assess your joint pain? You might have another arthritic type condition associated with Crohn's. I was extremely disabled by ankylosing spondylitis...
Weight gain has been reported for all the biologics. There are several theories. One is that the small bowel/intestine is better able to absorb nutrients because of improved health of the...
If you have someone to be with you 24/7, then it might work to do both. I had surgery on two different fingers, 6 months apart. Each was on a different hand. I did not plan well, and only realized I...
I have taken a variety of biologics. Remicade was first and I developed anti-dsDNA antibodies and needed to stop after almost three years. Then went to Humira and after only 2.5 months, I developed a...
The test done by Prometheus tests for antibodies to Remicade's make-up. The ANA and anti-dsDNA tests are totally different. You can have no Remicade antibodies, but have the anti-dsDNA which cause...
Your joint pain is a result of the drug-induced lupus. I developed DILE after 2.5 years on Remicade. I had a positive ANA and high levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies. I was immediately switched to...
Please, let's keep this civil. Thank you for doing so....
I began Stelera almost a year ago. Since that time I have had noticeable thinning of my hair and very slow growth in some areas. I spoke to my rheumy about it and she said I am not the first one to...
Welcome to Healing Well! I developed DILE after first taking Remicade for almost 3 years and then Humira for 2.5 months. I had developed anti-dsDNA antibodies while on Remicade and then the...
I had a reaction to Humira exactly as you described with Remicade. I had been on Remicade for 3 years, then switched to Humira. Had the reaction at 2.5 months. It was awful....
Had a flex-sigmoidoscopy yesterday. I have 10 cm in my sigmoid colon that the GI could barely get the scope through. Bad stricture. He said he had to push really hard. I also have severe...
Recto-sigmoid segment of colon severely inflamed. Dr was amazed anything could get through. Wanted to admit me but talked my way into coming home. IV and oral steroids have me so shaky it's hard to...
Tomorrow is B-day. I am waiting for my daughter to come drive me to the ER. I either have a stricture, large mass, or I swallowed a tennis ball in my sleep. Have finally given up eating and GI's...
I have both CD and Ankylosing Spondylitis. At the time I was placed on Remicade, it was because the AS was so severe that I had to use a walker or wheelchair. I went from being totally able to in 3...