All things related to Biological drugs – Humira, Infliximab and Vedolizumab
A year in the making. Last year, my September was tough. It was a positive consequence of my August and the decisions myself and my IBD team made to get me well again. A quick recap – View this post on Instagram #throwbacktuesday 🙈🙊 • • • This time last year I was one month post op from my subtotal…
Tonight I hosted the #IBDHour chat on Biological Treatments. In the last six years since I was diagnosed, I have found that I respond best to biological medications; which have given me good quality of life (QoL) and the ability to be closely monitored and managed by my IBD teams. In this post, I’ll answer – at length, because 240…
When I feel ill last summer, I was given the opportunity to start Vedolizumab again. For the third time. At the time, I was given a ‘that speech’ about the risks and benefits of this medication and what it could do to me. You get this every time you start something new, it is a doctor’s prerogative to explain your…
Have you ever wanted to just get through something, so you can start to feel better? That’s how I’ve felt about this pending infusion. I’m not one to rush through something, to just reach the end and say it’s over and done with, I appreciate my struggle and woes as much as I appreciate and celebrate my highs and all…
Today has been bittersweet. I feel like I’ve said that a lot, but the excitement of actually getting back into this whole ‘back on biological medication’ routine has taken over the fact that this was my last outpatient appointment at my hospital. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I relocated at the start of the…
You always want to believe your consultant when they say “maybe we’ll be able to go a couple of years without any medications or big issues“. You believe because that is the sort of IBD dream isn’t it; managing without medical intervention? It was for me, back in June at my last appointment; full of confused optimism. Fast forward not…
I have questions. So. Many Questions. 1. How do you determine if surgery has succeeded? 2. How do you measure ‘remission’? 3. Can you actually achieve it? 4. Do I want to be medication free? I hope these all seem logical, or at least follow on from each other. Maybe the additional, and probably first question should be Why am…
I received correspondence from my GI yesterday, following my clinic appointment with him last Tuesday. It made for an interesting read: “I am sorry you came to separate surgeries, initially an extended right hemicolectomy and then a subtotal colectomy. We have still got you on Vedolizumab and I am not a hundred percent sure this is the right choice for you…