In August, I started low-dose chemotherapy to treat my Crohn’s Disease; and though it is exhausting, it is going well.
I was nervous about today’s infusion because I have difficult veins to find and I was pretty sick a couple of weeks ago. Plus, I had a low-grade fever today, so I was worried they’d say I wasn’t well enough for the appointment. The drugs knock out my immune system, which helps with my Crohn’s symptoms, but also means something simple like a cold can escalate quickly.
Today’s #OneGoodThing was completing my 5th round of Crohn’s chemo. Special thanks to my friend and faithful chemo buddy, Kelley, for driving me and helping me!
Day 10 of 365. And Day 741 in a row (here’s the first 366 & the following 365)!
1 year ago today: Fresh scones with lemon curd
2 years ago today: The glory of being pinned down by the dog
4 years ago today: Recycling Resolutions — it’s about finding the joy
What was your #OneGoodThing today? Please share in the comments!
Praying for the chemo to work quickly and effectively!
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Thank you Lys! My GI doc is hoping I might be able to stop the chemo in a year. That’s miraculous news as some Crohn’s patients are on this chemo for life.
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Hi! I didn’t know you had crohn’s. My mom has it too. I’ve not heard of using chemo to treat it. Good luck to you. I wish you all the best.
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Thanks Sarah! My Crohn’s treatment began with handfuls of pills but it still didn’t cut it. It was like having food poisoning and stomach flu and hangover all at once and around the clock day after day! Absolutely miserable! So my GI doc put me on this low dose chemo, which is helping but hasn’t cleared up my flare completely. It is common among Crohn’s patients and will hopefully help me avoid any terrible surgeries! I hope your mom is doing well. This disease is awful! Sending you big hugs Sarah!!!
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Keep smiling 😺
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Thanks Rob!!!
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I’ve had Crohn’s for 35 years and have never heard of it being treated with Chemo. I’ll be watching your posts as I am curious about this.
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Hi Jim and welcome to my blog. I’m sorry to hear you’ve been suffering from Crohn’s for so long. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of this type of treatment before, because it isn’t new. It is called Remicade and it is a TNF (tumor necrosis factor) blocker initially designed as a chemotherapy drug to treat cancer. It wasn’t effective against cancer, but it is used to treat autoimmune disease like Crohn’s. Remicade is an immunosuppressive drug given by IV at the hospital. It is known as a biologic because it blocks certain proteins created by the immune system. It is only one of several chemotherapy options used to treat moderate to severe Crohn’s Disease. Here is an article I found that explains a few of the options: https://www.healthline.com/health/crohns-disease/6-mp-remicade-methotrexate#1
I hope you’re able to find some relief, Jim.
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I guess I didn’t realize that Remicade was considered a Chemo drug. I was on it for several years with great success and then had an allergic reaction and had to get off it. Humira has been my go-to drug for the last 10 years or so and has been a God-send. 🙂
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