Information on Remicade

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Hi everyone,
My dad is 56 years old and for years has had ulcerative colitis, he feels a lot of it is related to stress, but also feels like no matter what it isn't going to get any better, I'm not sure what treatment hes had for it, but hes said that nothing seems to be working. Hes looking at trying Remicade. Hes made an appointment for next week to have his first session. Hes read a lot on it and knows the potential side effects it can cause, minor ones to the major ones. I guess he feels like hes willing to take the risk if it means getting better and having a good quality of life once again. I'm not sure how I feel about it, on one hand I want him to get better, and if it means trying this then go for it! But on the other hand, I'm 21 and I have a little sister who is 13, it breaks my heart thinking if something goes wrong and he gets major side effects, we may no longer have a dad or he'll be suffering more than he already is.:eek: Any information on the treatment and for those who have tried it, please share! Has it helped you? Have you had any side effects? I appreciate it! :wave:
OobiemoObie
 
With any medication they have to report any potential risks, big or small, even though the people who got the worst 'side effects' are likely those who were elderly and with multiple other health conditions going on.

Look at all the potential side effects for Advil, for example. Millions take it, and how many people do you know that have had seizures or decreased hearing from it?

With medications each person acts differently to them so you have to keep trying till you find the one that works. If this medication works, his quality of life can greatly improve, and your dad is young and has many years left. Keep your focus on that. He almost certainly hides from you how much his condition really affects him. If your concerns remain about possible side effects, talk to the doc about it, and see what he says, though he likely feels the pros outweigh the cons if he is ready to prescribe it. But family view is important and there are many medication options nowadays if your family isn't comfortable with this one. Best of luck.
 
Thanks, and I do believe you are right. I'm talked to friends and have had more time to think about it and I do feel that I need to be supportive and hope that things work out for the better... I'll hopefully get a chance to talk to him before he goes in and make sure this is the best option for now. Like I said I don't know what else hes tried, so maybe getting a better understanding of what he's been through will help me feel better about why he needs to do this. He is going through some stress and I hope he can allow himself to relax and focus on getting better...
 
Remicade does not cure the problem, and making your dad feel better for a few days may not be worth the procedure in the long term. I am a strong proponent of long term
lifestyle changes on all issues, diet, exercises, smoking, drinking, etc. I suggest that your dad start a research himself by keeping a calendar and write what he eats each day, and record down the how those meals affected him the next day. At the end of the month, he should cross out from the calendar the meals that gave him more discomfort, and eat only meals that didn't cause much discomfort. The screening of
foods should include salt, spices, lactose, alcohol. etc. I believe that within 3 months
he should be able -with your help- to zero in on a new diet that may reduce his symptoms as much as Remicade without a chemical war on his intestines. And if that diet screening effort doesn't work, he then can try any last resort therapy.
P.S. My brother had his colon removed for ulcerative colitis. But he couldn't have any meal -lunch or dinner- without french fries - even after being warned by his doctors.
And that makes me a believer that diet modification is important for UC sufferers.
 
Yeah I understand what you are saying. He's had this for years so my dad does have a fairly strict diet anyway, he eats healthy, doesn't drink or smoke, he plays tennis and runs every week. I think from what I understand, it seems that stress has been whats made it bad overall. Hes in a situation right now where he feels the stress isn't going to go away right now, so I think he feels remicade will help in the meantime and maybe even help him with his stress. I don't know. He said if he doesn't feel better by the 3rd treatment he'll stop.
 
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