If you had to spend every day wondering when the bottom would drop out of remission, then I’m very happy for you that you are feeling a solid “better.” If there were some way to expect a lengthy remission, I could see why you’d want to get there. But I’ll take “better” for you and for my mom any day.

Love you!

As you may remember, I was going to my first infusion yesterday with no little trepidation. I went to the Portland VA’s infusion clinic. It is sparse on decor, but we are talking a Veteran’s Medical center.

Sparse, but with a great staff. All in all I was there for four hours. The infusion itself took about two hours. A half hour on either side of the infusion was dedicated to premedication with Acetameniphen and diphenhydramine, and a waiting period afterwards to make sure that there was no allergic reaction coming along. The rest of the time was waiting for the pharmacy, always incredibly slow in VA’s, to get the infusion mixed and delivered to the clinic.

We did have reclining, comfortable chairs to sit it. There was constant monitoring of my vitals and my opinion of any discomfort. The nurses there are just first rate, and friendly. They allowed my wife to sit with me. We played games, read, and even shared a light meal. I also have to give my wife a lot of credit for staying by me even though she hates the site of needles and blood. Of course, the nurses immediately fixed me up with a shunt in my hand, drew blood, and otherwise made us feel at ease.

All in all, my worrying came to naught, and the experience was quite tolerable. I felt a bit tired afterwards, and I went to bed earlier than usual. And even though it has only been a day, I am feeling less pain. Especially, upon waking, but also during the day today.

I, personally, feel better about my status as a person with AS. Something is finally working. Now if we can just keep this up, I will be profoundly gratified.

I am also a bit atrophied from my diseases, but there is light at the end of the tunnel for the first time in a long time. Anxious to hear how your ointment went with the Rheumatologist….

I’m so glad to hear you’re feeling better, regardless of what the technical term for it may be. I hope you continue to feel good!

The remission ended when I developed a lumpy pannus on my right wrist. It was, for the most part painless, and when it happened I didn’t associate it with RA. So I was surprised when it was diagnosed. I ended up having surgery on that wrist to remove it (the lumpy stuff) before it could impair the mobility of that hand and wrist. Not long after that, I started having RA pain in both hands. That brought me back to seeing a rheumatologist and taking meds. That was almost three years ago.

My RA is under far better control now than it was when I was first diagnosed. I haven’t suffered a terribly severe flare in any joint for a long time. My hands twinge and ache almost daily, though, even though my rheumy tells me my bloods are great. So what IS remission? I think that, like the disease itself, depends upon the individual patient. This disease is so incredibly variable!

I’m SO glad to hear that you’re feeling so much better, though. I hope it continues — and improves — for a long time to come. I’ve learned that the best way to deal with RA is to take it a day at a time, and to do the best you can with each day. Enjoy the good days, keep taking those meds, and keep your outlook positive. I believe that we who have RA are fortunate in that we DO have good days.

Best wishes for you. You’re in my thoughts, RD.

Years ago I was in what my rheumatologist considered “remission”. I was still on drugs but we were reducing. I had more good days than not. I don’t know if you have to be in that state for a certain amount of time for it to be considered “remission”.

Please keep us updated.

I’m glad things are looking up for you. It gives the rest of us hope.

What is your remicade dosage? My doc just increased me to 500ml (I think). She said I WAS at the lowest dosage at 300ml. I’m guessing based on that that you are at 700ml? I always try to compare to see what’s out there. Thanks!

I will report to their out-patient clinic. I will report how this all goes once it is done. I really wanted to just say Hi for now, and tell you how good it is to hear that things can go well with Remicade. I am a bit skeptical and even scared at this new turn in my treatment regime. This will be an interesting experience.