Hello, Old Friend

Last evening, I had my first (well, third, but we'll get to that) infusion of the drug Remicade. The wonderful Mayo docs feel that this may be a key step in finally getting whatever disease process this is fully under control. Wikipedia says:

Remicade works by blocking tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). TNFα is a chemical messenger (cytokine) and a key part of the autoimmune reaction. Remicade blocks the action of TNFα by preventing it from binding to its receptor in the cell. Remicade is an artificial antibody.

This drug, and ones similar to it, are used to keep a range of autoimmune type diseases under control. I first had infusions of Remicade 2 years ago at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; however, at that time, I was just way too far gone for any medical remission. Because of my prior trial of Remicade, my current one has a measure of uncertainty: people who use Remicade and then stop usage are often unable to return to the drug because the body may build up antibodies to the drug itself, causing allergic reaction. So, basically, we had infusion fun last night with lots of benedryl, eppe pin, tylenol, and prednisone sitting nearby (and one very nervous on-call resident hovering around way more than usual), but so far no drama.

There is a possibility of a delayed reaction in the next couple days, but no accute reaction is a good sign :) So, with Remicade looking good, me eatin' real food (so funny what you get congratulated for in a hospital - "Wow, you ate that whole bagel. And you took 5 walks down the hall today!" I mean, it's comical really), I am looking at a Sunday or Monday release back into civilization. Thanks as always for your support - Mary