Just got very first Remicade, worried about results

All-

Just received my very first Remicade infusion this past Friday morning. Have been in the worst shape I've been in the last few weeks since diagnosis in October of last year. Frequency is 15-18x/day (includes 3-4x thru the night), blood and mucous every time (unless the blood dries up after too many bathroom visits in a short period of time), lots of pain and spasming. Meds: finished my Pred taper down to zero the day I started the Remicade, per doctor's recommendation (and the Pred never did anything for me, nor did I have any withdrawal issues). Switched from 4.8g Asacol to 2.4g Lialda last week to see if there would be any difference (and there wasn't).

Saturday morning (and mornings are always the worst), blood was a little less, but still plentiful. Pain/spasming was a little less, but still plentiful (both probably a 9 out of 10 where it was 10 out of 10 before). The rest of the day was the same (it's easier to tell smaller differences in the morning when things are much worse). Since then, now going on the 3rd day since the infusion, it's been the same- frequency, urgency, and mornings 9/10.

Questions for the Remicade folks- do you see continuing improvement after an infusion? Or does your condition peak after the infusion, and then a slow decline until the next one? Haven't spoken to my doc yet, and if this affects whether I can get the next infusion sooner...

Thanks!

I am on remicade too and I responded right away but I have seen others who responded right away and then it stopped working and some where it is working great. I did bleed on sat am and my next infusion is this thursday.

I have seen others post that responded slowly and it worked great after a while and some who didin't.

It is maddening trying to figure this out!! My first time on pred it took two months for it to help me.

Maybe it's that your flare has been so bad that it is just taking a while to heal (my flare was not as bad as yours) and that is why they have 'loading doses' too, to get your body more of the drug early. At leat it is not getting worse and slightly better is still good.

Easy for me to say all this, I know (I have been a wreck lately). I just try to take it one day at a time. Just keep livin....

I felt better after the loading doses (the first three infusions) and my doctor told me that is about when most people feel better. I wouldn't be concerned that you haven't seen much in the way of results yet. If you have been flaring for a while it will take time for the lining of you colon to heal.

It helps so much just to get the support from the people here. Even if it's just to hear what we already know ; )

Take care and keep us posted!