Finally Joining - no longer a stalker!

I was diagnosed with Chrons disease in October, 2010 after 2 months of diarrhea and weight loss (short lived loss). My doctor prescribed Lialda, an antibiotic and Prednisone. I've remained on Lialda the entire time but tapered off the Prednisone after a couple of months. It took me a while to get back to "normal" but I believe it did happen and remained fairly uneventful until this past December, 2011 when I began to flare again. Once again, I started on the Prednisone 40mg along with the Lialda (4 tablets this time rather than 2). I began a taper after 1 week - which in hindsight was probably not a good idea. Anyway, after tapering down to 20 mg I began to experience blood in my stool daily. This has continued since mid January. We've gone back up to 40 mg on Prednisone, antibiotics and of course the Lialda. My GI now believes I need to be on Remicade and it looks like I begin that journey on Monday, 2/27/2012. I've researched this medicine and the side effects etc and find it alarming, overwhelming and downright scary. There are many posts on the 'Remicade Club' thread that have helped calm my fears a great deal. I have found this forum to be most helpful and informative and at times humorous! I've read the posts daily and have followed many of your journeys with interest. I believe this to be a caring group of people and I'm finally jumping in to be a member. I look forward to learning more about this disease with each of you and one of these days perhaps a cure!! Thank you all for being willing to share your experiences. It has made the diagnosis and first year living with Chron's much easier for me.

Greetings and a most sincere of welcome's to you! I'm so glad you finally joined I'm sorry you're having troubles but pray that the Remicade will get you sorted quickly.

I look forward to seeing you around the community and yes, here's to finding a cure!

All my best to you.

Hello and :welcome: to the forum, I am chuffed that you have joined us and have already been able to gain some comfort from the information here I will keep my fingers crossed that the Remi does the job for you so you can get off the nasty Pred, out of interest your doc has sorted a calcium supplement whilst you are on this haven't they?

Wishing you well hun, keep us updated on how things go.

Welcome!! I would ask your doc about entocort, it is more localized than predisone.

Thanks

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the welcome.

@angrYbird, to answer your question about calcium I am not on any supplements for calcium but do take vitamin D due to a defiency. I think it is 50,000 iu one time per week.

My first infusion was today and it was thankfully uneventful. I was a nervous wreck when I got there for fear of the unknown. But that fear was unfounded. Here is to a successful prednisone taper and hopefully it will be gone soon!