Crohn's Chronicles :: 4-Week Infusions

I last mentioned in January that my doctor was increasing my Entyvio infusions from every 8 weeks to every 4 weeks. I was going to be due to hit that 4-week mark pretty soon after my appointment with him, but he said it could take an extra week to get on the schedule. Sure, no big deal.

I am not a super patient person, and I am even less patient when I don't feel well. So it was a huge struggle for me when I spent weeks trying to get on the schedule. I had a hard time getting anyone to call me back, and when I did actually speak with someone, we got disconnected, and I never got a call back. It was the most bizarre and frustrating thing. After many more attempts, I finally learned {from my nurse, not the infusion center} that they were waiting on insurance to approve the increased infusions. So I had to spend the time getting through to insurance to figure out the hold up, only to learn that they had already approved it. More phone calls and messages and waiting...and I was finally able to talk with someone to schedule my "4-week" infusion. A whole 4 days before my regularly scheduled 8-week infusion. Sigh.

I decided to keep my 8-week appointment {I mean, what's 4 days when you have waited 5 weeks?}, and then just schedule my 4 week infusions from there. We had snow and ice the day before my appointment, and I was worried that they would cancel, since they had closed the infusion center for weather earlier in the week. So when I made it through the snow and ice, and they hooked me up to my infusion, I nearly cried. I was just so grateful that I had finally made it to this long-awaited treatment!

So since I didn't start receiving more medicine any sooner, I won't start to see any difference until after my next treatment {hopefully}. But that will be in 4 weeks, and I have started the cycle to get more medicine. So I'm one step closer. It took a long time to get here, and it was full of frustration and prolonged sickness. But I am thankful that we're heading in the right direction. Now I'm just praying that this is, in fact, the right medicine for me, and that the increased infusions will induce remission. Please, Lord.