Update

I had the previously mentioned appointment with my GI today to tell him that the last infusion didn't do shit and that I am ready for Humira.

I feel good about what transpired despite still feeling blah.  The insurance approval will be done a lot sooner than I expected because I've already been on an Anti-TNF for so long.  They are thinking by next week the nurse will come to my house and show me how to administer the drug.  If I can convince her that I feel comfortable injecting myself, I'll be left alone to give myself the shots every other week.  They gave me A LOT of reading material, dvds, practice needles, ice packs, etc... I'm pretty comfortable and confident in this next step.

I also politely asked my doctor if he happened to prescribe a drug called Lomotil to his patients.  He looked at me like I was crazy for even hesitating to ask.  As much as I LOVED my doctor in Maryland, they were very much "old school" there.  I definitely understand their viewpoints but for the 3 years I saw doctors at the University of Maryland, they were very hesitant to prescribe this drug for me even though it helped me in the past.  The drug is basically like imodium, but on crack.  It slows up my digestion and helps with my spasms.  It does have a narcotic in it.  I think that's why some doctors don't like giving it out.  But if I just take ONE of those bad boys before bed I drift off into a nice sleep, usually making it through the night without waking up.  I once took ONE pill at a baseball game in Detroit and fell asleep in the stands.  Me?  Falling asleep at a baseball game?  That should give you an idea of how powerful the "may cause dizziness and drowsiness" part is.

The good news in all of this is that for the week after I received Remicade, I did feel slight improvement.  My doctor says this is a good sign because it shows I still react to the medicine before the antibodies get to it.  He got into a lot of talk about long term stuff.  Like what the next step would be if I don't respond well to Humira but I really don't want to think about that now. 

I'm just trying to stay hopeful that I respond quickly and positively to Humira.  I shall update after my first day!