Skip to main content

Reply to "Is this Pouchitis?"

Hi Peter!

Having a j-pouch is much like anything else in life. It is all great, until it isn’t. I also had a good long run of very good pouch function. Then came pouchitis, that evolved into chronic pouchitis. I kept things under control by rotating antibiotics: flagyl-cipro-xifaxin, but my GI was not keen on using antibiotics full time, even on a rotating basis. This was when I started Remicade infusions with oral Imuran. Believe it or not, it has worked! That was more than 5 years ago, I think, and I have since switched to the biosimilar Inflectra.

I did not expect it to work, since I had already been on other biologics for years. Yes, it is a hassle going in for infusions every 6 weeks, but it beats having chronic pouchitis! 

So, maybe it is time to discuss this approach with your GI. As long as you do not have Medicare, there is patient assistance that covers your copay (not dependent on your income). So do not let the cost stop your treatment.

Jan

Copyright © 2019 The J-Pouch Group. All rights reserved.
×
×
×
×