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Reply to "Skip Remicaide or Risk going to the Hospital?"

Just had my infusion this past Friday. I was instructed by my GI that the risk/benefit analysis easily gravitates in favor of continuing with your scheduled Remicade infusion and not risking development of antibodies, as once that happens you are done with Remicade as a treatment. My infusion center adapted and has put patients in individual, private patient rooms, and only have 2 patients in the big infusion room at a time on opposite sides of the room.  I got my choice of 2 private individual rooms. They don't have much staff there outside of the individual Remicade nurse. So it was like getting it at home. My nurse wore gloves and a mask and took my temperature and blood pressure more than usual. My temperature ran consistently between 96.6 and 97.1 and my BP was also good, between 130 and 135 over 80 to 85 pretty consistently. 

You will be asked if you have any upper respiratory symptoms and your temperature taken when you walk in the door, and if you fail those tests your infusion will be delayed. I had viral pneumonia last year (April 2019), perhaps another one of the corona viruses, and they wouldn't infuse me until I was 14 days past symptoms. So it was delayed 21 days total but I am on a 6 week cycle so it wasn't too bad. I was not any worse for it except for the chronic dry cough which I still have.

To those of you who get infused in a gastroenterology office, they aren't doing colonoscopies and pouchscopies any more, so their only business now is infusions and they are adapting to provide patients with a safe infusion experience. Hence they only had a few admin people and the Remicade nurse. I overheard one girl calling patients and scheduling "televisits", which is where it's all headed now through various telehealth apps. 

Here in Connecticut, I was told that Yale's infusion center may be converted into another use due to Covid-19 and the facility at 800 Post Road in Guilford will become a massive infusion center servicing all of Connecticut. The Guilford facility is where I usually go anyway, and I am fortunate to live not too far away. 

Last edited by CTBarrister
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