Remicade Tweetment - The hits keep coming

Posted by iKan2

Unless my laboratories worsen or a study turns up something more malignant, I'll keep getting Remicade infusions every weeks. I guess that's the pessimistic perspective, maybe the labs will improve, my symptoms better, and we'll be able to move to less powerful drugs to treat my Crohn's.

To set this stage, as I receive the infusion, I tweeted from my cell phone the experience.  This post recollects the posts in chronological order. Remember that each post has to be less than 140 characters, actually even less so now, because I try to include the #tweement hashtag.

Here we go again. Back again in the clinic for a Remicade treatment. I know it's helping, but I have to admit it's getting old.
All wired and tubed up. Pre-meds are on the way, soon to be followed by the real deal, Remicade.
Listening o Dr. Denis Leary "Why we suck" - Totally guaranteed to heal you of anything that ails you.
Second batch pf premeds on tap, getting a little buzz, but it also could be trying to fight off roaring out loud at Dr. Leary.
And so it goes, drip, drip. drip. Beep, beep, beep. As I lay here, as close to being in chemo-therapy as I ever hope to be.
Must be drawing some strange looks as I laugh out loud to Dr. Leary's description of what guys think about.
And blah, blah, blah. More dripping, waiting for them to start the Remicade, they haven't brought over the IV pump.
The nurses are running slow, the dripping has stopped. They should be hanging the next bag of whatever.
Well the nurse brought the pump, "low battery," fail. Still stuck, oh great. I'm so glad this is taking longer. Just great.
Finally, they found a working pump and the Remicade has started. Now two hours of dripping. Getting that funny taste in my mouth.
As the Remicade pumps into my arm, it's cold. It chills my soul, I usually get drowsy at some point in this process, but no luck.
Feeling a bit sleepy. Am I being affected by the drugs or am I just getting bored.
Either I'm becoming more tolerant to Remicade, the nurses forgot something, or the pharmacy got the meds wrong, because I'm still awake.
As usually happens with the introduction of so much extra liquid into my blood, my bladder is filling.
Still got that funny taste in my mouth, but I've only gotten a little drowsy. I wonder if this is the way it's going to be now?
Nurse just stopped by to check the pump, he tells me that I've still got another hour. So I adjusted my bed to sit up.
Finally finished "Why we suck." Totally hilarious! Started something more heady, Joseph Campbell's "The hero with a 1,000 faces"
I used to awake with a full bladder, however now I notice it slowly filling.
Looking up at the bag of magic elixir, I notice that it's just about finished. The pump should start beeping at any moment.
Here it comes....BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. The IV pump sounds it's alarm.
Just need to disconnect the vital monitoring, did it myself. Then I head straight to the bathroom to relieve my bladder.
Now I have to eat the obligatory, driest sandwiches in the world.
I choke down the sandwich by dipping it into the juice they give you with the snack.
Well, good to go for eight more weeks. I hope this makes me feel as good as I did at the beginning of the year. That leaves me with four more treatments. I intend on eventually illustrated one of these treatments. I've captured some images, and if as I eluded, if I'm not going to crash out during the process, then I think I'd like to do a like illustrated tweetment using 1 minute sketches.