Remicade, Crohn's, and Christmas

On Dec. 5th 2015 I had my first Remicade infusion.  Thus beginning my long journey into the life of remicade infusions and hospital visits every 4 to 8 weeks for the rest of my life or until the remicade stops working.  And it also is the beginning of my journey into insurmountable medical debt due to the remicade infusions costing me over 1,100.00 every time i have an infusion and I can't get any help from the remicade discount plan because I am a medicare patient and I also can't get any help through a medical grant because my husband and I make too much money. So the only option we are looking at is to apply for medical bankruptcy in the next couple of years.  Because the remicade alone not including all my other thousands of dollars in medical debt will be in just one year over 13,000 dollars!!! We are too rich to be poor but we are too poor to be rich.  We are the middle class in America.

Jeremy and I in our Very First Remicade Selfie and Me in my purple (Crohn's Awareness) Santa Hat

 The Crohn's Disease continues to ravage my body and the first infusion has not shown any signs of relieving my pain and suffering.  I am in continuous pain in my intestines, stomach and now joints and bones due to the recent Crohn's induced arthritis that has decided to ravage my body as well.  Many days I fight just to walk across the hall to the bathroom and literally have to will myself and tell myself to get up and do a little bit of house work ever day so I don't get behind on it and the chores start piling up.  

In the face of all this, I have chosen to enjoy the Christmas holiday and make the best of it. Jeremy and I have baked lots of cookies and handed them out to our neighbors, and family.  mailed out and handed out lots of Christmas cards, and when I am too sick to do anything I have started working on 2016's Smitten Mitten expedition's items with the yarn that has been donated. 

The Caverley 2015 Christmas Tree

I go back to see my GI doctor on Jan. 5th and I'm not sure how that is going to go, and then I am suppose to also have my next Remicade infusion that week also.  Just taking deep breaths and reminding myself to breathe and let it all go because I have no control over all this.  Only God does and He is better at this stuff than i am.