My First Remicade Infusion: What to Expect

After fighting my insurance for what seemed like ages to switch to a new biologic after Cimzia became ineffective, I finally was able to have my first infusion of the Remicade biosimilar Avsola. My previous medication was a self injection, so switching to an infusion was something new to me and I wasn't sure what to expect.

This is what I wish I knew before getting to the first appointment.

What Should I Bring?

Don't get me wrong, I love my rhuematologist. But sometimes the smaller details slip through the cracks. Healthcare workers are very overworked so I can't say I blame them. This is what I wish I knew to bring.

Bring Comfy Clothes

Personal opinion, but when I have medical procedures done (imaging, infusions, injectsions, etc) I like to be as comfy as possible. What they may not tell you is that the saline they use to administer the medications can make you feel pretty chilly during the infusion. If your infusion clinic doesn't provide blankets, bring your own! Cozy in, because you're there for (at minimum) two hours.

Bring Snacks

This will obviously depend on the practice or infusion clinic where you recieve your treatment, but if they permit, bring something to eat and drink. Infusions tend to take awhile, especially in the beginning. In my case, I arrived at my Rheumatologist's office at 9am and didn't leave until 12:15pm.

If you're anything like me, and mornings aren't your strong suit, it would have been helpful to know that instead of almost arriving late because I was trying to eat, I could have picked something up on the way there and munched while recieving the medication.

Bring Something To Do

Like previously mentioned, you may be there for awhile. I've read about some infusions taking up to 5 hours.

Bring something to do. For me, I tried to treat the entire day as a self care day. I brought my iPad to watch TV/Movies on (catching up on Last of Us), as well as my laptop to catch up on some personal items. I will say, I felt a little bit sleepy during the infusion, so I am not sure I would have tried to do anything related to my job during the process.

Maybe, Bring a Ride?

Some clinics adminsiter infusions alongside benadryl and steroids, the former having the capability to cause extreme fatigue. Ask beforehand if they use this practice, and plan accordingly if it seems you may be unable to safely drive.

What Should I Know?

Reactions do happen, but not at the rate the internet may lead you to believe. Going into this appointment I was extremely anxious about the psuedo-aphlaxis that sometimes happens during treatment. They let you know all the possible warning signs, and in my clinic they gave you a bell to ring in case you started to feel anything. All of this made my anxiety even worse, but after talking to another women recieving Remicade, she told me she had been getting infusions for 14 years and had only seen someone else have a reaction one time.

So yes, it is important to stay aware and intune with how your body is feeling, because if a reaction does happen you want to stop it before it gets really bad. But, it is unlikely. You have to take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt because you are way more likely to hear about all the bad things and things that go wrong, rather than the good. The internet age is the era of sensationalization.

Conclusions

If you have any concern whatsoever, reach out to your doctor or infusion clinic. They will let you know exactly what to expect, and help navigate the complexity that is treating autoimmune diseases with infusions.