Flare-up again

[Guest guest]

Need to vent. Sorry. I have been fighting a flare-up for 1 month and

it finally got me. 10 days ago my right vocal cord became paralyzed

again. Last time was in 2004 and it lasted 6 months. Couldn't speak a

sound or swallow solid food. Before this flare-up I was doing very

well on Remicade. Down to 11 mg every other day of prednisone. I am

also on Imuran. Then My throat failed. I had felt cranial neuropathy

symptoms creeping up for several weeks but didn't want to go up on the

pred. unless I had too. A few days ago my internist told me it was

time to go up. Afraid of aspiration pneumonia as a nasty complication

to this problem. Not worth the risk. So now I am back on 40 mg daily

for a few days then the damned taper schedule AGAIN. Hard not to get

mad even though I've been told this is the way this disease works,

even if the Remicade is working I can still gets flares. Is there any

alternative to prednisone for quick help with symptoms? Makes me

jumpy, edgy, an insomiac as well as all the other complications it causes.

During my infusion there was an air bubble in tubing. Because I have a

port-a-cath the nurse had to " dump " some of my Remicade into the

garbage. I wonder if this helped the falre-up along. How sensitive are

the doses?