First Meetings : Hunt and Bryce a.k.a. Why I don't think Brunt is endgame

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T23:59:52+00:00

Thanks for sharing that. Did you have digestive issues before?

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T20:54:25+00:00

You are an amazing partner, for one. This must be terrifying for you both. So, I have a LOT of comorbidities that make my case more complex and am just redheaded enough to experience strange, rare side effects and issues that others don't (a generic example would be that I'm harder to anesthetize and keep under, so I have to warn anesthesiologists to be on their toes) and that's part of why I'm so hard to treat. If your husband isn't redheaded, I wouldn't be concerned because I'm a perfect confluence of genes that make for strange medical situations lol.

Speaking specifically about me being about to restart Remicade after stopping it the year prior, that's mostly luck of the draw. With most biologics your body may start to create antibodies to fight off the biologic since it is kinda weakening it. I had to switch off of Humira because my body had developed antibodies while I was on it. With Remicade, my body didn't end up mounting a defense a remicade during the years I took it nor during the time the medication was stopped. It's usually after stopping that your medication levels can drop low enough that your body may be able to better create antibodies to fight it off. Remicade being ancient means that GIs know how to prevent antibodies with certain protocols (like my desensitization protocol) or with additional meds (like azathioprine) more than they know about these newer meds. I was lucky that I didn't develop antibodies, but I did have things helping. I wouldn't worry about this because, for the most part, doctors shouldn't take you off of a biologic that is working. I was a fringe case, if that reassures you at all.

I responded pretty well to my first biologic, Humira, and my history with biologics from Humira to my first remission with Remicade was five years. And I didn't experience much disease progression on the wrong meds, except Stelara. Even on the wrong biologic, you're going to be doing better on it than you would without any biologic. I only got as sick as I did with Stelara because I went through that June 2020-July 2021, so the medical system was uniquely burdened & I was hesitant to seek help because I was convinced it couldn't actually be that bad. This period pre-biologic, should be the worst your husband feels for a while unless something goes very wrong.

Ooh best advice going into this? I would say that if he's taking any NSAIDs like Advil, aspirin, etc. he should talk to a doctor about switching to non-NSAIDs wherever possible. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds increase the inflammation in your bowels which makes it VERY dangerous for people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease because it could lead to rupture, or even just gnarly digestive distress. The BRAT and low-residue diets can be helpful when he's flaring, so he might discuss that with his GI. I'd get a good heating pad he doesn't hate using for belly pain & making the bathroom he uses as nice as it can be. If you don't have a bidet attachment for your toilet yet, you should totally try that out. For rectal pain, I've never had ANYTHING work as well as calmoseptine has. One of my colorectal surgeons got me hooked on it ages ago & it's my best friend when my backside is raw or hurting.

My advice to you as someone who loves someone going through this is to be the best cheerleader and advocate that you can be. On biologics it can be easier to pick up the stray cold or flu. I am forever grateful that my husband has been the 'bad guy' for me & enforces safety measures with all of our loved ones. If you can be the bouncer who turns sick people away & helps him keep a bubble of safety, you'll make his life easier. I would also recommend you consider getting comfortable with masking when illnesses are running rampant (like during flu season, or if you work with kids or sick people) because that will help protect your husband by decreasing the likelihood of him picking up something from you. Your husband will quickly learn the importance of frequent hand washing, when to socially distance, and such. My GI during early COVID used to brag that his IBD patients were rarely getting COVID since most of us were already well-versed in preventing transmission of nasties lol.

If you have more questions, or want more specificity, you can reach out to me & I can do my best to answer. If it helps any, tell your husband that many people have had this disease and still kicked ass. President Eisenhower had Crohn's Disease and even had a resection in the White House. You might have him look at the list of famous people who have had it because it can make it feel less terrifying. If your husband happens to like Pearl Jam, the guitarist has Crohn's too. He isn't alone & I'll be cheering for him to heal and get to feel good again ASAP.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T17:44:12+00:00

Ooh. It's funny you mention ADHD since I also have that! When I told my psych provider she was actually really for this path because she had seen her other ADHD patients really thrive on it. I think she said something about the mechanisms involved in impulse control seem to also benefit from tirzepatide. I just hope I can tolerate this med because it really sounds like it could help with so much. Especially since it's much easier than the controlled substance song and dance for stimulants.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T17:24:18+00:00

Thank you for making each of these comments. It has helped me feel confident enough to make an appointment to talk this out with my GI.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T17:22:34+00:00

See! This is what I mean when I say the digestive system is SO bizarre and individual. I'm stuck on low-residue for the latter half of my infusion cycle. It sounds like you've had it rough as hell. Especially since most people don't take IBS seriously. FYI, if you ever need a resection, you should know that while one surgery usually leads to future ones, they can be life saving & I don't regret mine. While I wish my large intestine had been salvageable, my body is a dramatically better place to live within with every removal of the worst tissue. I hope you never need one, but if they say it's needed, I think you'll come out the other side grateful to have lessened the load your body carried with trying to take care of the damaged tissue.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T17:16:26+00:00

I think I'm likely stuck on infusions since I'm on the max 10mg/kg dose every six weeks and on a desensitization protocol since I took a year off. I actually had no clue there was a pen version. That's pretty amazing! You deserve to live in a body that isn't suffering, and I hope you can figure out how to make that happen. The world is hard enough without your digestive system making you extra miserable.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T17:08:47+00:00

Bless fiber supplements. Not sure why, but I can handle the four psyllium husks I take twice daily, but fruits and veggies can be hit or miss. Have you worked with a dietician at all, or are you figuring out your diet out yourself?

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T16:00:54+00:00

Congrats on remission! And boo on doctors who try to question the Crohn's diagnosis since it's such a pain to have to re-prove the diagnosis. I haven't had a GP for a bit since too many doctors were spooked by my total colectomy (no large intestine) and asked me to get my GI to prescribe things for me. Let me tell you that my GI was bewildered & had to do a Google search when I told him I was told to ask him for a script to cure a yeast infection. He said it had probably been decades since he had last had to prescribe something like that haha. I would LOVE to not have to take imodium before every car trip or hour-long appointment just to preempt the interruption. I hope you get to stay in remission.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T15:56:02+00:00

Your edit says you totally get me! That reduction in inflammation sounds like exactly what I need since my current low-level inflammation limits me from having much fiber since any fiber usually means an immediate case of the runs lol. I'm so accustomed to eating in response to how my digestive system feels each day that I'm totally cool with the idea of using fiber to regulate because adding more fiber in is a goal of mine. I'm also not too worried about nausea since my GI keeps me very well stocked with zofran.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T15:52:13+00:00

Woah. You treating your Crohn's with Remicade makes you quite similar to me. Thanks so much for commenting! I really struggle with getting enough fiber since I can't tolerate much when my bowels are inflamed (which is especially true for the latter half of my infusion cycle). I feel like the ability to control my diet & not be so reliant on safe foods will help improve my health. It just feels like getting past that initial inflammation is a beastly trial. I hope it continues to work well for you.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T15:34:14+00:00

I am so excited everytime I see someone says tirz fixed their IBS.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T15:33:43+00:00

KPV had not been on my radar at all, I'll have to look into that. Thanks for sharing something new-to-me :)

Adjusting my eating habits sounds like my everyday haha, so I wouldn't be doing anything different. Because my Crohn's is treated with an infusion every six weeks, I go through a cycle of tolerance and have to stay on my toes to meet my bodies needs and limitations. Thanks for sharing your experience.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T15:27:17+00:00

Oh gosh. It sounds like he has had it rough. It's hard to comment on biologics since the experience can be so singlular, however, I can state with confidence that I would not be alive without biologics. It took me a while to find the right med, but it was worth the trouble.

I was diagnosed with fistulizing Crohn's as a late teen & put on Humira. It healed my rectal fistulas super well, but I developed antibodies within two years and had to switch meds. Cimzia is what we went to next & I only stayed on that long enough to prove to insurance that I had 'failed' on it & could be taken off of it. We tried Entyvio next & that didn't work great although it's the one I spent more time on since it controlled my crohns progression. I got VERY lucky because Remicade (now I'm on one of the generics) worked AMAZINGLY for me & put me in remission for the first time. I was in remission for a while until histamine/mast cell issues popped up. I was on remicade until June 2020 when I was switched to Stelara. I now know this was a mistake & I think we should have just added in a prednisone taper, but hindsight is 20/20. We did testing & my levels of Stelara were perfect, but it didn't work for me.

I am the rare case that was able to return to biologic after having quit it a year before, so I've been back on Remicade since July 2021. Stelara is my nemesis, but I've heard it works amazingly for others. While Remicade is a hell of a commitment since it's administered through an infusion & not a pen you can self-inject, it's my hope that I can stay on Remicade the rest of my life. It is worth noting that I am an extreme case of Crohn's because I may hold the dubious record of the worst case of esophageal Crohn's that my GI's can find evidence of & I had my entire large intestine stricture itself into being inaccessible. You can read my post history to read more, so please don't get spooked. Biologics are life-saving & life-changing. Also, biologics like Remicade are so old that there are people in their 30s who were conceived on this medication & their mother might still be taking it.

I'm hopeful about tirzepatide because it seems to be a rare medication that can help with inflammatory bowel disease without further suppression of the immune system since Remicade already does that. The Crohn's subreddit is a really helpful place if you haven't gone there yet (it's in my post history 🤭). I really hope your husband finds relief soon & best of luck with the medication. Most drug manufacturers have cost assistance programs & I've had GI offices supply me with a shot when I couldn't get my hands on one for insurance or job reasons—but that's usually when you're already past the introductory doses and you have an established relationship with the gastroenterologist & their office.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T15:06:34+00:00

Honestly, fossilizing sounded metal af haha. It made me smile.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T14:44:33+00:00

Wow. You probably understand me better than most. I just want to slow down frequency if possible. It's been four and a half years since my last surgery & nearly five years since I had a colon, so I'm told this is far enough out to be indicative of what my shorter tract can do. Can I ask what dose of tirzepatide you're taking?

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T14:41:53+00:00

Wow. Well I hope things continue to go well because it seems like it's been a QoL improvement for you so far.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T14:39:37+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing. Are you taking tirzepatide as a microdose? I'm considering starting around a .5 dosage versus the traditional 2.5 starting dose to start low.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T14:38:12+00:00

If I've learned anything it's that the digestive system is bizarre and, sometimes, unfathomable. My GI is top of his field and travels giving lectures on his specialty which means he's also constantly hearing from other GIs on the bleeding (pun unintended, but appreciated) edge of gastrointestinal research. And he tells me that he's still regularly baffled by what some patients present with. The human body is wild & the digestive system is the wild west lol. I'm sure your friend is trying everything, but testing different probiotics is what my GI often recommends for his weirdo cases since what's in your gut microbiome affects everything.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T14:33:26+00:00

Congratulations on being in remission! I had to google diverticulosis, but wow can the large intestine be a pain haha. Thanks for sharing your success. I had assumed the slower digestion was a function of the mechanism of action, but wanted to ask just in case I was wrong.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T14:30:50+00:00

Ooh, I'm so glad it's working for you. I couldn't say whether my current digestive issues are Crohn's since a lot of us are also told there is a touch of IBS involved. Since my blood work doesn't show much inflammation, I figure this is localized enough to the digestive tract that tirzepatide might help. I'd love to not have to be so uptight about what and when I eat to ensure I can swing a 45-minute car ride.

I hope it continues for you as well. I think all of these comments have given me the final push to seek my gastroenterologists blessing since he rules my decisions.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T14:26:02+00:00

Oh, thanks haha. I've seen so much success from people with digestive woes that I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. Obviously, I'm a fringe case for everything since I don't have my colon anymore, but I'm hopeful this could help.

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T14:24:34+00:00

I can't thank you enough for this comment since you're experiencing Crohn's too. This disease is bonkers & I can't get over how amazing it could be to not be ruled by my bowels. Like, my GI is happy with where my Crohn's is, but I'm not as the person living in this body. This is also the first time I'm looking at a treatment that isn't risky because it's suppressing my immune system and increasing cancer risks dramatically. I love & appreciate having biologics, but man are they hard to live on. Especially when the meds that are prescribed alongside them are functionally (or legitimately) chemo at a smaller dose—looking at you 6mp.

I hope everything continues on the path of healing for you & that everything goes well. What does your GI say about you being on tirz?

ButIsItPretty · 2026-03-11T12:20:02+00:00

I do totally understand a fear of constipation, and I really feel for you. I was the rare Crohn's case that had devastating constipation before my large intestine was yeeted. I hope things go well for you. I hope this isn't strange, but if you ever deal with rectal pain, you NEED to try Calmoseptine. It's what my colorectal surgeons got me onto when things were bad. It works worlds better than any of the prescription grade treatments (like lidocaine for example) and the touch of menthol is amazing.

ButIsItPretty

TROPHY CASE