Patient Education Exchange: One Patient’s Path From Repeated Hospital Stays to Remission

When Amanda Kurtz first heard the word “biologic,” she was in the hospital for what she estimates was the seventh or eighth time. Kurtz has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and her condition had progressed to the point where the treatments she had tried were failing. A biologic was presented as one of the few options she had left.

Kurtz said she now shares her experience to help other patients get the support they need.

Anxiety and Relief at the Same Time

Kurtz said she felt a lot of anxiety about starting a biologic, mostly because she didn’t know what it would mean for her. At the same time, she felt “a little bit of relief at the same time because I knew that there was something that I could do.”

Working Through Insurance Hurdles

Getting coverage was one of the hardest parts of starting treatment, and Kurtz said it’s still an ongoing process. She has to go back and forth with her insurance company at least a handful of times a year.

“I’ve had a lot of help from my doctor,” she said.

She said patient advocates at her doctor’s office help her communicate with her insurer and get what she needs.

Fitting Treatment Into Everyday Life

Staying on schedule with treatment takes some planning, Kurtz said. She started with infusions, which meant leaving to get them, and now gives herself injections at home. Most of the time she tolerates her medication well, but sometimes she feels tired for a day or two afterward.

Even so, she said the tradeoff is clear: “It’s better than being sick 24/7, though.”

Why Results Took Time

Kurtz’s main advice for patients starting a biologic is to be patient.

“So don’t expect it to happen overnight,” she said.

She admitted she hoped for an immediate fix.

“I’ve been sick for a really long time, and I wanted them to give me an infusion. And all of a sudden, wake up the next day feeling 100%. And that isn’t the way that it worked,” Kurtz said.

It took a few months before she noticed real improvement. Before that, several biologics didn’t work for her, which she described as frustrating and difficult.

Life in Remission

“But I finally found one that works, and I’ve been on it for about two years,” Kurtz said.

Today, she is in remission. She is no longer in and out of the hospital or sick all the time.

“Now I’m in remission, and I’m doing great. And I live my life pretty uninterrupted,” she said. “It’s been pretty smooth sailing.”