Mel
12-17-2010, 01:23 PM
Hi everyone,
I wrote a few weeks ago saying that my sinuses were acting up. Unfortunately, I continued to get worse, my nose started bleeding and I became alarmed. I was coughing alot. Then, my joints started hurting, and I just knew. I went to my rheumatologist. He ran some tests and he saw that my CRP was very high. We started on Prednisone, 15 mg. A few days later, I retested because my symptoms weren't too much better and I was even more worried. The CRP had come down so much, but I did a lung and sinus xray and the lung one showed a white area. My doctor sent me right away to the respirologist who took a look at it and said he was pretty sure that I was flaring. I am now awaiting my ANCA results. If they are positive and the bronchoscopy shows no infection, they will start treating me again. This time my doctor wants me on Rituxin. He says that it has been a great drug. From what I read about it, it seems really wonderful. I originally had cytoxan through IV about a year and a half ago and we had achieved remission until now. Did anyone have the same situation as me, where they used rituxin the second time? I am not as sick now as I was the first time around, but I am afraid of getting there. My doc said we will start the rituxin next month. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
I wrote a few weeks ago saying that my sinuses were acting up. Unfortunately, I continued to get worse, my nose started bleeding and I became alarmed. I was coughing alot. Then, my joints started hurting, and I just knew. I went to my rheumatologist. He ran some tests and he saw that my CRP was very high. We started on Prednisone, 15 mg. A few days later, I retested because my symptoms weren't too much better and I was even more worried. The CRP had come down so much, but I did a lung and sinus xray and the lung one showed a white area. My doctor sent me right away to the respirologist who took a look at it and said he was pretty sure that I was flaring. I am now awaiting my ANCA results. If they are positive and the bronchoscopy shows no infection, they will start treating me again. This time my doctor wants me on Rituxin. He says that it has been a great drug. From what I read about it, it seems really wonderful. I originally had cytoxan through IV about a year and a half ago and we had achieved remission until now. Did anyone have the same situation as me, where they used rituxin the second time? I am not as sick now as I was the first time around, but I am afraid of getting there. My doc said we will start the rituxin next month. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!