Rituxan Injection

[CODavid]

Hello everyone. I am currently sitting at the University of Colorado Outpatient infusion center having my first Rituxan (RTX) infusion. I took a bunch of the advice here and brought lots to do, lots to eat and drink, and some hard candy.

My dosing is 100mg of Prednisone, and then 800mg of RTX. The course of treatment is supposed to be four total injection.

So, here is to the death and destruction of those bad old B-cells. I will post some updates to let you all know how it goes.

v/r
David

[Sangye]

Good luck to you, David. I hope it goes well and you start to feel better quickly. :smile1:

[Brooke]

Good luck :):)

[Chris G]

Good luck David! I hope the infusion goes smoothly, and those B-cells die off quickly!!

[CODavid]

I have been hooked up for 1 1/2 hours. The bag doesn't seem to me getting smaller. I would say this "confirms" it being slow.

[Sangye]

LOL They have to start it slowly and turn up the drip speed every 30 mins or so.

[Chris G]

I have been hooked up for 1 1/2 hours. The bag doesn't seem to me getting smaller. I would say this "confirms" it being slow.

LOL - yeah, it seems like you'll be there forever, but you won't. Once they get you up to top speed, you'll literally suck up the last half of the bag in about an hour or less.

[CODavid]

Yeah it is going faster now. 256mg/hr now, will go to 282 at the top of the hour. No side effects so far. It is my cast iron consitution doing its work! Prednisone has broken the barrier though. Glad I brought lots of snacks. I need to ask what kind of steak they are serving for lunch.

[CODavid]

I have completely drained the bag. No side effects. Bringing "goodies" was excellent advice. Now to see what happens after I get home.

[Chris G]

Yay! Way to go :smile1:
I felt really crappy that evening, but that doesn't mean you will. I think most people felt fine.

[ScreaminMeanie]

Yippee for no allergic reaction! Each time I've had it (3 so far) I felt like crap a few hours after I got home until I went to bed, but I think that is the steroid crash, nothing to do with the rtx. Hopefully you can avoid that as well!

And boy, does that hospital food taste good when you've got the 'roid munchies! :D

[jmmilliorn]

I can't wait till Tuesday. Then it is my turn for #2 infusion. I like the idea of taking food. I'm going to pack a backpack and take my laptop. I've got a new audiobook to listen to and Netflix if they have WIFI. I was told that since I am taking my infusion in a cancer center as an outpatient they aren't allowed to administer as quickly as they did the first one in the hospital. They told me to plan on six hours. Oh well. At least I'm finally getting the second one. I've felt better every day since my first infusion except one weird day when i didn't. It has been just over 3 weeks so far. Still very SOB however and weak in the legs if I exert much at all. But when at rest in the house, I feel almost "normal" again. I'm reducing prednisone today to 15mg for the next two weeks. Then I go to 12.5. I'm supposed to hold at 10 for awhile. At what level can you start losing the prednisone belly and fat face? Is there a typical level?

[ScreaminMeanie]

I think I lost some of the face fat after I got down to 10mg. Unfortunately, the belly fat is still with me!

[delorisdoe]

Dont you just love the way the belly always seems to stick around.

[Palmyra]

I hope all goes well David....my daughter feels great the day after (I think due to the big solumedrol they give IV along with the RTX,) but she says it takes her a couple of days to not feel 'gray' and get the chemo taste out of her mouth.

Many strong wishes for bashing those B cells, and a medical remission in your future!

[Sangye]

Mike, the pred fat has to be lost the same way as regular fat. It won't come off just by lowering the pred. You haven't been on it that long so it probably won't be a big deal to lose it.

[jmmilliorn]

That's good to hear. Ordinarily, I would just exercise it off, but with a blood clot in one leg and being so short of breath from the least amount of exertion and weak from months of not doing anything, it is not going to be easy. I've been eating all kinds of carbs, too ever since Thanksgiving, and getting back on a proper diet isn't going to be much fun. Food has been my only consolation since getting sick, and I've consoled myself mightily and generously. Caused my wife to gain, too. I'm a bad influence and wrecked her will power eating sweets in front of her.

[jola57]

I symathize Mike, know just how you feel. getting rid of the fat is soooo much harder then getting it on:wink1: