2nd round of Rtx starting Tuesday

[KathyB]

Hi all & Happy St. Patrick's Day!

With gall bladder surgery behind me and my follow-up doctor appointment Monday, I'm ready to begin my 2nd round of chemo (Rtx) on Tuesday. It will be administered in double doses twice (15 days apart) rather than the once/week for 4 weeks. I had no side effects during the first round. Is there any advice from those of you who have undergone the double dose? How long does it take? Is it any tougher than the smaller dose? Your thoughts are appreciated!

KB

[pwc51]

I have only experienced one course of Rtx - it was the double dose regime. Each dose took about 6 hours - take a book to read! No particular side effects but the effect on my WG was noticeable and very rapid.

[Dryhill]

Exactly like pwc51 (not surprising as we have the same doctor and treated at the same hospital). I also took a DVD to watch and a crossword puzzle book - six hours is a very long time. In just over a week I am seeing/feeling some slight improvement.

Jim

[KathyB]

My first infusion back in early September lasted 5 hrs as they checked on me every 30 minutes. By the 4th one, I was down to 3.75 hrs! I understand from reading on this forum that "results" aren't for 6-8 weeks. I remember feeling pretty well by mid-October then got fungal pneumonia by the end of the month. My fear is being immune compromised and once again susceptible to problems. Of course, my prednisone is down to 7.5, so that should help, right?

We are just putting our house on the market, so we will be staying down in NC during weeks of chemo so as to stay away from germy folks running thru our house!

KB

[Sangye]

Kathy, the infusions will take the same amount of time since it's roughly the same amount of rtx. Your infusion center should not be in a hurry to get it done. The nurses at JHU's infusion center have told me that many centers rush rtx (and other infusions) and the patient winds up getting an allergic reaction. No matter how many times you've had rtx they should still start it slow and increase it every half hour or so, while checking your vital signs every half hour.

I'm glad the infusions go well for you. I can't even imagine that!

Also, just a side note but important to know: rtx isn't chemo.

[Dryhill]

Kathy, the infusions will take the same amount of time since it's roughly the same amount of rtx. Your infusion center should not be in a hurry to get it done. The nurses at JHU's infusion center have told me that many centers rush rtx (and other infusions) and the patient winds up getting an allergic reaction. No matter how many times you've had rtx they should still start it slow and increase it every half hour or so, while checking your vital signs every half hour.

I mentioned to one of the senior nurses about some hospitals speeding up subsequent infusions and she told me that they had been informed by the manufacturer of Rtx that they MUST NOT speed up infusion as it can cause an allergic reaction, as mentioned by Sangye. The hospital were also told that speeding up the infusion lessened the effectiveness of the drug.

Sangye I was told Rtx is not a chemo just as you mention, but why was it administered by the chemo unit?

Jim