All About Rituximab

[elephant]

When I was on imuran, I felt really tired. I felt like I was getting worse. On day 14 of being on Imuran I developed a high fever, joint pain, back pain, severe chest pain and stupid me waited another day to see if it would get better. Well it didn't I was so bad I could not walk or get out of bed...by hubby had to help me walk and once I got to the ER I passed out. So I got in pretty quick. The pharmacist said I had a drug reaction to the Imuran. The Rheumy and a bunch of other docs waited a month to start me on Cellcept but put me on 60 mg prednisone.

[Nancy]

Lisa Marie -
i am so sorry that you are having such a rough go of things... I remember working with oncology patients a type of oral paste that you apply directly onto the sores in the mouth that act like a dental paste and seal off the area so no pain due to no exposure... See if the doc or yourself as a nurse can talk with an oncology nurse or MD and find what they do for oral sores... I hope that the next RTX infusion will bring you out of this "place".... I do agree with you - thank god for kids and dogs - bith can be warm and fuzzy at just the right moments! I will be looking to see how you are doing...
Nancy

[Nancy]

Can I make a request..... Can we Change the WEG DOG to a WEG Bear or Cat or Wolverine..... My dogs are always so glad when I get home, a constant source of comfort and occasional annoyance... but NEVER have they been vicious, painful or intent on stealing my good health... I will find a picture of a really nasty looking animal for the poster child award - just not a dog...

[Sangye]

I chose a dog because I didn't want to hate the Wegs or view it as something trying to kill me. I also chose it because I was picturing the Tom and Jerry cartoons with the big dog Spike and how Tom is always trying to sneak past him. You can use another animal for your Wegs, but I don't want to think of something vicious living in me!

[Nancy]

a3.jpgSangye - that makes perfect sense... I agree. Here are some animals with the "force" working in our best interests!! I joyfully retract my request. a1.jpg

[Sangye]

ROTFL-- those pictures are hilarious! Hmmm... I wonder if I can get Patch and Lotus to wield light sabers.... I don't think my cockatiel would go for it-- I'd need a teeny tiny little light saber for him.

[germaine]

I was at the Long Beach Symposium. Great experience. They gave us a four page handout about rituximab which basicly seems to consider it a superior treatment to the Cyclo and less harmful to your body. It was put out by the US National Instututes of Health. They gave a few email sites but I think the correct one is www.ncrr.nih.gov to get the info. At the Symposium it was expressed that Rituximab had a slightly higher but not satistically significant success rate that cyclo. Apparently there were less relapses with it, and those relapses could again be treated with the rituximab and responded quicker. They seemed to feel it was really the new standard of treatment. They said they felt most people could be treated with about 3-4 to six months of intensive treatment to deal with the intensive phase one of the disease and then with reduced doses for another year to 18 months, with consideration of withdrawal after that for some people. There is a reference in the New England Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa0909905(2010) Embargoed for Release July 14, 2010

[elephant]

Thanks Germaine for the information.

[LisaMarie]

ok guys last dose of Rituxan in icame home yesterday slept 17 hours straight except for pottyl8rgal breaks....got up this morning to watch my youngest make a 2 point conversions in football and play his heart out ...hegot the wind knocked out of him but gave me the thumbs up that he was good...great morning but i still feel like a Mack truck hit me and i wanna take a nap so of to bed i go...hope to feel better later loved watching his game though my bed is calling

[elephant]

Glad you ok. Thanks for the update!