I am back down in Brunswick at the MidCoast Hospital. My room number is 202. My cell phone does not get a signal here, so you have to call the land line which is 373-6202
Started my 2nd round yesterday. It was a pretty rough day. I am on a "B" schedule that includes rituxan. After the nurses got my IV in (5 trys, because I have beautiful looking, but very deceptive veins), they started me on the rituxan and I soon had a reaction to it - shortness of breath. They flushed it out, and waited for my breath to return and my chills to cease, and then we started again at a lower does. I can not nap while I am taking this drug because I need to keep ice in my mouth to minimize ulcers. The idea is that it targets fast growing cells, so by constricting the blood vessels in the mouth, you minimize the amount of drug that is going to your mouth, which is full of fast growing cells.
So the lower does is going fine and they slowly raise it every half hour it get it up to where it should be. The idea is to hit the cells with a lethal dose, so it has to put in as fast as possible. We got up to 200 drops per minute, and I was doing OK, and then just before we went to the next level, I got hit by "rigors". Rigors are a shaking chills. It occurs because of an immune response and increases the set point for body temperature in the hypothalamus. It is a listed possible side effect to the rituxan. At this point I had been up for 12 hours straight, which in my new life of fatigue was a freaking marathon. The doctor and nurses took pity on me, and we stopped the treatment for the night so that I could sleep.
I have slept soundly since 7pm, and I woke up about an hour ago feeling unusually good. I even when for a little jog (very little.) and had some dinner. I am about to go back to sleep and nap until they start up again at around 7am. I hope today goes better than yesterday. Maybe, like the man in black (from the princess bride), I can build up an immunity to this poison.
Started my 2nd round yesterday. It was a pretty rough day. I am on a "B" schedule that includes rituxan. After the nurses got my IV in (5 trys, because I have beautiful looking, but very deceptive veins), they started me on the rituxan and I soon had a reaction to it - shortness of breath. They flushed it out, and waited for my breath to return and my chills to cease, and then we started again at a lower does. I can not nap while I am taking this drug because I need to keep ice in my mouth to minimize ulcers. The idea is that it targets fast growing cells, so by constricting the blood vessels in the mouth, you minimize the amount of drug that is going to your mouth, which is full of fast growing cells.
So the lower does is going fine and they slowly raise it every half hour it get it up to where it should be. The idea is to hit the cells with a lethal dose, so it has to put in as fast as possible. We got up to 200 drops per minute, and I was doing OK, and then just before we went to the next level, I got hit by "rigors". Rigors are a shaking chills. It occurs because of an immune response and increases the set point for body temperature in the hypothalamus. It is a listed possible side effect to the rituxan. At this point I had been up for 12 hours straight, which in my new life of fatigue was a freaking marathon. The doctor and nurses took pity on me, and we stopped the treatment for the night so that I could sleep.
I have slept soundly since 7pm, and I woke up about an hour ago feeling unusually good. I even when for a little jog (very little.) and had some dinner. I am about to go back to sleep and nap until they start up again at around 7am. I hope today goes better than yesterday. Maybe, like the man in black (from the princess bride), I can build up an immunity to this poison.
YOWZA! Love and hugs to you on this marathon medical adventure. Thank goodness for all your mental and physical conditioning and the love of friends, family, caring medical staff and compassionate strangers and all the other support that will help carry you on this journey. Very exciting to hear that you felt "unusually good" when you woke from the day's challenges--go body! Good luck today!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mitch. I am feeling much better. I have a bit of what is known as "chemo brain", which is just a bit of vagueness, and not feeling as sharp as I usually do. I think that it is just a type of fatigue, and will go away when I get better. The drug that I am taking today - methaltrexate is going well, but I will not be out of the hospital until Monday.
DeleteYowza is right! You're AMAZING to be up, walking and doing yoga by 4 AM. Thinking about you all the time, sending good vibes. Also hope you're enjoying The Mysterious Benedict Society. It was perfect for my pregnancy brain, so I thought it might also be in alignment with chemo brain. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is AWESOME. It was HIGHLY recommended by Mitch's daughter Catnip, so it was high on my reading list, but I had not gotten around to getting it out from the library before I left. I am about two-thirds through the first book and enjoying in immensely. It is perfect for my vague fatigue-ridden brain. Thank you.
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