FRI-DAY, FIGHT-DAY

In my weekly routine, FRI-DAY means FIGHT-DAY.  In my fight against malignant cells, a fresh company of warriors was brought in to battle yesterday.  I had my third injection of Velcade and my second infusion of RITUXIN.

Last week, my infusion was quite difficult.  The drip had to be stopped several times due to fever, chills, hives, more hives, more fever.  Pure misery.  By the time I arrived this morning, the oncology team had a plan in place.  This infusion was going to be easier!

I knew something was different when I walked into the infusion center and was instructed to sit in the left side of the room.  As I was nesting in my chair (blankets, books, music, headphones, etc.) I heard the conversation between my neighbor and her nurse.  I caught words like "reaction," "hives," "not going to happen this time."  I looked up at my nurse and said, "Oh, I get it!  This is the section for the SPECIAL patients, isn't it?  Both nurses smiled.  Well great!  I didn't know if I should be offended or honored.  Here I was with the "difficult" patients.  What kind of day would this be?  My neighbor told me that she is also taking Rituxin.  Her infusion reactions were similar to mine during her first infusion.  She told me not to worry because she did much better on her second infusion.  I called her my role model.

Around the corner came one of the nurses who had helped me through the worst part of the hives last week.  She looked at me and said, "I know you."  I said, "Well, you should.  You gave me enough benadryl last week to knock out a horse."  "Oh, yeah," she said, "you're the lady with the red face.  You look really different."  I said, "Yes, that's why they have me seated in the special section today."

Lots more one-liners and giggles (led by my husband, of course) and it was time for the needles.  (I still hate them, you know, but I know that they are necessary to save my life.  I have found a way to live a friendly co-existence with needles. Basically, I ignore them.)  IV inserted.  Benadryl, steriods and tylenol - the Rituxin cocktail. My sweet nurse said that we were going to let me "marinate" for about half hour before adding the Rituxin.  Hopefully the hives would be warded off by this method.  Marinate!  Here I am, the lady with the red face marinating in the "special" corner,

I made it for three hours with no problems at all.  At the three hour mark, I began to feel itching under my skin.  I asked Steve if he saw red spots, and he only saw one visible mark.  I felt as if the hives were just ready to burst forth when something new happened.  A burning pain began in my lower back.  I thought that I had pulled a muscle from sitting so long.  I got up, moved around, changed position, did everything I could, but the pain increased rapidly.  Steve went for the nurse.
She stopped the Rituxin and changed the drip to saline.  Immediately, the back pain stopped.  They sent for the doctor, who prescribed Adivan.  She explained that I still have a very high "tumor burden" and that the side effects of the infusion will lessen each time as the turmor burden decreases.  ("Tumor burden"..........I don't like that term.) We were able to complete the infusion with no temperature, no flu like symptoms and no hives.  Best of all, my new friend, "Adivan" helped me sleep through the next three hours and the infusion was completed.

I slept peacefully last night and woke up feeling refreshed this morning.  I am hopeful for a much better week this week (and so is my sweet husband, I am sure!)

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

He sent forth his word and healed them.

he rescued them from the grave.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and 

his wonderful deeds for men.

Psalm 107: 19-21