First Infusion

Trying to keep busy (while not asleep!) in my deluxe private room with a comfy bed.

Well, today I went in for my first of four infusions of the Rituxan drug, which will hopefully begin shrinking the tumors in my orbits, and fast!  The infusion center is in the Santa Clara Kaiser medical office building right next door to the oncology department.  We arrived for my appointment at 9:30 in the morning, after dropping Ewan off at pre-school.  Gavin's parents drove down from Davis later that morning to pick up Ewan before lunch and take him home so we wouldn't have to worry about what time we finished, since we had no idea what time that would be.

Shortly after we arrived we were escorted into a private room equipped with a hospital bed, flatscreen TV, and DVD/VCR player, which pleasantly surprised me, as I was fully expecting to be in the large room, at a station with a recliner, with nothing to separate me from neighboring patients but flimsy curtains.  The nurse told me that they gave me a room since I had such a long day ahead of me, and that I would be more comfortable.  Sweet!  I even had my own bathroom!  Not quite the Westin, but not bad for Kaiser.  Definitely a good sign.

The nurse took my vitals (blood pressure and temperature--which she continued to take regularly throughout the day) and set me up with my IV, inserting it into the vein in the top of my left hand.  She started me on the pre-drugs, which included a steroid as well as Benedryl, to ward off any potential allergic reactions to the Rituxan.  Other than the obvious discomfort of having a needle stabbed into my vein and the bizarre feeling of the room temperature --i.e: COLD-- liquids begin disseminating through my body, it wasn't that bad at all.  I definitely felt drowsy from the Benedryl, and took full advantage of my cozy bed, frequently dozing off.

It took the better part of an hour to get through the pre-meds, and then my wonderful nurse (Anna) began the Rituxan drip.  I really didn't feel much of anything for the most part, except at one point after I was maybe another hour in to the Rituxan, I began to feel some itchiness in the back of my throat and my ears.  Anna immediately stopped the Rituxan drip and gave me another does of Benedryl, which I felt right away and consequently knocked me out.  We waited another 15-20 minutes more before starting up the Rituxan and it was smooth sailing from there!  Other than being very groggy, I experienced very few side effects at all.  I had had no nausea, fever, or chills.  I had a normal appetite, and managed to eat my lunch and snack throughout the day with no issues at all.

All in all we were there for seven hours from start to finish.  Quite a boring day for Gavin, who sat patiently by my side constantly, but he managed to keep himself busy on his laptop.  I was hoping to be more productive with all that time, knitting or reading, but it was hard to concentrate, and at times even keep my eyes open.  Still, I am incredibly pleased that everything went so well, especially because they say that the first infusion is always the most difficult one.  My nurse, Anna, told me that I shouldn't expect to feel any more side effects after returning home, unlike many other, harsher chemo drugs, which don't hit you until later.  I am pleased to say that she was right so far!  Other than being a little low-energy, I feel very good tonight, and expect to feel quite normal tomorrow.

It feels so wonderful to have finally started treatment now, and to know that I am on my way to REMISSION.  I want to take the time to thank each and every one of you who has been following my journey for every single little thing you have done for me.  Your prayers, thoughts, healing vibes, encouraging comments on the blog, on Facebook, through emails, texts, phone calls, visits, meals, flowers, fruit bouquets, cards... I have simply been surrounded by a flood of love and support that is simply overwhelming.  I appreciate it SO MUCH, and I can't even put into words how much it means to me.  I am so touched, and so encouraged and please believe me when I tell you that YOU are giving me the strength and faith to fight this fight.  YOU are easing my burden, and I love you all so much.  Please forgive me if I can't reply personally to every single email or comment... but do know that I am filled with gratitude for you, my loving and devoted army, and we WILL prevail in this Battle of Healing, together.