Round 2

This morning I arrived at the outpatient transfusion center to receive my second dose of Rituximab. The nurses there are less intimate since the patients leave the day they get admitted. The procedure was a lot quicker like I expected. The infusion only took 3 1/2 hours since they started at 50 ml/hour and increased it 50 ml/hr every 30 minutes up to 400. I was in a room that contained 3 beds. The room was continuous with the next room that also had 3 beds. The lady next to me was getting the same treatment but it was her first time. When I left she was beginning to get an infusion reaction. Her's was worse than what I got, but it made me grateful that I had my first dose in the hospital. If it was her first time, I wonder why she wasn't urged to do it as an inpatient. My neurologist came to see me before they gave me the medicine because he forgot to check the box for Benadryl. I wasn't aware that it may take 3-4 months for Rituximab to become activated in my system! It's not a guarantee that this thing will work, so I'm a little concerned about waiting. It sucks when I get a flare-up and I want to do everything to prevent one, but it seems like there's no other choice but to wait and see. After my IV was taken out I decided to wait to get my lab results. The doctors did tell me that my WBC count was low last time but I found out my RBC count was low too. Today, everything is normal except for my RBCs. The count is the same as last time, so I emailed my doctor after getting home. It's not significantly low, but I'm a little confused as to why my numbers haven't increased after 2 weeks.

Yesterday, I had a G.I. appointment. The new fellow seemed sincere and wanted me to get scheduled with one G.I. fellow so I wouldn't have to repeat my story everytime. I guess he'll be my doctor for at least the next few appointments. I know I'll be followed by another G.I. later on because fellows are temporary. At least the regular MD still follows up on me. :) He was busy yesterday though :/. Anyways, I'm getting an ultrasound to check up on a duct that looked enlarged a couple of years ago in a CT scan. I couldn't get labs drawn yesterday because the plasmapheresis might have changed my numbers a bit. The fellow said my amylase may still be high due to the medication I take for my MG. The medication my lead to a more complicating illness.

I'm just thankful that I'm alive. If I was born a century ago, I would have died. Even though it'll be a challenge getting my schooling back on track, I'm glad I took this time off.