Yes, apparently I flunked the Treatment #2 of Rituxan via injection rather than infusion. Let’s back up a little. Of course before this treatment I had to Google what an injection was like. It is administered in the stomach and lasts 5-7 minutes! WHAT??? How can an injection (shot) last that long. So I really went today with just a slight level of apprehension on what this experience would be like.
My appointment was at 10:30. Since I am still a little shakey with the walker, we decided I would use the walker just to get to the wheel chairs…plus I was not sure how I would feel leaving so this seemed like a good idea. And it did work very well. First, I had lab tests, then went into the treatment room. The treatment nurse, Tiffany, checked in and said that Lisa, Chen’s PA would come in and talk to me, go over the lab results and give the go/no go for treatment. Kind of a NASA launch where they determine go/no go, we just need a countdown clock. The visit with Lisa was great, really liked her and we went over next steps and also blood tests which all looked good.
Tiffany came back in and gave me the Tylenol and Benadryl which is standard and then they wait 30 minutes. Waiting is fine and looking outside from the treatment room is very nice. The rooms over look that walking area that Methodist added a few years ago and the Minnehaha Creek runs through it. Lots of blooming flowers and very interesting trees and bushes. I realized that since I did not have an IV in, I could read and crochet which is kind of restricted when an IV is in.
After 30 minutes Tiffany was back and came in armed with an interesting looking needle. And she said, this stuff is really thick so we have to go slow….like 5 minutes!! WHAT?? Do you mean to tell me that needle is going to be in my stomach for 5 minutes??!!?? I did ask if having some stomach fat is better or would she prefer to have the patient be a skinny-Minnie! She said having some fat is really preferred and it would be quite a challenge with out. So I said just for you I made sure I had some stomach fat to make your job easier and efficient. So the needle went in…and stayed…we talked about the storms last night, how long she had been a nurse, the hail they got in Chanhassen, some side effects to watch for, how her lunch went and whether or not she went outside, how long she has been in oncology, etc….so you can see it really WAS 5 minutes at a minimum!! WOW, I never thought that would actually be a real thing!!
So we went over some of the potential side effects to watch for and that I would have to wait 15 minutes and then she would check me out. Now to mention she did say there was a possibility that I would see a small red spot around the injection entry point. So the 15 minute clock was starting and I noticed that the spot started to itch. First a little itch, and then it is one of those itches that consumes your mind. Like it doesn’t really itch but thinking about it made you scratch. :-). Seriously I tried to think of other things to avoid the non-itching scratch, but could not avoid it…like an ear worm with music! I decided I would ask Tiffany if I should get some anti-itch cream on the way home.
Tiffany came in and said how are you doing. I said good, except it is kind of itchy. So she picked up my shirt to look at it, and you know I could just see it in her eyes that things were not going according to Hoyle. Not only did it itch, but there was a red spot about the side of a cantaloupe!! Like I said, I could see in her eyes this was not good. She asked if I had any other issues…any issues with breathing, tongue issue, etc. Ok, now I am getting a little nervous. I said nothing else! She said I need to get another nurse to look at this. The 2nd nurse said no that is not right!! They were going to get Lisa or Dr. Chen to advise. In the meantime, TIffany said she wanted to start an IV, even if they didn’t end up using it, she preferred to be prepared. I told go ahead and do what ever you want to do. Now this is needle entry #4 (first infusion, blood work, injection, and now this INV). The other nurse came back and said that Lisa (the PA) would be back in. I knew this was definitely out of the norm and I knew my breathing was increasing a little but at least my BP was still good.
Lisa and Dr. Chen decided that I would have IVs of: Benadryl, Pepcid (not just for heartburn anymore) and a steroid. First it was Ben and Pep, because they hoped that would stop the itching and reduce the red spot. Those two actually worked pretty quickly. Then she administered the steroid because that kind of provides the same but is more long lasting. As she said the Ben would make me sleepy and the Roid would wake me up!! We waited about 15 minutes after all were administered and after checking the spot Tiffany said I could leave. This is where I was really glad we decided to use the wheel chair because I was pretty loopy.
The other bit of news that Lisa and Dr. Chen decided is that next treatment would be back to an infusion again. They did not want to take any chances on this happening again. I asked why did the injection have this side effect but the infusion did not. There are some additional components in the injection and one of those could certainly have caused an issue. When I see Dr. Chen next week I am going to ask her more about that. The infusion is not bad, it just takes longer. And the infusion site has a big black and blue mark so I hope the next one will be a little more gentle or someone may wander where I am getting all of these black and blue marks!
So as I said, I flunked Rituxan injection! :-(. Thank goodness there are alternatives. That mouse DNA I guess was not happy that it was getting a shot in the stomach with that big needle. Next week I am going to Caley and Darcee’s to dinner with their 3 cats…I just told them that they might want to keep an eye on your cats to make sure they don’t try to take a bite out of me!! I probably have that scent of mouse so it may be dangerous!! 🙂
So it was quite the adventerous day!! Things just seem to be more challenging rather than just easy-peasy!! Like I told Tiffany, this will make a more interesting blog post rather than something ho-hum boring!! :-). So next week it is back to infusion, and longer time, but hopefully not quite so eventful!
I am tired almost to the point that it seems too much to have to go to bed! 🙂
Hope the rest of your week is good. Keep an eye on your cheese!!!
Take care! Be Blessed!
Dandy Ventures 