Rituxan Bcell Lymphoma

Hi

My sister is being treated with Rituxan next week for a total of 4 doses. Has anyone been treated with Rituxan alone for B cell lymphoma if so what should she expect as far as adverse events. She is very nervous

Thanks

I took Rituxan after I healed from 3 months of chemo and a month of radiation.  I had no side effects.

I started to get Rituxan yesterday.  I am really fatigued but I think that was because I had my last radiation the day before.  I am willing to stay on Rituxan as long as it keeps my small B cell follicular NHL grade 3 away.  It had been indolent before the chemo, but I had developed Hodgkins Lymphoma and had to be treated.  My indolent came back in a more aggressive form.

After my initial chemo and radiation, I was really damaged.  That's when I had my first Rituxan.

Last November I was given Bexxar.  I had a lot of hope that it would help me like it has done for so many other people.  For three months I was cancer free but at 6 months it was back.  I had come back in the small group that it didn't work well for.

So in July I received another kind of chemo.  Twice I had to not receive one of the chemo drugs.  Twice I came in to have blood infusions.  We stopped a month early and I just completed my last radiation on Monday.  I noticed no reactions to the Rituxan on Tuesday but the radiation flattened me.  They (Radiation doctors) say that people don't realize how hard the radiation is on the body and can give me more fatigue than the chemo.

After getting dressed this morning, I came downstairs.  That is when I realized that I was too weak to walk.  I rested for a while and then had some energy.  I went to my bible study and it was basically restful.  When I got home I ate, took my medications and fed my ill cat.  I slept in my recliner from 1:30 to 5:45.  Now I must get myself some dinner.

My DH left for Germany this morning and I will be alone for 15 days.  I hope this fatigue doesn't go on for too long.  Doc said I should have more energy by the end of the week.  My Dh prepared meals and froze them for me.  The church and bible study friends drive me where I need to go.  I couldn't drive after chemo from the first time.  I am very unsteady and fall a lot.  I use a walker but not in the house.

 I am going to have four infusions of Rituxan and then 8 wks later I will get a CT/scan and a PET scan to see if the NHL has stayed away.  They want to keep it at bay to give me more time.  My body (at this time) is not eligible for anymore chemo, bone marrow or stem cell transplant.  I need time to heal so I might be able to take another treatment.  Follicular NHL is incurable.  I am trying to stay alive until they come up with a cure.

Kitty

On 11/23/2007 Ventnornj wrote:

Hi

My sister is being treated with Rituxan next week for a total of 4 doses. Has anyone been treated with Rituxan alone for B cell lymphoma if so what should she expect as far as adverse events. She is very nervous

Thanks

I had 8 treatments of Rituxan for my B cell NHL.  The first does, as I understand it, is the riskiest.  I did have a reaction after the first hour, but it was immediately taken care of with IV steroids.  One-half hour later the resumed the Rituxan treatment.

 Again, I did was lucky and did not have any major reactions.  After the 7th treatment I would get a rapid heartbeat that lasted for two days and then disappeared.  Once I stopped the treatments the rapid heartbeat stopped too. 

As I said, the first treatment left me pretty shakey.  I was always given IV steroids (Decadron) along with IV benedryl - both to offset the side effects of Rituxan.  Got my treatments on Tuesdays and was awake all night.  The next day I was also full of energy (steriods).  I think the worst of it for me was tiredness - slept a lot.  I don't know if that was Rituxan or NHL.

 Treatments had limited results for my side effects of NHL.  I went on to treatment with Zevalin.

Good luck and God bless!!

Thank you very mush for your responses. I told my sister and she seems much calmer having heard from several people receiving Rituxan with minimal side effects

Thank you- the information you provided wasshared with my sister and she is much calmer. I hope all goes well for you