@Shawn Your post (#220) was inside of a yellow quote box so I copy & pasted the parts I wanted to respond to (and I really appreciate all of your thorough answers)! I hope you are recovering nicely from the Ritux and no negative side effects.
Yay! Am so glad that you completed it! That is great news
I had thought you had a bad reaction the first time you tried it and that is why they slowed down the speed and are doing it in a hospital? Sorry for my confusion. I wish they preferred for everyone to try the first dose inpatient here but they don't. I could challenge this issue but it would take months and my entire approval could end up getting denied so I am going to attempt it as an outpatient. The reason I feel comfortable is b/c the infusion center has done my IVIG for eleven months and really knows me well and understands the issues I may encounter vs. a random nurse in a hospital who might not (in my case).
Thank you and that is extremely helpful info. I am going to be doing 600 mg Ritux and am going to clarify further re: the amount of saline w/both my docs and my infusion nurse (b/c I will have one more cycle of IVIG before I do Ritux mid-July). My understanding is that it should be a 1:1 ratio, and often patients do extra saline before and after, but my preference is to skip that part.
Thanks and I will look at the article but not sure it will apply to me b/c I do not have cancer? Is it being done for autoimmunity in your case?
This is my understanding, too. (That even if I have 100 more autoantibodies that we have not identified yet, the treatment will not change).
I do not do well with steroids at all so am hoping to just have the IV Benadryl and other pre-meds and we'll save the steroid (Solumedrol) for if I have a reaction. What do you mean re: the sentence that I bolded in your quote (re: activating complement so RTX can do it's job?)
That is interesting and I will not be put on antivirals or antibiotics or wearing a mask. I asked both of my doctors but they said it is not necessary. I am not sure if this is b/c I will be having six more months of high dose IVIG (which is protective to the immune system) or if they just do not do this with RTX in the US? But I am to avoid being in the same household w/anyone who has had a "live vaccine". Am a little concerned now hearing this and wonder if I am missing something?!!
I didn't see anything in the prescribing info about this. Are you considered immuno-compromised b/c you also did the Bortezomib and prior steroids or is it purely from the RTX?
Thanks again!