It's not chemo, but...

I will get the first treatment of Rituxan on Thursday. The first treatment (of 6-8) will take about 5 hours because they titrate the medicine to make sure the patient doesn't have allergic responses or other side effects. In the I.V. will also be Vitamin C (I think he said 25 mg.) that they find helps the Rituxan. They will also be giving me "leukine" to help with possible lowering of my WBC which is already low.

I get to pick a curtained off lounge chair or one in a big sunny room where patients do jigsaw puzzles on the table in the middle. I can use their WIFI to access the web. Right now I am watching "Scott & Bailey" about the two female detectives (BBC) and I'm starting season 2 so that is something to look forward to. Perhaps music would be more relaxing though!

I will be getting weekly treatments but they will only take an hour or two after the first week when they know how my body reacts to the medicine.

I feel lucky that Rituxan is now available since it hasn't been on the market for that long. Only three years to wait for Lybrido to go on the market (Viagra for women)!

"Rituxan is one of those drugs that has definitely proven its worth over time. Used in combination with other chemo drugs [and often times alone], it has increased the period of progression free survival (PFS), and the overall survival (OS) for those suffering from leukemia or lymphoma.
But despite being a wonder drug, and not really considered chemotherapy per se, that doesn’t mean it isn’t without its side effects and complications."

http://livingwithmcl.com/2011/03/08/rituxan-its-not-chemo-but/