Rituxan and Iron Infusions

February and March have been sort of a dumpster fire. Technically, they have been for the whole world though. Like me, I am sure many of my readers are in quarantine. But, I get ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning of February.

Noel and I made it to our mini tropical vacay before everything hit the fan - which we are so grateful for. We got to spend 2 full days on the north side of Oahu in ignorant bliss. My health actually cooperated, which never happens. It was a major blessing we both desperately needed. The sun, the sand, the ocean. I spent wayyyy more time in the water than I should have, but since I have my G & J tubes I cannot swim anywhere besides the ocean due to my high infection risk. Even then, I am supposed to keep it short. Yeah... I spent most days just lounging in the crystal clear waters of the North Shore lol Check out my Instagram for some photos! I unfortunately now have horribly painful granulated tissue around my G tube, funny enough though, the excess of saltwater seemed to have cleared up the infection pretty well! Totally worth it.

After getting back from Hawaii my fatigue really started to increase. I can't explain it, but I just felt sicker. I was pale and exhausted all the time. I mean, I am normally pale and exhausted all the time, but this was a new level. I had experienced similar symptoms about five years ago so we had my doc run some blood tests, low and behold, I had a lovely case of Iron Deficiency Anemia. So, we scheduled three weeks of Iron infusions to get my numbers back to normal. Unfortunately, this all went down the same week I was supposed to start my next Rituxan cycle. I received two rounds every five months. This resulted in a double whammy of back to back Rituxan / Iron infusions. Not pleasant. Neither infusion makes you feel good, in fact, they both make you feel pretty bad for about 48 hours. Needless to say, it was a very unpleasant three weeks.

About two weeks into these infusions is when Seattle became the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. Everything shut down and the world became a very scary place for everyone, but especially for those who are extremely vulnerable to viral contagions. I am currently in full lockdown mode with no end in sight, unfortunately. My thoughts are with all the infected, and all the medical professionals on the front lines. We are so grateful for the sacrifices you have made to keep our loved ones alive.

Thankfully I am doing well in lockdown. I have had so many caring individuals reach out to check on me during this time. Actually, it seems the Rituxan and Iron have finally put some pep back in my step! (Just in time to be stuck at home! lol) I wake up with a bit of energy now and feel much less fatigue and weakness in my day to day routine. In other good news, it seems the Rituxan is finally benefitting other areas of my body, not just the lungs. I've noticed I can stomach a bit more which has been unbelievably exciting! I am not anywhere near eating regular meals, but, I am doing very well with smoothies and can even occasionally stomach some soft foods. It's really hit or miss, but something is better than nothing!

I hope everyone is staying safe, practicing good hand washing, and exercising their social distancing! Hugs! Elbow bump! hehe