Treatment – Day 1

The First Treatment: A Blow by Blow

The first hookup was 25mg of benadryl, followed by 50 mg of rituximab. For a few moments at the beginning of the benadryl, I could taste the medicine. That passed quickly. The benadryl made me feel like I weighed 300 pounds and was moving in slow motion. No reaction to the rituxan after 10 minutes or so. Hopefully, it stays that way…
20 minutes in and all I feel is tired from the benadryl. Nothing uncomfortable so far… 40 minutes in. Ready for a nap… 15 minutes to go. Benadryl is mostly worn off. Not feeling so tired. No adverse reactions to the drug.

All of this is so bizarre.

How can someone feel so healthy, yet be sick? If I hadn’t been such a neurotic freak, poking at a slightly swollen lymph node in my neck, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now, and the lymphoma would just be doing its thing without me knowing it was even there.