Round 3, PET scan and Round 4 … DONE!

First off, HAPPY 2021! I cannot believe we are here and 2020 is now behind us.

I am sorry I haven’t shared in the last few months but it was a bit chaotic with December and end of year. Had to finish up with work and get that settled before I could enjoy a nice holiday break.

This post will be a bit long (hopefully not that long 😉) as I will try to share the last two months of treatment and the PET scan in between. Ok, here we go…

December 2020 was round 3 of treatment. After my experience or more like my reaction in November 2020 with the subcutaneous rituxan (injection), I was super hesitant for this round. I did met with my hematologist/oncologist after the reaction to injection of the rituxan and it was determined that I would get Pepcid (which also serves as antihistamine). I go in for round 3 treatment and the nurse goes over my premeds and mentions that along with the Benadryl, I would get the Pepcid. I prayed that this new premeds would help and not create any issues.

As December 2020 I was off the last week and half of the month, I decided to head to my parents house for the rest of the month after round 3 treatment. I was in desperate need of a change in scenery.

The good news was that I did NOT have a reaction to the injection, even though the nausea and tiredness set in, I was like I’ll take that over the redness, swelling and pain! 👍🏽

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The holiday break was much needed and being at my parents house felt very comforting. My mom and dad took care of Penelope and me and we LOVED it! ❤️ Home cooked meals and lots of pampering. I took each day easy and no stress. We walked around the neighborhood and at the park. We spent time outside in their backyard. Penelope got to run around the house and outside and she has the best time of her life. When it was time to come back home, it was bittersweet.

During the holiday break, I was scheduled to get a PET scan. My hematologist/oncologist wanted to check how things were going after 3 rounds of treatment. After my first experience with the PET scan, I was dreading it. 😫 My mom came up with me as I didn’t go by myself. Even though she wasn’t able to go into the clinic, at least I knew she was outside with Penelope. The morning of the PET scan I had to had all the coffee and food as I wasn’t able to eat or drink anything but water after 7 am. We got to the clinic and I checked in. I was called in to into the get prepped. I mentioned to the nurse that I had a little panic attack the first time but did tell him that I had to leave my mask on and he said, well this time, you can take it off. Hallelujah! The first step is to have the radioactive drug (tracer) injected and wait for 45 mins. After waiting, then I went into the scanner room and got ready to go into the tube. This time around, I took my mask off, took deep breaths and went in. It took about 25 mins to complete the full scan from my head/neck to my pelvis. After it was done, I was so happy no panic attack ensued and we came back home. Now had to wait for the results and see the doctor early January 2021.

Got back to SD and needed to prep to start working and go into round 4 that first week of January 2021. It felt nice to be home, in my bed and our routine. As per usual, my parents came up the day before treatment days. The first day of treatment I was also going to meet with my doctor to go over my PET scan results. AS he was reviewing the results, I knew we had gone in the right direction with treatment. The results did show reduction in my lymph nodes and zero to little activity of the lymphoma. I was elated to hear this news 🤩💖 that I shared with EVERYONE! He still wants to continue the treatment and end by March 2021.

Round 4 of treatment had its ups and downs. The injection of the rituxan did create some redness while I was at the infusion center. The nurse taking care of me that day was super nice and attentive. They gave me a bit more Benadryl and wait for 10 – 15 mins to see if the redness reduced. Which it did so I got to go home and rest and ice. By the end of the day, the redness went away so I was very grateful to the nurses for taking care of me so well. 🙏🏽 😍 The second day of treatment was uneventful which is a good thing. The nausea and tiredness did set in until Sunday morning and it ended on Tuesday morning so it was bit longer to feel better

As the month ends, I am dealing with other issues that come with chemo like a kidney infection. So not fun at all but my PCP office is taking care of me and I am on antibiotics to take care of that infection. I ask you to keep praying and sending your good vibes my way. I truly appreciate them.

COURAGE OVER FEAR will get us through our challenging season! 💖 Wear your Mask, it SAVES Lives! 😷