Chemo Part B started on Tuesday with MethoTREXate for 24 hours. They started Cytarabine on Wednesday for 2 hours for every 12 hours. Thursday Joe was very lethargic, no appetite and slept most of the day. His speech was slurred and very weak. MDACC started the monoclonal antibody, Rituximab, at 50 ml for the first hour which went OK but when it increased to 100 ml he got very cold and I kept adding and getting blankets. The rigors started where his teeth chattered and body trembled cause he was so cold. I put my electric heating throw and place it on him and got the nurse who gave him a shot of something that calmed him down about 10 minutes later. They stopped the Rituximab for 30 minutes. They will restart it at a lower pace. Joe has stopped trembling at 2:45AM. He then thew up and they gave him anti nausea medicine. They restarted the Rituximab at about 3AM but at 50 ml. Joe is not as cold now but still not right. I am staying up to help him and to watch.
3:06 am BP 136/67 HR 117
_____________________
The nurse raised the Rituximab back up to 100ml at 3:30 AM. He is no longer cold. In fact he is out from underneath all the blankets right now.
____________________
4AM- now at 150 ml. Joe had to use the bathroom but too late to get a sample since there was no plastic hat in the toilet. Weak but able to get to the bathroom on his own. Getting oxygen again. Temp 102.6 BP 124/62 HR 119. Stopped the Rituximab again for 30 minutes because of the fever at 4:14 AM. Blood samples taken at 4:30 AM.
____________________
5:20 AM Temp 100.9, now 75 ml Rituximab, Joe drinking lots of Orange Juice over ice.
5:52 AM Temp 101.7, HR 101 , BP 104/57, Stopped Rituximab again. Nurse to call On Call DR.
__________
We must have both fallen asleep about 6AM. It is now 8:40 AM and the beep beep beep of the chemo pump woke me up. Joe's Rituximab pump is now at 200ml !!!!!! He looks comfortable right now. Praise the Lord!
________
Friday Morning 9AM temp 98.6 NORMAL, BP 106/64 , HR 96 (coming down finally) Joe is more ALERT and talking clearly right now (FINALLY). Long, long NIGHT!
________
No comments:
Post a Comment