Hi, I was wondering if anyone has had these problems. I have been on Rituximab and Bendamustine treatment since the end of January with only minor annoyances and so far good results. Since this past Saturday I both pulled a muscle in my shoulder and started getting a fever starting in the afternoon till bedtime. My temperature gradually goes up to 38.3C, during the evening I get night sweats but the temperature goes down until the next afternoon. Sunday night I went to the emergency room and they did a complete battery of tests including a virus test (negative) an could not find anything. The following day I called my Oncologist and he advised me to go back to emergency to have a spinal tap to rule out meningitis as I had neck pain, I did and that was negative. The shoulder pull is starting to heal (slowly) but last night the sweats were even more. Not sure what to o next, I think the temperature and sweats are due to the muscle pull and will go away, I have 2 more rounds of chemo starting in 2 weeks. has anyone had a similar situation. lastly I'm 80 years old and my body doesn't heal the way it use to.
Leo
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laldoroty
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Sorry to hear about your problems Leo. I don’t think fever or night sweats would have anything to do with a muscle strain, it’s probably a coincidence your fever coincided with your strain.
There is a correlation between fever and night sweats. Fever is usually associated with a viral, bacterial or even fungal infection. During treatment you can be prone to infections and it sounds like your doctor suspects you have an infection somewhere.
If you are still having a fever I hope your doctor can find the source of whatever is causing it. Some infections just resolve on their own. Others can linger. I just don’t see how a fever or night sweats would relate to a shoulder strain. Good luck.
This may not be not relevant to your case but several years ago I had quite bad pain in my shoulder - around my shoulder blade area - treated as a strain, only to eventually develop a shingles rash a week or so later. Hopefully not so for you though !
I had very similar problems throughout my R&B treatment 2 years ago. Even ended up being admitted to hospital for 4 days on one occasion, but it was all just side effects of the R&B in the end. Night sweats, severe constipation, sudden temperature fluctuations, even an all over body rash at one point. The hospital told me R&B was an easy option for treatment, but when I spoke to other patients at the time, they all reported similar problems. Thankfully it was all worth in the end, as I am in remission and live life normally here in the UK now. Hope you get the result you wish for and require. Regards Eric. p.s. Do let us know how you get along, as this sort of information is vital to others. I found that doctors did not understand these side effects at all, so talking to other patients was a Godsend.
I did have Bendamustine/Rituxan, 6 doses 4 weeks apart. Now been on maintenance Rituxan almost 2 years and hope to discontinue by July. (I have Waldenstrom, not CLL, but very similar treatments.)
Sorry about your sweats and do hope you find the cause. Agree not likely from shoulder problem. I did have a fluctuating temp like you describe years ago and turned out to have a low grade kidney infection. Was treated with antibiotic and that solved that problem.
As for the B/R treatment I didn't have any profuse night sweats but do think my temperature regulation mechanism in my brain is not working right. I feel hot then cold all day and covers off and on at night. But how much is Rituxan and how much age? I'll be 77 next week. Otherwise feel great. Only side effects during the B/R treatment were 3 superficial blood clots from infusions for which I'm now on a blood thinner and did have a retinal vein leakage but it didn't affect vision and has resolved without treatment.
As you have no doubt found, these blood cancers affect everyone differently. Wish you the best and hope your course of treatment is excellent---and that your doctor helps figure out whether the sweats/fevers are related to current treatment or something else that can be treated. Take care.
Hi, sorry you've been having problems. It's my partner who has been on R&B. He literally had his last round of chemo this afternoon and is now having a nap! The days when he feels great, he sometimes overdoes it with DIY jobs in the house because he's feeling great. In the process, he has strained his shoulder/arm a number of times. His temperature is usually about 37o, but he has experienced some night sweats, not all the time, but a few times. I don't know if there's a correlation between the strain and when the night sweats happen. It will be something I will keep my eye on.
I hope that you are feeling better. I was treated with Rituximab last year. I had four infusions over four weeks to treat a total collapse of my platelet count. The treatment was very successful initially. There were mild side effects. I developed a chest infection, went deaf in one ear as a result of another infection and developed a rash over my body which had small yellow heads on. The infections gave me a slight fever and I do suffer from night sweats some of the time is nay event.
The infections were treated but they never really went away until the treatment was completed.
The outcome whilst initially good have not been sustained my platelets counts is on a long path of decline once again. The consultant expressed disappointment and deems the treatment as unsuccessful now. The aim was to cure the reoccurring platelet issue for at least three years.
I suspect that your sweats maybe linked to low grade infections and reactions associated with the drug. These were set out to me in the associated documentation as expected and common side effects of the treatment.
I hope this helps reassure you? My experience of treatment is to date pretty limited but I do understand that there is no such thing as a free meal with treatments and there is usually a downside to them all.
My treatment with B+R was several years ago and went smoothly with no major issues. Remission lasted two years for me. I constantly have hot flushes/sweats though the drenching night sweats only occur when my cell count is back in the hundreds. I didn't suffer with a fever other than when I had an infection. Not too helpful for you I'm afraid. I hope you can get a resolution soon. Best wishes.
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