I had my appointment today. After a sob and long chat with my rheumatologist i'll be starting rituximab at the end of the month. A little scared but glad to be moving forward. Any advice you have would be most welcome.
Thanks for all your lovely comments before & support in the lead up. Feeling more positive tonight.
Hope you all have a lovely weekend & the sun shines xxxx
Written by
pennylane
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Great news that you're starting a new drug and hopefully you'll get some much needed relief. It's always scary starting something new (says me who is only on mtx) but fingers crossed for you that your only side effect will be excellent health I'm hoping for sunshine too so that I can get into the greenhouse and sow some seeds x x
Hope it is a real benefit to you. I had 2 really successful infusion cycles with a good 4-5 months of relief. As well as improvement in pain and stiffness i felt less fatigue and more energy.
You will feel dizzy and a bit strange after it and sleep pattterns messed up. The big dose of anti histamine makes you dizzy and sleepy, then the steroids make you wakeful!
Good luck with this new treatment. It can be really successful. Unfortunately, i had a bad reaction during my 3rd cycle and cant have it again
Sorry to hear you had a bad reaction after such a positive start. Hope you have something else that is helping now. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Fear of the unknown is awful so it helps to know what to expect! Take care xxx
I try hard to eat a healthy diet & due to reflux problems already try the low acidity approach. I read that this can sometimes help with RA. Really interested in the work you are doing with the nutritionist & so so pleased that its helping. Fantastic news & long may it continue!! xxx
Hi, I had my first course of rituximab back in June last year and it has made a huge difference to me, before i got it i was struggling to walk but now i get get around, i think it has been fantastic. The only thing, it can take a while to kick in, in my case it took 4 months before i felt better but some people feel the benefit much quicker. I am going next week for another infusion, that was 10 months since the last one. If you want to ask me anything about it, feel free. Good luck x
Hi, thank you so much for posting. Your experience with rituximab gives me great hope! I think I'm in a similar position, struggling to walk & get around. Good to know how long it took to take effect with you, the rheumatologist said yesterday the disease was raging so possibly 12 weeks plus to see a difference.
Best of luck with your next infusion, so happy it is working or you xxx
I had 3 cycles of Rituximab over a period of about 2.5 yrs, the last one being about 18 months ago. Still take MTX but saw the rheumy in November and he thinks I am in drug induced remission as my symptoms are nearly non-existant. Hope it works well for you.
That's brilliant news! It's great to hear its working so well for you. I can't take MTX after a bad reaction to the tablets & injections but fingers crossed it will make a difference. Thanks for sharing such positive results with this drug. Take care xxx
Hi I think you asked for more details re nutrition approach I am taking, is that right? Got lost getting back into the site and finding you. Let me know if it was indeed you! Joanne
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.