1st Rituximab went like a dream

[djgolding]

No reaction nor effects on the day. Last month's F&C brought WCC down from ~200 to ~7 so it was looking good and no need for an overnighter in hospital. Sat almost waiting for contraindications and was gratified to have none but an excellent service from the team made the day a semi-pleasurable sojourn. Looking forward to getting through this with the least of difficulties. I'm not gloating, just giving heart to those yet to face FCR that there can be good experiences here.

djg

[ygtgo]

So happy to hear that it went well ...

It brightens up my day to hear good news, so thanks for sharing it with us. It does give heart to see the other side of the coin, and it is just as important to hear about the good news. as it is to hear about the technical side of living with CLL.

So here's to you and your excellent team ... which hospital ?

I'll toast your good news with a nice cup of green tea .... no alcohol for ygtgo ................ now I'm feeling blue

[Newdawn Administrator]

Excellent and heartening news djg, long may the great progress continue!

Hope your blue turns to sunny yellow very soon ygtgo...

Newdawn

[ygtgo in reply to Newdawn]

... Emotional Weather Forecast

The ' blues ' of ygtgo will continue until after tomorrows Italy v Scotland Rugby match in Rome ....

.... unfortunately, ( unless the players start doing what ygtgo shouts at the tv ) it will be replaced with a deep depression with gnashing of teeth and pulling out of hair ....

... and as for not being able to drink alcohol ... I've noticed that I no longer understand a word that they are saying on the BBC Alba channel .. ( Gaelic ) !!!

[Oleboyredw-uk]

Good news djg, one comment my team made was that the first cycle shows pretty much how the rest will go in general.

rob

[djgolding]

Thanks folks for all the messages of good cheer. Rob, yours gives me real cheer.

Crosshouse University Hospital, Ayrshire - Ward 3c - way to go team. That's in Scotland for the uninitiated!

More rugby this weekend, still hoping for a Scotland performance worth watching! No wonder I used to drink when watching!

djg

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero in reply to djgolding]

Thanks... I'll be glued to Olympic Ice Hockey... Canada eh!

[ygtgo in reply to Cllcanada]

.... and not too bad at the Curling

[PaulaS Volunteer in reply to ygtgo]

And team GB got a few medals too - more than they usually do...

[olyocl in reply to djgolding]

Glad to hear your good news, it was also nice to know you were so well looked after at Crosshouse Hospital it is in my neck of the woods, I attend Haemo at Ayr Hospital. YEA!! Scotland won the rugby match.

[Hidden in reply to olyocl]

Another local then. I'm just across the water. Inverclyde delivers my punishments. Been blooming expensive in ferry costs since treatment commenced.

[bandsman]

my husband has just started his 5th cycle with no nasty side effects that we can see but cycles 3,4&5 had to be delayed to allow more time for bone marrow to recover, our MacMillan Centre at the QE hosp King's Lynn is also a place deserving of praise, always full of smiles and lively banter in what must be a stressful job. We hope that you continue to do well and look forward to hearing of your progress, best wishes

[djgolding in reply to bandsman]

thank you and all the best for your hubby

[fieldmeadow]

Great news. So pleased for you. My fourth cycle went much better than 1, 2 and 3. So I too am hoping that 5 and 6 will now run smoothly.

Thanks for letting us know how things went. It's good to share experiences.

[jangreen]

Best wishes and Good Luck

[wroxham-gb]

so pleased for you both. Have been reading and digesting the news and comments but have never posted before. you have made me feel better about what is to come. keep up the good news and banter it really helps.

[taraa]

taraa

had my 5th FC chemo December 17th and 18th followed by a injection of Neulastim the 24th then Jan chemo cancelled and will be monitoring bloods. So never got round to the R part but good to hear you did well. I didn't have any bad reactions to anything and did well on the first report but now have only 2 platelets lots of bruising very thin bleeding skin and quite weak. I started with cll in 2004 at age 76 but only started having trouble 2010. Have a great team at local and region hospital.

Learnt a lot from posts since joining recently.

[Hidden]

Sounds like the regime has changed. My FCR all happened in a single week. Retux on day one, along with Flu and Cry, then Flu and Cry for the next two days.

This regime was repeated for another four months when it went wrong on me. Sorry, could not be bothered learning the real names of the little pills - Flu & Cry seemed appropriate. I was 54 when it all started. Now 56 and DOING GREAT.

[djgolding in reply to Hidden]

I'm glad you're doing great Gwendog.

Yep, my F&C are oral and was first used, without R, to bring down my white cell count to reduce chance of tumour lysis syndrome. That worked ~200 down to ~7 showed the strategy worked. So the second time it was IV R on the Thursday then F&C for 3 days after that. I was a bit surprised because I thought I would get FCR on the first day (of set no.2) and then 2 more days of F&C but I was given the F&C (3 days worth) to take home with me after the R treatment.

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero]

There are a number of different FCR protocols, depends if the Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide are IV or pills...

Here is an example of FCR given two ways

mccn.nhs.uk/userfiles/proto...

If you are in the U.S. its IV only....