August 3, 2013 - Day One, Post-Infusion

After my 12 wonderful hours of sleep, I got up, showered, had a yummy orange cranberry scone and coffee for breakfast, and started in on the water.  To aid in flushing the bad stuff out, it's recommended to drink 2-3 quarts of water in the 48 hours following a Rituxan infusion.  Now, I'm SO not a big water drinker - I'm lucky if I can get through one 16-oz bottle a day.  But I started guzzling as soon as I woke up and got two quarts down by the end of the day.

Body aches, chills, and flu-like symptoms are common with Rituxan, but I didn't have any of that.  I did, however, have a really mild low-grade fever.  I could tell because when I got dressed, I put on yoga pants and a sweatshirt - in August.  I took my temp throughout the day and it consistently hovered right at 99; normal for me is 97 degrees.

I was tired, probably from the lingering effects of the Benadryl, so I decided just to lay low for the day.  I set up camp in the front bedroom with my books and magazines and music and, most importantly, my 200 pounds of Rottie nursedogs.



Jake was snuggled up to my right, while
Piper took her turn on watch.

I resisted the urge to get up and DO SOMETHING - I hate laying around being a slug - and just stayed put.  I dozed and rested and let the Rituxan do its job pretty much all day.

Later, the dogs and I moved into the living room for a change of scenery.....

Oh brother.  Tough life. 
Well, at least I had a change of scenery.

I never felt the flu-like symptoms, nausea, or anything except a little sleepiness.
YAY!

I didn't really eat anything all day except one of LaLa's kick-ass Warrior Cookies (just wasn't expending any energy to need fuel!), so by dinner time I was again STARVING; after feasting at Chili's, I had a stroll around Barnes and Noble to look at books.  About 24 hours post-infusion, I developed a mild case of diarrhea (again, apologies for being gross), which is another possible Rituxan side effect, but my fever returned to normal.

All-in-all, it was a pretty uneventful Post-Infusion Day One - and that's how we like it!