The appointment was called for 11 but as I’m walking out my door, I received a call that they still didn’t have the pre-medicine orders from my doctor. After  that call was made, yet again, they informed me I can come at 12:00. I got there and it just took time to get things rolling. Except for a TV and a comfy chair, it was an institutional type of room. However, the people were very nice.

I knew exactly what to expect because the procedure for Ocrevus is the same as Rituxan. After the line was started, I was given a dose of Benedryl. This I warn everyone about!!! Benedryl through an IV is nothing like taking a pill. If you don’t know what to expect it can be quite unnerving. The first time I received it, I felt like they gave me morphine. For about 5-10 minutes I felt lightheaded, woozy and drugged. Luckily I was sitting. However, I had no warning I’d feel this way so I got scared instantly until they explained it was the Benedryl. The next time I received I looked forward to it, it is quite a rush when you’re prepared for it. This time was different. The nurse administered the dose very slowly but when he flushed the line to prepare for the second step of the infusion process the Benedryl got rushed through my blood. I immediately started to cough because I almost couldn’t breathe for a second. It felt like my lung and heart constricted instantaneously and I just couldn’t catch my breath.  It was very scary, passed very fast but never experienced that feeling before. So be prepared with the Benedryl if you ever get it through an IV line.

After that I received a 250mg dose of steroids over 30 minutes. That’s nothing for me since for years I’d take 1000mg for four consecutive days during an MS relapse. Then came the Ocrevus which is a step up drip over 2 1/2 hours. That means every 1/2 hour they increase the rate the infusion is dripping in the IV line. After the Ocrevus I sit for an hour for observation. That’s all there was to it. I go back in two weeks for the second half of the dose and from there I get the full dose once every 6 months.

I feel fine today, maybe slightly tired but that could be more from my fall on Sunday night then the infusion. The infusion itself was basically uneventful which is how it should be. I planned on a day of rest today anyway just in case.