Well I finally was able to take my MS meds again. Last time was January 19. That was Kesimpta. I made the decision to go back to Rituxan after using Kesimpta for six months. I had 3 UTI’s, Covid and a pneumonia within that 6 months. I didn’t think it was the drug for me. I have had issues with Rituxan in the past, skin issues. I can’t say all my infusions have been smooth sailing. I just never needed IV antibiotics or hospital stays from those issues.

My infusion went fine yesterday at the start. I kept my arms under my blanket to keep them warm. I did a good job because we found a vein for the IV immediately. However, my veins suck. I had about an hour left of the infusion and my vein blew. It was after the 45 minutes of steroids, after the Benadryl push and after about 2 hours of Rituxan. So close. My arms were now cold. I was actually sweating and had my fan running. I became a pincushion. I was stuck at least 8 times. Even with hot towels wrapped around my arms, my veins were not coming up. Finally, she got one in a painful spot on my left arm directly under my wrist bone. I couldn’t move because it wasn’t a good spot so I sat motionless as we completed the infusion. We started at 11 finished at 6. Long day.

I felt fine during and directly after the infusion. I am expecting some side effects from the steroids. I also expect I will feel more tired than usual. This was always typical after the Rituxan infusion. I’m sure I’ll be writing about it next week. I’m happy to say I’m done for the next 6 months. Maybe just maybe after the side effects, I’ll get a little stronger. One can always hope.