Not everyone with Lupus gets serum sickness, and not everyone that gets serum sickness has Lupus. I have just seemed to notice an increase in serum sickness with Rituxan in Lupus patients. I didn't want to worry you over it, just be aware of a potential possibility. It goes away in about 5 to 7 days, although it did seem to stir up inflammation that lasted a long time for me.
It just seems to hit in the middle of the night (for most people) about two to three weeks after the first infusion. I had: severe joint pain, headache, hives, muscle pain, fever, etc. For me, it was worse than childbirth and I had two totally natural deliveries with no drugs. It can be treated with steroids. If you get it, you can never have Rituxan again and most doctors tend to misdiagnose it if they have never seen it before.
Sorry to scare you....there is a good chance you will be fine.
