About To Start Rituxan

So after having been on & off prednisone and tapering off of it. I'm about to start Rituxan! I'm just concerend about my job. I'm a waitress 5 days a week and haven't told work about my ITP. Do I need to be around people eating and there germs? Do I need to cut back on my hours, take a month break, or do nothing? Plus my colleges classes. Just share your experiences, thoughts, etc? Would love to hear from y'all

Hello. I kept my normal routine while doing Rituxan. I only needed to take off of work the day of the infusions since they took so long, and was fine for work the following day. Most people have had the same experience. Most side effects, if any, occur during the infusion. I did have a fever one night after the infusion and just took some Ibuprofen to get going the next day.

Try to see if you can schedule it on a Friday or whatever day you have the least amount of things to do the following day. You should be fine. If you do have any sort of reactions, you'd be in the rare group!

As for germs, most people do not find that they get sick more often during or after Rituxan. It happens sometimes but they may have gotten sick anyway. Just be careful, wash your hands often and take precautions.

Hi,

I work in a school and was able to work right through the 4 weeks during rituxan treatment, other than the day each week off for the infusions.

I did not get sick more than usual, i washed my hands and took usual precautions.

Hi Savvyj,

My wife, Ellen, just finished her fourth dose of low-dose Rituxan. She felt pretty crummy her 1st treatment, and the others were a breeze. She did miss a full day of work each time.

The loss of germ-fighting ability from the Rituxan is probably less than from the prednisone. Ellen works with AIDS patients in an infectious disease clinic, and is exposed to all varieties of nasty microbes. Still, she has been assured that she does not have to stop working. I will admit, it does make me nervous!

I scheduled my treatments on a Fri. I work nights and took Thr night off for the treatment on Fri. The first treatment will more than likely last all day. It is started slow to see how you tolerate it. The other 3 may take a few hours less. So you will for sure need to take the day of the treatment off. As far as germs, the best defense is hand washing/sanatizer. Rituxan can take several weeks after the last treatment before it can start working. So do not get discouraged if counts bounce around during the treatments.
Good Luck!!

Thanks for y'all's input. I start this Friday. I'll let y'all know how it goes. I have another question, I'm just wondering about alcohol. I know not to drink when I'm doing rituxan. I'm not the type who will get drunk. I just have wine, rum punches, or piña coladas every once in awhile. I'm just wondering if I drink before I start rituxan will that be a bad thing?

A day before or an hour before? That matters.

LOL. Anyway if i were to have a drink while watching the football game tonight, it won't affect me for my treatment on friday