Tag Archives: CD 20 Inhibitor

The Doctor Didn’t Listen

When I found out my platelets were below normal this year, I went through a variety of emotions, but absent was fear. I was in remission for four years and three months, surely I could do it again. After all, I was in the same hospital system seeing a colleague of my favorite doctor, I thought for sure it would be smooth sailing.

I was wrong.

I had to push for weekly CBCs, not being taken seriously about how quickly my platelets could crash. Two weeks later, I dropped from 129,000 to 53,000. I was put on Prednisone, the drug that destroyed my body and left lasting damage. The doctor assured me it was only a temporary treatment. I thought once ITP showed him what it was capable of, he would take what I say seriously.

Again, I was wrong.

My platelets started to rise, and stayed stable on high doses, but that drug was killing me. I kept asking my doctor about Rituxan, my life saver. The one drug that Dr. Ahn and I knew would put ITP into remission. It dangled in front of me like a carrot. He again refused to prescribe me Rituxan, he was perfectly fine leaving me on the drug that was destroying my body. The doctor kept saying, “Rituxan is not a benign treatment.”

I was in self-preservation mode at this point, getting worse as the weeks went by. I found my new physician, who knew Dr. Ahn and his research. I opened up to him about my desire to use Rituxan and he didn’t string me along. Instead, we created a plan based on how I wanted to fight ITP.

Rituxan worked, again.

I spent four weeks watching as the infusions started fighting back. I also was slowly feeling like myself, regaining my identity beyond just being “sick”.

After all of this, my emotions are still a bit raw. However, I am reminded that Dr. Ahn gave me the tools to continue to fight this disease well after he retired. It wasn’t just preparation for a single victory against ITP, but a lifetime of fighting back.

So here I am, in remission.

The doctor didn’t listen, so I found one who did.

Remission Accomplished

Left: Bloodwork two weeks after IVIg. Right: Bloodwork one week after my final Rituxan infusion.

My second attempt at repurposing Rituxan was a success. The last two weeks were busy and I was tired, so I decided not to blog.

It was incredible to see my platelets return to normal half way through the infusions. I continued with the IV steroids as part of my pre-medication routine, so I did not have any reactions. However, I had to ask for it every time so I will be requesting that this becomes a standard part of infusion prep when we start a trial. While they generally just give Benadryl and Tylenol to cancer patients using Rituxan because they need to gauge their reaction, this is unnecessary for ITP.

On the left is my bloodwork taken before my third infusion, on the right was my CBC before my final infusion. Huge difference in one week!

Overall, I am relieved that I am back in remission again. However, this was quite the physical and emotional rollercoaster. I am still tired, and likely will be for the next few weeks. I am trying to take a short nap every day to keep my energy up. I have noticed that the brain fog is completely gone, and I am very “clear headed” now. The purpura is gone, but I do have some darker spots where they once were. I am hoping they will go away in a few more weeks. My taste buds are still a little off, but not nearly as bad as before.

I’m still pretty burnt out emotionally, this was a hard fight and it took a lot out of me having to constantly advocate for every little thing. I certainly don’t want to go through this again in a few years when ITP comes back, so I am pushing to get Rituxan on label.

I’ll see the doctor again next month, and it will be interesting to see what my platelets are at. From there, we will decide how often I see him. I am looking forward to a break! I will be seeing a new Rheumatologist to address my Fibromyalgia and Sjögren’s Syndrome. However, I have noticed less joint pain since I finished my infusions. Perhaps some of that was B-cell related as well.