My Journey with Benlysta: Infusion #1
I was excited about the possibility of finding relief from my lupus symptoms, even if only from some of them. After living with lupus for 19+ years, I've taken just about every medication on the market: Plaquenil, NSAIDs, Methotrexate, Imuran, prednisone, muscles relaxers, anti-depressants, antibiotics, pain medication (for acute & chronic pain), Remicade, steroid injections in just about every joint in my body, over-the-counter remedies, vitamins, supplements, etc.; and, the list goes on. Some worked better than others and some didn't work at all. I was thrilled and hopeful for the first time in a long time.
It took 2 - 3 weeks to acquire approval from my medical insurance company. Once that happened, the infusion nurse called to schedule my first infusion and explain the process. She was so kind, patient and answered all of my questions. I was both excited and nervous all at the same time!
Feb. 13th: Infusion Day
I arrived at the doctors office early. I had on comfortable clothes, a sweater in case I got chilled, reading material and snacks. The nurse came to collect me & we walked back to the infusion room. It was a large room with sunlight pouring in and 6 large chairs on one side of the room across from the nurses station. There were several people already there in various stages of infusions. The nurse got me situated in an overstuffed leather recliner that looked more comfortable than my bed!
Leading up to this day, I'd been a little anxious about the infusion process. You see, I'm a self-prescribed needle phobe …. I hate them! Every time I have blood drawn is an exercise in mental yoga! You'd think after 20 years of being poked and prodded I'd be used to it. Not so much. I'm aware it's an issue and have tried various methods over the years for dealing with it.
Generally, I deploy the "distraction" method … think of anything other than what's sticking in my arm! I avoid looking directly at the IV/needle, focus on my deep breathing exercises and as long as the nurse keeps me talking, I'm usually okay. And can't go wrong with my fave topic … my pup,
Giggles!
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| How cute is she? |
And then things started to get FUZZY ….
The infusion nurse began prepping me: took my blood pressure, temperature, dose of Tylenol and asked a bunch of questions prior to inserting the IV. I was a tad nervous and anxious, but felt had things well under control. Nurse was aware of my needle phobia & doing an awesome job of chatting me up! The next thing I knew she said the IV in … all done. Wow, that was fast & didn't even feel it. Very impressed. Then, as the steroid began flowing through the IV, I started feeling lightheaded. Despite being seated in a big comfy recliner, I was getting quite dizzy. I slowed my breathing down and took deep breaths, but it worsened. I informed the nurse as the dizziness continued. My field of vision became blurry and fuzzy; as if, the room was closing in around me.
I felt sweaty and chilled all at the same time and the nausea was escalating! My blood pressure had dropped like a rock in a bucket of water! The nurse was fanning my face & monitoring my blood pressure. Thought maybe I needed a jolt of something so asked for some juice and started eating the saltines I brought …. drank some apple juice and the dizziness & nausea began to subside; and, slowly I returned to normal (whatever that means, ha!). Phewww, crisis averted!
After that rough start, I busied myself with reading, texting, looking at cute dog photos; and the hour flew by quickly.
When I walked outside into the Florida sunshine, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment!!!
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