Let's get Physical!....or take a nap

Wow has it really been a year since my last post? I guess on the ITP front not much has changed. I am now in my third year and since last summer I've been bouncing between the 80's and 90's. I owe it to the Rituxan I guess...was really hoping for a remission but not this year it looks like.

Well, on the health front, last summer my "regular" doctor suggested I gain muscle mass again, since for 2 years I was either not allowed to do pretty much anything physical or when I was able to I was too fatigued to even try. SO, after getting the hematologist's ok, i signed up for...gasp!horror!...a gym. AND a personal trainer to kick it off for 2 months. Since there's no way in hell I would have known what to do with all those machines.

Never thought I'd be a gym person but i started to really enjoy it once I learned how to use the machines and integrate my health/diet to really make sure all that work wasn't for nothing. It's easy when you are paying for a trainer, you make sure you go to your sessions. After that was done I had to keep it up on my own. Fast forward to summer...it's been really hot here and I've gotten rather sluggish again.

So, once again I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Little by little. I've gotten "baby" bruises these days due to the exhaustion from the heat, so I'm pacing myself. I've taken a couple swing/rockabilly dance classes which I LOVE. When I was on the prednisone in my 1st crappy year of ITP I took tap clases, which were so great since it was "low impact" exercise and really enjoyable.

SO...if you are looking to get into/stay in shape in a different way than yoga (or a gym) while navigating the murky waters of an illness, I suggest taking a light dance class of some sort if you can.

Week 2

My levels went down to 9k last week, which is the lowest since I was in the hospital when I was first diagnosed. This prompted another increase (only slight since I'm doing infusion) in my medication. Other than that disappointing news, my second Rituxan treatment went without a hitch, though my arms are certainly taking a beating. Bruises everywhere. It looks a little gross but whatever. Infusion #3 tomorrow. Here's hoping for some kind of progress. At least The Dog Whisperer will be on to entertain me.

Plugged into the Martix-an

I started my first course of Rituxan infusion yesterday. It went alot better than anticipated. 6 hours was a bit boring though. I packed the equivalent of a road trip's worth of things to do- but I found myself so spaced out I couldnt focus on anything not even tv. Side effects that made an appearance were hives on my face and a sore throat. Both of which were quickly alleviated with some Benadryl. In fact I felt more ill and woozy from that than from the Rituxan itself! I didnt get any side effects after I was done either. So that's 1 down, 3 more to go. Wish I had something more exciting to report about the experience, but maybe time will tell in the next couple weeks if there's any side effects of note that pop up.