Why my MS relapse was not a relapse…

By Cherie C. Binns RN BS MSCN

an MS Patient's story

I have been pretty much off the radar as far as my writing is concerned for several months now.  If you read my article “Cytoxan as an MS Therapy” dated July 10, 2010, you will know that I have been on Cytoxan to manage my Multiple Sclerosis (MS) now for nearly two years at this point.   Several months ago, I began not “bouncing back” after each infusion as rapidly and I had fewer and fewer good days.   Here is what things began to look and feel like.

Tuesday mornings every three weeks, a drive of 6 blocks in our small seaside Historic New England town would have me at our Community Infusion Center.  Leah, my nurse, would insert a special needle into the port in my right upper chest below my collarbone (much more comfortable than having blood drawn or starting an IV) and withdraw 10 cc of blood from the artery leading into the right side of my heart (where the tip of the catheter from the port rests).  She then sent this off to the adjoining hospital lab for complete blood count, sedimentation rate and every other visit for liver function studies and a basic metabolic panel to assure that my blood values did not indicate a problem that would negate getting the Cytoxan that morning.  Once the White cell count was called back to her and was above **2.0 (normal count being between 4.0 and 10.0) she would give me a dose of Zofran over 15 minutes in the IV to combat nausea, wait a half hour with a slow drip of saline running then , over the course of the next half hour, I would receive 1500 mg of Cytoxan through the port.

**[With Cytoxan therapy, white blood cell count is    

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Disclaimer:  'MS Views and News' (MSVN), does not endorse any products or services found on this blog. It is up to you to seek advice from your healthcare provider. The intent of this blog is to provide information on various medical conditions, medications, treatments, and procedures for your personal knowledge and to keep you informed of current health-related issues. It is not intended to be complete or exhaustive, nor is it a substitute for the advice of your physician. Should you or your family members have any specific medical problem, seek medical care promptly.