Deciding on a Medication.

As I was packing for vacation I received a call from the doctor's office that my appointment scheduled for the 16th wasn't going to be soon enough. With NMO you can go to bed one night with eye pain and wake up functionally blind and the same goes for paralysis so it's imperative to start treatment as soon as possible. I went ahead and rescheduled my appointment for yesterday.

After discussing the disease a little bit we moved on to what to do next. Today I'll be having some blood tests and chest x-rays done to be sure I don't have any ongoing viral infections and then hopefully in the next two weeks I will have my first infusion of Rituximab. Rituximab is often used in combination with chemotherapy to treat certain types of cancer. My doctor thinks this is the best option for me as it is fast acting and offers long term protection. I'll have to have two infusions every six months. My doctor thinks the infusions are the best option as the pills take too long before they become effective and I am at high risk for relapse. Now we just have to see if my insurance will cover it as the treatment is insanely expensive. I know it's petty and I will gladly take whatever medication will keep me healthy but of the three medications commonly prescribed for NMO, Rituximab is the only one that does not have hair loss as a side effect. This isn't something I discussed with the doctor but was something I discovered upon doing research when I got home. Considering that my hair is the only thing that reminds me of healthy me when I look in the mirror, I count keeping it as a win.

It's been a busy week and it's only going to get busier. Aside from the lab tests I have to see if I can hunt down a flu shot as it's not recommended to get vaccinated once on Rituximab as it's an immune suppressing drug. It's okay that I'm busy though, it finally feels like I'm making progress.