Hi, @valandsheri. Who’s more nervous, you or your husband? ☺️ It’s so normal to feel this way before beginning a new treatment. Especially when you’re just entering that odyssey of chemo and cancer. That always conjures up the worst of our fears. Most of the time, they’re unfounded.
We get through one day at a time, the chemo does it job for us and then, if the meds do what they’re supposed to do, we go on about our lives with a new appreciation for what we’ve endured and how brave we are.

Having had serious blood cancer myself, I can vouch for the advantage going into treatment healthy and hearty. It does make a huge difference.
However, he will have some side effects. That’s inevitable. I think you mentioned in another post that he’ll be taking Bendamustine and Rituxan. The Bendamustine may leave him feeling some nausea or fatigue. His white blood count may drop. The Rituxan is an immunosuppressant so both of those meds will impact his immune system, making him more vulnerable to infection, colds, etc., It will be important to be mindful about exposure to Covid, flu or fungal infections (no gardening for a while).
The nurses in the infusion center will take great care of him tomorrow. With his first infusion they will go slowly. If there is a reaction to Rituxan, it is usual in the first infusion and rather common. The nurses will give him meds beforehand to lessen the reaction or have it standing by in case he needs it. Usually if that happens, slowing the drip rate is all that’s necessary.
Have him take a bag with snacks, something to occupy his time like crossword puzzle, ipad, etc. They can take up to a couple hours.
You’re both going to get through this. ☺️ I think the caregiver roll is worse than that of the patient sometimes. I watched my husband age while I underwent all of my excitement. He bore the brunt of all of it while I just sat and let my doctors make the decisions. But here we are on the back side of treatment, 4 years later and it’s as though nothing happened. With his treatments, we’ll hope the same for you and your husband.
Let me know how he does tomorrow! And you…☺️

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