Bendamustine + Rituximab and fever

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smifff
smifff Member Posts: 2
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

My first post here. 

I have Mantle Cell Lymphoma and started B+R chemo 2 weeks ago. The last couple of days I have been fighting high temperatures. Fevers up to 103. Tylonol helps and launches me into a sweat and the fever goes down. My clinic has taken cultures to see if there's any infection, but given that all my blood counts and numbers still look good, they have no real idea what this is. They are showing the right amount of concern but they appear to be at a loss to cite the cause.

Anyone here have anything similar? Early in chemo, a fever from nowhere? 

I couldn't find anything on this board or elsewhere relating to this.

Reading here abd elsewhere, it does appear that cancer and its treatment are all as unique as snowflakes.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

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  • illead
    illead Member Posts: 884 Member
    #2
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    Hope this helps

    My husband started having severe symptoms after diagnosis and before starting Benda/rit. He had night sweats, rigors and also high fevers, 103.  The high temp and rigors occurred at the same time.  When the rigors subsided, I would use cool towels under his arms, behind his knees, and forhead, neck etc.  That would take it down and then it would break shortly after.  It only happened a few times.  It also happened while he was getting his first rituxan infusion, but the rigors stopped and his fever went down, so we assumed it was the symptoms especially since that was the last time during his first chemo protocol that he had further issues.  However, he relapsed again last year 4 yrs. after his first relapse and was put on revlimid (pill) and rituxan.  Oddly during the infusion, he had the rigors again, so bad they had to stop it and he had to go the next day to finish.  He did not have the fever however.  Since then he has had rit infusions once/mo at first and now every 2 mos. and no problems.  I really think your fevers are just part of the symptoms of lymphoma and will probably disappear.  On a side note I hope you are going to a cancer center that is very familiar and cutting edge with MCL,  If not I suggest that you do some homework and check some of them out and have a plan in place to get a second opinion if you relapse.  I can help if you feel like sharing the vicinity where you live.  Hope I was able to help and feel free to ask me anymore ??? you may have.  You can also private message me. Just click on CSN email in the brown box and it will prompt you.  It is private with no emails being shared unless the participants choose to.

    My best to you,

    Becky   

  • smifff
    smifff Member Posts: 2
    #3
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    illead said:

    Hope this helps

    My husband started having severe symptoms after diagnosis and before starting Benda/rit. He had night sweats, rigors and also high fevers, 103.  The high temp and rigors occurred at the same time.  When the rigors subsided, I would use cool towels under his arms, behind his knees, and forhead, neck etc.  That would take it down and then it would break shortly after.  It only happened a few times.  It also happened while he was getting his first rituxan infusion, but the rigors stopped and his fever went down, so we assumed it was the symptoms especially since that was the last time during his first chemo protocol that he had further issues.  However, he relapsed again last year 4 yrs. after his first relapse and was put on revlimid (pill) and rituxan.  Oddly during the infusion, he had the rigors again, so bad they had to stop it and he had to go the next day to finish.  He did not have the fever however.  Since then he has had rit infusions once/mo at first and now every 2 mos. and no problems.  I really think your fevers are just part of the symptoms of lymphoma and will probably disappear.  On a side note I hope you are going to a cancer center that is very familiar and cutting edge with MCL,  If not I suggest that you do some homework and check some of them out and have a plan in place to get a second opinion if you relapse.  I can help if you feel like sharing the vicinity where you live.  Hope I was able to help and feel free to ask me anymore ??? you may have.  You can also private message me. Just click on CSN email in the brown box and it will prompt you.  It is private with no emails being shared unless the participants choose to.

    My best to you,

    Becky   

    Thank you

    I am very confident with my Oncology center and my oncologist who was previously at MD Anderson here in Texas and has a good grasp on MCL and has been treating it for a while. He noted and quoted some of the break throughs and his rapidly evolving approach to relapses. I had not symptoms before chemo other than (when I looked back I realized) I was tired. The infusion for me went quickly and the fever started on day 10. My blood counts being what they are and in the absence of an infection has left them (and I mean I was party to group conversation) clutching at possible causes but no real answer. I started on Levoquin yesterday and it is kicking in so mabe ther is a bacterial infection they cannot detect and this will sort it out. 

    Send your husband my best. It sounds like I have a long way to go but science is hopefully going to catch up with MCL sooner rather than later.

    I sounds like he has the kind of loving support he needs to deal with this. I am also fortunate in that way.

    Bob

  • illead
    illead Member Posts: 884 Member
    #4
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    Perfect

    Hi Bob,

       I am so glad you answered back.  Well, you are definitley in the best hands with your oncologist and I am sure he has been and is one of the best with MCL.  My husband Bill is a patient of Dr. Wang at MDA.  Doesn't sound like my info about fevers is really related but I am sure your onc will figure it out.  I of course have no clue but sounds like maybe it is just something "off the wall" and totally unrelated, they will figure it out.  That's the thing tho, after a cancer diagnosis, it seems that every little sniffle, burp or whatever,...we think is related to cancer, so hopefully it is just some other thing out there.  Please tho let us know what you find out, every little bit of info is important.    You are right about the progress in research with MCL, it is ominous and ongoing, so it makes it a lot easier to continue on with our lives, which I hope you and your family are doing.  There is so much more out there and we are very hopeful.  Thank you for your kind words and please thank your wife for her support of you and tell her I truly know how she feels.  Also tell her to keep MCL on the back burner and leave it up to your Dr. and just continue to carry on with your normal live as much as possible, and that goes for you too of course.  All that said tho, I do feel that it is very important to keep informed as much as you can.

    Hang in there,

    Becky 

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