Hi all, awhile since I've been on here. I have now finished my 6 monthly cycles of treatment for NHL Bendamustine with Rituzimab. All has gone remarkably well and consultant is very pleased with result of the end of treatment scan which shows virtually no remaining lumps. However, the drugs have impaired my liver. This was noticed after the first treatment so the Bendamustine dose was reduced from 125% to 90% and all remaining treatments were at the lower does. However despite feeling well and having no noticeable jaundice, the tests are still showing irregularities in my liver function. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it likely to clear once all the drugs are out of my system and is there anything I should or could be doing to aid liver recovery? Apart from the chemo I was also on steroids, daily anti viral tablets and weekend antibiotics, now stopped. I feel well in myself and slowly getting my muscle strength back, but obviously (and sadly) the celebratory glass of prosecco is off the menu! All advice welcome x
Hi again Rose 321 and first well done in getting through your treatment.
Unfortunately post treatment 'issues' can be normal but on the whole these all sort themselves out once the actual treatment effects have passed through your body....... This actually takes longer than you would imagine as by the end of your various treatments there is an accumulation of the strength of the drugs for the body to deal with.
I had no Liver problems so cant talk to this but did have Kidney problems and even now - 6.5 years on from my last treatment I still can have Kidney issues if I don't drink my 2 liters of water a day - every day.
As to what you can do to aid your Liver recovery..... this needs to be put to your clinical team.
When I said water I should have said I often flavoured the water during treatment but now I just have two 1 litres water bottles in the fridge and my aim is for it to be finished by the end of the day…… I actually drink one litre first thing with my Lansoprazole an hour before I have any breakfast.
You have to be prepared for your body to take a good few months to recover 
I am also a child of the fifties and remember being milk monitor and taking the small ‘warm’ bottles of milk round the classrooms 
You get fluid in what ever way you can…… it’s important not to get uptight about it. I always find drinking simpler during the summer months.
I have lived with my rare skin NHL for 23 years and two day 
…… My Dermatologist drummed the importance of hydration from the very first day as this was one of the tools that would help my skin but also my other organs.
He would always say that our skin was our bodies largest organ but the one we tend to unknowingly abuse most.
During my two Stem Cell Transplants I was in my little room for about a month at a time and over this time the amazing nurse team were very strict with regards to my fluid and food intake……. with ‘Everything’ that went in and ‘came out’ of my body being monitored
If I had not reached my fluid intake by bed time I would be put on IV saline all night. Although I had got used to many many nights connected to my various IV treatments I wanted to reduce these broken sleep nights as this required regular pump checks, pump alarms going off so I would gulp down my ‘required’ top up.
((Hugs))
