IL-2 Tip Sheet
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND I AM NOT A DOCTOR, BUT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH OTHERS MY EXPERIENCE WITH IL-2 AND THINGS THAT HELPED ME AND COULD POSSIBLY HELP YOU.
The first thing you want to do before you step foot into your room that you will be doing treatment in is have someone wipe down your entire room with sanitizers, including the T.V. remote, bed rails, door handles, ANYTHING that you could possibly touch. My husband and daughter would go in and do a clean sweep; all too often patients get infections in hospitals.
Things to bring
- Your own sheets, pillow, and blanket
- Your own P.J.’s and make sure they are baggy (bring some summer ones and some warmer ones as you will be hot-cold-hot-cold)
- Soft toilet paper
- 2 cases of bottled water
- 2 bunches of bananas
- SARNA anti-itch lotion
- A good lip balm
- A I-pod or some music that has a headset- bring relaxing music
- Some sort of protein drink that is sugar free that can be mixed with water
- A tube of hypo allergenic petroleum jelly (for your eyes lids) My eye lids itched really bad and peeled)
- A heating pad
- Slide on slippers
- A package of body wipes, as natural as you can find them without a lot of perfumes etc to irritate your skin
- If someone is sleeping over with you every night (which I recommend if possible) go to the craft store and buy 4” foam padding the shape of a sleeping bag, to put under the sleeping bag.
During and after Treatment
Have them give you an Adivan an hour before they do the PICC line
As soon as you feel the slightest sensation of cold feet, hands, chilly etc. ask for the warm heated blankets that the hospital should have on hand.
Before the first dose of IL-2 comes, plug in the heating pad and have it under your feet
If the warm blankets don’t stop you from shaking, ask them to give you Morphine before it turns into the rigors. Provided the patient has no reactions to morphine.
Make sure you drink, drink, drink as much water as you can. This is very important. It will help avoid renal failure. And don’t let them tell you that the I.V. fluids you are getting are enough. It’s NOT.
They will give you the common things for nausea and or vomiting. If nothing is working tell them to give you Marinol. It works wonders for most people.
Make sure they give you get Lasix water pills before you leave the hospital. You will gain anywhere from 20-30 lbs of fluid, don’t panic it will come off in just a few short days with the water pills.
Try to eat 2 bananas a day so your potassium levels don’t get depleted.
As soon as your mouth starts feeling sore (its thrush) tell them to give you the mouth spit (forgot the name) its pink and you swish it but if this doesn’t help and your mouth gets really bad tell them to give you Lidocaine Viscous
Usually after a couple days you either wont feel like eating or can’t this is when it’s good to drink the protein shake.
When your heart rate starts to go really high have someone massage your feet, this will help lower it for a while. normal
When your blood pressure drops they will work with it to raise it, so this is normal.
If you can’t sleep make sure they give you a sleep aid.
You will also experience fevers, and they will keep you on Tylenol.
Once you are home have easy things around to eat like Mac & Cheese, chicken noodle soup etc.
Also take cool Oatmeal baths 2X a day and as soon as you get out lather the SARNA lotion all over.
Make sure they also send you home with itch pills called Hydroxyzine HCL. These help a lot
If you have fluid in your ears take a benadryl, this helps a lot. (provided you are not allergic)