Third Arzerra infusion went OK, sort of..and other concerns

I was admitted to hospital last Friday so could get the whole 2,000 mg of ofatumumab if rate had to be slowed due to reaction.  My onco had me take the equivalent of 20 mg of dexamethasone (~130 mg of prednisone) the night before, which along with another loading dose of same and Benadryl we had hoped to avoid another infusion reaction. Unfortunately I did have a cough and wheeze reaction at 100 cc/hr (half the max rate) so we dialed the rate back and slowly worked up again to 100 cc/hr, but no higher as I was resigned to staying overnight. So, at 3:30 AM the infusion was complete. I got a unit of platelets as my count was 5K again, but my hemoglobin on admission was 9.5 (3 days past transfusion). My total WBC was in the 80K range which was disappointing but I was reassured that may have been due to the steroid load....

So far no lymph node decrease that I can tell but am trying to tell myself my spleen seems less palpable. Three days after the hospital stay my counts were as follows total WBC 20K, Hgb 7.5 and plts 7K. Only got platelets yesterday.

Two new issues, of concern:

• What I thought was an insect bite on my ankle slow to heal has gotten necrotic looking with some surrounding redness and increasing pain. My onco was alarmed, started me on amoxicillin-clavulinate and am to see an infectioius disease specailist tomorrow as it could be something more exotic - atypical Lyme perhaps? Have had before with a necrotic looking skin lesion rather than the typical halo appearance. Many deer ticks in the woods where and I walked the dogs in the woods almost daily this past week. Having had Lyme X 2-3 and anaplasmosis, I am very careful to check for ticks. Since one sees far fewer in the heat and humidity of July and August, I may have let my guard down. ..so far 24 hours on the antibiotic there has been no spread but it sure is painful. If something exotic or worrisome, my onco may hold my Arzerra this week, again to be given in hosptial...
• Yesterday in the onco office my weight was only 159 lb, which is the lowest its been.. I weighed myself clothed only in birthday suit  this AM and was only 153, which is about right - shoes and clothes usually weigh about 6 lb....I guess I really do have signiificant muscle wasting - cancer cachexia, as it were - and don't know if increasing calories may help. I may try the Ensure Muscle Health shakes and if I can get feeling just a bit better, ie less need for RBC transfusion may do some light weight lifitng (dumb-bells no more than 20 ob apiece)

Oh well the games go on...I am not going to feel too sorry for myself especially since I just heard a friend with lung cancer has brain mets.....