Let's take a minute to talk about your medication.  

This is Kymriah. It helps to treat certain types of acute leukemias or non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Kymriah is used after you have tried other treatments. 

Kymriah is a type of treatment called immunotherapy. 

It is a prescription cancer treatment made from your own white blood cells. The process for getting Kymriah can take many weeks. First, your doctor will take some of your blood. This process can take 3-6 hours.  Then your blood cells are frozen and sent to a lab.  It typically takes 3-4 weeks to make the medicine. When your medicine is ready, your doctor will give you the medicine by infusion into a vein.  This infusion usually takes less than 1 hour.  Your doctor or nurse will watch you closely during the infusion and tell you which symptoms to report. 

Many people will have side effects. Common side effects include tiredness, low blood pressure, and a headache. You should wait at least 8 weeks after your treatment before doing activities that require you to be alert, like driving. Other side effects include a fever, chills, confusion, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle or joint pain. These side effects are common, but they can be symptoms of a more serious condition. It is important to tell your doctor if you have any side effects, so he or she can help manage them.

As with any medicine, rare but serious side effects could occur. With Kymriah, this includes a severe infusion reaction and nervous system issues. You should read the medication guide to know which symptoms to watch for and when to report changes. You will be monitored daily for at least one week after your infusion. However, you should plan to stay within 2 hours of the location where you received the treatment for at least 4 weeks.

For best results with Kymriah, work closely with your doctor to manage side effects, and make sure to not miss any appointments. You should also tell all your other health care providers that you received this treatment.