Hi everyone. Another reinduction ends after 3 infusions. After 6 weeks since my 3rd (and final) Yervoy infusion, I am done. I’ve been to Sloan’s Urgent Care 3 times, the last one being this past Friday night, presenting with diarrhea (every day for 6 weeks) and fever. Even being on 70 mg. of prednisone didn’t take relieve the diarrhea completely.
Hi everyone. Another reinduction ends after 3 infusions. After 6 weeks since my 3rd (and final) Yervoy infusion, I am done. I’ve been to Sloan’s Urgent Care 3 times, the last one being this past Friday night, presenting with diarrhea (every day for 6 weeks) and fever. Even being on 70 mg. of prednisone didn’t take relieve the diarrhea completely.
I finally weaned off the Prednisone this past Monday, and we attributed my extreme weakness to the wean when I showed up for my 4th ipi infusion on Thursday, and Dr. Wolchok told me that I was effectively done with ipi. (Oh yes, I lost 20 lbs. too.) I felt so physically awful that I should have turned right around and checked into the hospital. I had no fever then, and we didn't know my white count was high. I think some small part of me was still stinging from not being able to complete the ipi, fool that I was. So on Friday when I awoke w/102, they were already calling with the high-white-cell count and telling me to get back to the hospital. They took yet another C/T scan, this time it showed significant colitis. The first visit was about 4 weeks ago with same presentation, but the C/T didn’t show colitis, so the doc was treating it like mild colitis…with an infusion of steroids, continuing on the steroids at home. The second visit was 2 weeks ago, CT was “closed” in the middle of the night—who know CT’s closed in major metropolitan hospitals??—they took an x-ray, said it looked fine, and sent me home. The first two times I took Tylenol in the morning when I awoke w/fever, but it didn’t return in the Urgent Care. THIS time, it returned that evening, but I know the Remicade had been on order anyway. They also have me a bag- full of Cipro. And that private room I was so happy about in Urgent Care, it was the Isolation Room because I was presenting with fever and a high white count. I thought that was actually pretty funny. And oh yes, I started feeling better on Saturday from the Remicade. Don’t know if I’ll need another infusion or not.
Although there is a big improvement on my face, some of the mets on are partially returning even after Dr. Haplern freezes them and I apply Aldera, and the “control” mel that he’s not freezing (for PD1 eligibility purposes) remains the same size, so the big question is, WHAT’S NEXT?? I guess my next PET, whenever that might be, will tell more.
Hope everyone had a better weekend than I did!
karen
.
