Postby boxhill » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:56 am
For the benefit of anyone else who may suffer from this side-effect of Keytruda...
The pain escalated and spread into both knees so that getting in and out of a chair was very painful. While travelling I discovered that getting on and off a regular toilet was almost impossible. (We had completely coincidentally replaced both of the ones in our house during the preceding year and I chose "comfort height" for no other reason at the time than it sounded nice.) The pain in my right hand escalated until it was a burning mass on the end of my arm with periodic sharp shooting pains. Nothing really helped: tried gabapentin, tramadol, hydrocodone.
I started aquatherapy in a 92F pool in December, which was glorious, although it didn't help out of the pool.
Then---finally---CELEBREX approved. Started Dec 10th, 2 months to the day after it was prescribed. The very first pill eliminated the burning portion of the pain in my hand, although not all of it. It gradually improved everything. I'd say the pain has been cut about 50% overall. It is still there, and still limiting, but more manageable. Also started OT for my hand, and got a thumb/wrist brace that really helped the tendonitis in my thumb. Again, not gone, but better.
I skipped my planned infusion on 12/24, and noted that I started to regain energy and feel more normal. Maybe because of the lessening of the constant pain. Reluctantly returned to Keytruda last week. So far, no major pain explosion, except in my iffy ankle that I sprained in 2012.
So I'm not near pain-free, but cautiously optimistic that 2020 will be better than 2019.
F, 64 at DX CRC Stage IV
3/17/18 blockage, r hemi
11 of 25 LN,5 mesentery nodes
5mm liver met
pT3 pN2b pM1
BRAF wild, KRAS G12D
dMMR, MSI-H
5/18 FOLFOX
7/18 and 11/18 CT NED
12/18 MRI 5mm liver mass, 2 LNs in porta hepatis
12/31/18 Keytruda
6/19 Multiphasic CT LNs normal, Liver stable
6/28/19 Pause Key, predisone for joint pain
7/31/19 Restart Key
9/19 CT stable
Pain: all fails but Celebrex
12/23/19 CT stable
5/20 MRI stable/NED
6/20 Stop Key
All MRIs NED