[RoxieSG]

Controlling high fever resulting from treatment?

by RoxieSG on Sun Mar 05, 2017 12:35 am

Hi,

My sister has been battling for 10 years. She had her first stem cell transplant in April 2008 at the age of 52, and did very well until 2015. She had a second stem cell transplant in 2015, Again she did well for two years.

In December we learned she had active cells. Her team is discussing doing a third transplant using a donor. It turns out none of her 4 siblings are a match. Although, we did find that two of us match each other (good to know if there is ever the need).

I am reaching out for some answers. My sister started a new drug about 8 weeks ago to get the myeloma under control. I believe they call the drug a monoclonal. She would feel really well for the first three or four days after the treatment,by the end of the week she would be back in the hospital with a high grade fever. We are still in the hospital after coming in 8 days ago. They can not get the temperature under control.

Does anyone know of the best ways to battle high fevers like my sister is experiencing?

[Ron Harvot]

Re: Controlling high fever resulting from treatment?

by Ron Harvot on Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:43 pm

It is not uncommon for people to react to the introduction of a new line of treatment with a fever. However, it is normally low grade and dissipates within a couple of days. Also those type of fevers generally occur with the first round of treatment and do not recur. What you are describing sounds totally different and may be an allergic reaction to the drug. There is no drug that I am aware of called monoclonal. Multiple Myeloma however is often described as the production of excess monoclonal antibodies in the bone marrow.

I hope they get her fever under control. I would also find out exactly what drugs she has been given.

[Christa's Mom]

Re: Controlling high fever resulting from treatment?

by Christa's Mom on Wed Mar 08, 2017 2:05 pm

Hi RoxieSG,

I hope that your sister is doing better.

EJ has had trouble with high fevers when he first starts a new treatment. The concern is that the fever is a sign of an underlying infection. We were also told that in cancer patients sometimes this happens, and they can't find the cause.

Last spring EJ was on Ninlaro, Revlimid and dexamethasone. He developed a high fever and spent a week in the hospital while they tried to figure out what was causing it. They never found out. A week later he was back in the emergency room and needed to have his gallbadder out! I think when he went into the hospital the first time, they pumped him so full of fluids and antibiotics to control any infection he might have, that it masked the problems with his gallbladder.

He has also had problems with high fevers from some of the supportive drugs he's taken for the myeloma, including penicillin, Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim) and Zometa. If your sister is taking any other drugs besides the monoclonal drug (is it perhaps Empliciti?), you may want to ask if those drugs could be causing the fevers.

Best of luck,

Lyn