[Ellen Harris]

RSV infection - anyone else have one?

by Ellen Harris on Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:11 pm

Hello everyone!

At about 100 days post transplant, I came down with a runny nose and developed a cough with a low grade fever. I had just managed to complete a PET/CT scan, which turned out fine.

This has turned out not to be an ordinary cold. It is something called an RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infection, which is usually only serious in infants, but my stem cell doctor says it is making the rounds of the stem cell transplant population.

They put me on an antiviral called ribavirin for 10 days. My bone marrow biopsy has to be put off too, which of course makes me nervous as I would like to know the results of the transplant.

Anyone else have this virus and, if so, what was its course?

[Jonah]

Re: RSV infection - anyone else have one?

by Jonah on Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:18 pm

Bluebird seems to have had the same sort of experience related to the RSV virus post transplant. She posted about it here in the forum, writing:

"I had a stem cell transplant in July 2014 and, at the beginning of December, both my husband and I developed what seemed like a nasty cold. He battled through it, but I ended up in hospital and was diagnosed with RSV, a respiratory virus usually found in young babies and old people because they have less effective immune systems."

[Steve Mohr]

Re: RSV infection - anyone else have one?

by Steve Mohr on Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:08 pm

Hi Ellen,

I currently am dealing with RSV, and not very successfully. I have been off work all week. I have not felt this bad since the first 9 days of my stem cell transplant (June 2014). My family doctor has prescribed clarithromycin, benzonatate, promethazine codeine syrup and a albuterol sulfate inhaler, as well as prednisone.

As I indicated above, progress has been very slow, it was only yesterday that my fever broke. The only thing that keeps me optimistic is that I have been told there is little one can do and it has to run its course.

As I look back, I should have shut down as soon as I was diagnosed - I stupidly went to work for two days after diagnosis, which I am sure didn't help things.

Good luck - I hope your recovery is quicker than mine!

[Ellen Harris]

Re: RSV infection - anyone else have one?

by Ellen Harris on Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:46 pm

Steve,

Sorry you are a fellow traveler on this! I am taking an antiviral called ribavirin. It is used off label for RSV but usually prescribed for hepatitis c. Lots of nasty side effects. The docs told me it could take weeks for this to clear up.

Take care of yourself and drink lots of fluids. I have zero appetite. I hope you feel better soon but I am ko'd!

[lys2012]

Re: RSV infection - anyone else have one?

by lys2012 on Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:23 pm

My nephew caught this when he was three weeks old, probably from a well meaning visitor who had a "cold". He now is three but has had pretty bad asthma from it, though, as he gets bigger, his breathing is getting a bit better (less ER trips).

I'm sorry you have it – get well soon! Yes, you are right, for him it was a wait and see, but it did turn into a pneumonia-type thing too, so take care of yourself.

I've had infection issues as part of my multiple myeloma journey, so now I expect the unexpected!

[bluebird]

Re: RSV infection - anyone else have one?

by bluebird on Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:44 pm

Hi Ellen,

Sorry to hear you have RSV. Jonah is correct, I did have it in early December. It left me weak and with a diminished appetite. I also felt very depressed for a while, which is not typical for me. In the hospital, oxygen and an albuterol inhaler helped. I was put on levofloxacin (Levaquin), but had to discontinue that after a week because of tendon problems. The senior hematologist / oncologist in the hospital was reluctant to use ribavirin, as he believed it wasn't very successful and not worth the side effects. Who knows?

I hope you start to feel better soon. I was feeling really good after my transplant, and it was a bit of a set back. However, I had fully recovered in time for Christmas and was able to eat, thank goodness.