Hello Friend.
Terry H is right - I did have an autologous transplant. I got a horrible rash, high fever etc - they did a biopsy of my skin and said it was graft vs host. Terry knows more about that than I do.
My kidneys were bad enough that my nephrologist (kidney doctor) told me later he had thought the transplant might cause kidney failure. Before I left town for the transplant he showed me a movie of my choices of types dialysis. I cried through the entire presentation. Dialysis is also very hard on the body.
I definitely think the transplant was hard on my body but I am glad I did it - I was bald for about 4 months and then all my new hair looked like I had a very strong perm for another 8 months. That shows how hard melphalan was on my body. But, I honestly do not think I would be as healthy as I am without having done it.
After I got the cancer knocked down, I started researching and trying to find what I could do to keep the cancer from growing again. I eat a ketogenic diet and test ketones and blood glucose every night with a blood meter, I am now taking 8 g curcumin per day and drinking green tea and doing all I can to keep my inflammation down and build up my immune system. I am no longer taking Revlimid, and at my doctors appointment Tuesday, my numbers were stable.
Cathy
Forums
-
antelope1225 - Name: Cathy1225
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: May 25 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: Should my father have a stem cell transplant?
Hello,
My mother was diagnosed last year at stage 3. She had 2 fractures on her back. And unfortunately they discovered that it was myeloma during the operation to fix the fractures!
Before the operation her creatinine was 1.7 and hemoglobin was 11.7. In a few days after the operation, creatinine jumped to 4. Following 6 months, she had 1 cycle VAD and 5 cycles of Velcade and dexamethasone. But because of the low levels of WBC and hemoglobin and then side affects of Velcade, we had to end the therapy. Although she had very good response, during that 6 months creatinine was never under 3.
Some doctors insisted she continue Velcade, one advised her to have ASCT. He said that, if she needs dialysis, she will lose to have ASCT chance forever. He also mentioned kidney recovery possibility after the transplant.
The most difficult part was stem cell harvesting for us. It took long time to harvest 10 million stem cells (for two transplants) . And 102 days ago she had the transplant. Her creatinine level was between 3-3,5 before that. She stayed 17 days in hospital. She could eat and drink nothing during that period. They used dopamine and diuretics for days to solve renal issues.
Now her creatinine is 2.85 for the first time after one year. She feels very well by the way. WBC is 5.4, hemoglobin is changing 10-13. And next week we will see the other results of ASCT. If it fails, she will have the second transplant I guess.
As our doctor mentioned, you should consider that if your father needs dialysis in future some time? If he relapses? Very difficult decision
But if he passed heart and lung tests ...? Why is the risk 20% ? Because he is weak or diabetic? I don't think creatinine level makes it so risky. We were told it was 2 or 3 %.
My mother was diagnosed last year at stage 3. She had 2 fractures on her back. And unfortunately they discovered that it was myeloma during the operation to fix the fractures!
Before the operation her creatinine was 1.7 and hemoglobin was 11.7. In a few days after the operation, creatinine jumped to 4. Following 6 months, she had 1 cycle VAD and 5 cycles of Velcade and dexamethasone. But because of the low levels of WBC and hemoglobin and then side affects of Velcade, we had to end the therapy. Although she had very good response, during that 6 months creatinine was never under 3.
Some doctors insisted she continue Velcade, one advised her to have ASCT. He said that, if she needs dialysis, she will lose to have ASCT chance forever. He also mentioned kidney recovery possibility after the transplant.
The most difficult part was stem cell harvesting for us. It took long time to harvest 10 million stem cells (for two transplants) . And 102 days ago she had the transplant. Her creatinine level was between 3-3,5 before that. She stayed 17 days in hospital. She could eat and drink nothing during that period. They used dopamine and diuretics for days to solve renal issues.
Now her creatinine is 2.85 for the first time after one year. She feels very well by the way. WBC is 5.4, hemoglobin is changing 10-13. And next week we will see the other results of ASCT. If it fails, she will have the second transplant I guess.
As our doctor mentioned, you should consider that if your father needs dialysis in future some time? If he relapses? Very difficult decision
But if he passed heart and lung tests ...? Why is the risk 20% ? Because he is weak or diabetic? I don't think creatinine level makes it so risky. We were told it was 2 or 3 %.-
Hopehope
Re: Should my father have a stem cell transplant?
Hi Ashish,
What a difficult question!
I feel for you and your family
Here's my answers to your questions:
1. How are you doing? - Fine but ASCT had little effect
2. Are you diabetic? - No
3. How was your kidney doing at time of SCT. OK
What was the creatnine or GFR? Normal (7.5 mg/l before and after)
4. Could you please tell me what major complications problems you have faced since then - see below
5. How long did it take you to be normal or to feel that same as you felt before SCT. - I have never got back to how I was before the ASCT
6. Did you have complete response or partial response? - V small response IgG dropped from 3.42 g/l - 1.9 g/l (this is the same type of response I was having for VRD for the same time period)
7. Were you given maintenance even after SCT, if yes how long? - yes first VRD, for six months then Revlimid on its own for a year
8. How much relapse free period have you had? Not Applicable
9. Country of treatment? France
10. Any other relevant information. - After the ASCT I was told by my haematologist that there was now a significant body of opinion that VRD is so effective as to render ASCT unecessary. I've no idea why he didn't tell me before. It was a truly horrible experience and I had no real benefit at all from it (compared to if i'd had VRD over the same period).
I did, however, have several negative effects:
- A significant drop in platelet levels, three years later they have still not re-established (before 171 G/L, after 82 G/L ...115 G/L three and a half years later (normal range 150 - 400)
- Heart arrhythmia and angina which the cardiologist said were the results of the stress induced by the proceure
- Exhaustion and a drop in energy levels from which I am still recovering
So: I had several serious negative effects, all of which have persisted to some extent, and the positive effects were no greater than what I would have expected from VRD (and which conitinued at the same rate afterwards with further VRD). It didn't work for me and it was unimaginably awful to live through.
But you have to balance my experience with that of those people who HAVE been helped - and there seem to be some of those.
One question for you: What does your father have to say himself?
Best wishes,
Mijji
What a difficult question!
I feel for you and your family
Here's my answers to your questions:
1. How are you doing? - Fine but ASCT had little effect
2. Are you diabetic? - No
3. How was your kidney doing at time of SCT. OK
What was the creatnine or GFR? Normal (7.5 mg/l before and after)
4. Could you please tell me what major complications problems you have faced since then - see below
5. How long did it take you to be normal or to feel that same as you felt before SCT. - I have never got back to how I was before the ASCT
6. Did you have complete response or partial response? - V small response IgG dropped from 3.42 g/l - 1.9 g/l (this is the same type of response I was having for VRD for the same time period)
7. Were you given maintenance even after SCT, if yes how long? - yes first VRD, for six months then Revlimid on its own for a year
8. How much relapse free period have you had? Not Applicable
9. Country of treatment? France
10. Any other relevant information. - After the ASCT I was told by my haematologist that there was now a significant body of opinion that VRD is so effective as to render ASCT unecessary. I've no idea why he didn't tell me before. It was a truly horrible experience and I had no real benefit at all from it (compared to if i'd had VRD over the same period).
I did, however, have several negative effects:
- A significant drop in platelet levels, three years later they have still not re-established (before 171 G/L, after 82 G/L ...115 G/L three and a half years later (normal range 150 - 400)
- Heart arrhythmia and angina which the cardiologist said were the results of the stress induced by the proceure
- Exhaustion and a drop in energy levels from which I am still recovering
So: I had several serious negative effects, all of which have persisted to some extent, and the positive effects were no greater than what I would have expected from VRD (and which conitinued at the same rate afterwards with further VRD). It didn't work for me and it was unimaginably awful to live through.
But you have to balance my experience with that of those people who HAVE been helped - and there seem to be some of those.
One question for you: What does your father have to say himself?
Best wishes,
Mijji
-
Mijji - When were you/they diagnosed?: 2011
Re: Should my father have a stem cell transplant?
Hi IndianFriend,
Deciding whether or not to do an SCT is one of the most difficult decisions facing a multiple myeloma patient, his/her caretaker(s), and medical team. As you've learned there is a lot of divided opinion on this question now.
You mentioned that your father has del13q14.3 according to FISH testing. That means that he is missing part of the long arm of chromosome 13. In general missing part of an odd chromosome other than chromosome 1 is not considered to be an adverse risk for multiple myeloma patients. So I think this makes your father standard risk based on FISH test results.
Now to answer your questions for my case. You'll notice that my answers are a lot different from Mijji's. This is not to subtract anything at all from what Mijji said! Only to point out how different one patient's experience can be from another's. And to add another data point for you that will probably make your decision even more difficult.
1. How are you doing? Doing very well. Some lasting side effects, though. In particular, peripheral neuropathy with numbness in my toes and feet. Also diarrhea due to Revlimid maintenance therapy that I'm still on.
2. Are you diabetic? No.
3. How was your kidney doing at time of SCT. What was the creatnine or GFR? Kidney function was and is fine. Creatnine has been normal all through treatment.
4. Could you please tell me what major complications problems you have faced since then. I got an e coli infection at Day +8 after the SCT and ended up in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital for 3 days with sepsis. That delayed the engraftment of the stem cells, so I was in the hospital for a month.
5. How long did it take you to be normal or to feel that same as you felt before SCT. That's a difficult question for me to answer. Six months would be a rough guess. I'd have a period when I was feeling good and thought I was back close to normal, then I'd feel even better the next day, so I realized I must not have been back to normal before that. I also had days where I felt worse than during the previous few. While the "how I felt" curve generally went up for me, it was not a straight line. I was back working (desk job, not physical labor) part time about 6 weeks after the SCT and full time by 14 weeks after. Another measure is that slightly less than 7 months after the SCT I ran a half-marathon.
6. Did you have complete response or partial response? sCR and MRD negative as of August 2014 (but see #10 for information about my overall treatment protocol). I'm very fortunate!
7. Was you given maintenance even after SCT, if yes how long? Yes, Revlimid maintenance. I've been on it for 22 months now. Will go at least 24 months, and maybe longer.
8. How much relapse free period you had? No relapse yet. SCT was May 15, 2013.
9. Country of treatment? USA
10. Any other relevant information. Did 3 cycles of RVD as induction therapy, then SCT, then 2 cycles of RVD consolidation therapy, then Revlimid maintenance therapy. Standard risk from FISH testing. I had del(11), can't recall if it was p (short) or q (long) arm right now, though.
Best wishes to you and your father. Please keep us posted on what decision you all make and how things go.
Mike
Deciding whether or not to do an SCT is one of the most difficult decisions facing a multiple myeloma patient, his/her caretaker(s), and medical team. As you've learned there is a lot of divided opinion on this question now.
You mentioned that your father has del13q14.3 according to FISH testing. That means that he is missing part of the long arm of chromosome 13. In general missing part of an odd chromosome other than chromosome 1 is not considered to be an adverse risk for multiple myeloma patients. So I think this makes your father standard risk based on FISH test results.
Now to answer your questions for my case. You'll notice that my answers are a lot different from Mijji's. This is not to subtract anything at all from what Mijji said! Only to point out how different one patient's experience can be from another's. And to add another data point for you that will probably make your decision even more difficult.
1. How are you doing? Doing very well. Some lasting side effects, though. In particular, peripheral neuropathy with numbness in my toes and feet. Also diarrhea due to Revlimid maintenance therapy that I'm still on.
2. Are you diabetic? No.
3. How was your kidney doing at time of SCT. What was the creatnine or GFR? Kidney function was and is fine. Creatnine has been normal all through treatment.
4. Could you please tell me what major complications problems you have faced since then. I got an e coli infection at Day +8 after the SCT and ended up in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital for 3 days with sepsis. That delayed the engraftment of the stem cells, so I was in the hospital for a month.
5. How long did it take you to be normal or to feel that same as you felt before SCT. That's a difficult question for me to answer. Six months would be a rough guess. I'd have a period when I was feeling good and thought I was back close to normal, then I'd feel even better the next day, so I realized I must not have been back to normal before that. I also had days where I felt worse than during the previous few. While the "how I felt" curve generally went up for me, it was not a straight line. I was back working (desk job, not physical labor) part time about 6 weeks after the SCT and full time by 14 weeks after. Another measure is that slightly less than 7 months after the SCT I ran a half-marathon.
6. Did you have complete response or partial response? sCR and MRD negative as of August 2014 (but see #10 for information about my overall treatment protocol). I'm very fortunate!
7. Was you given maintenance even after SCT, if yes how long? Yes, Revlimid maintenance. I've been on it for 22 months now. Will go at least 24 months, and maybe longer.
8. How much relapse free period you had? No relapse yet. SCT was May 15, 2013.
9. Country of treatment? USA
10. Any other relevant information. Did 3 cycles of RVD as induction therapy, then SCT, then 2 cycles of RVD consolidation therapy, then Revlimid maintenance therapy. Standard risk from FISH testing. I had del(11), can't recall if it was p (short) or q (long) arm right now, though.
Best wishes to you and your father. Please keep us posted on what decision you all make and how things go.
Mike
-
mikeb - Name: mikeb
- Who do you know with myeloma?: self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2009 (MGUS at that time)
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: Should my father have a stem cell transplant?
It's good to hear of Mike's positive experience.
Although there's a spectrum of both risks and benefits, to simplify things, you could break down the results of an ASCT into four basic categories:
Significant benefits with few difficulties.
Significant difficulties with few benefits.
Significant benefits with significant difficulties.
Few benefits and few difficulties.
In France, ASCTs are performed up to the age of 65 as the potential benefits are considered to outweigh the risks. For people older than 65 it's considered that the risks outweigh the benefits.
It's a roll of the dice but it's a difficult decision with significant consequences either way, so I wish you all the best!
Mijji
Although there's a spectrum of both risks and benefits, to simplify things, you could break down the results of an ASCT into four basic categories:
Significant benefits with few difficulties.
Significant difficulties with few benefits.
Significant benefits with significant difficulties.
Few benefits and few difficulties.
In France, ASCTs are performed up to the age of 65 as the potential benefits are considered to outweigh the risks. For people older than 65 it's considered that the risks outweigh the benefits.
It's a roll of the dice but it's a difficult decision with significant consequences either way, so I wish you all the best!
Mijji
-
Mijji - When were you/they diagnosed?: 2011
Re: Should my father have a stem cell transplant?
I'm not sure that this statement:
completely reflects why SCTs generally aren't done for patients older than 65 in most countries other than the U.S.
As I recall, if you look at statistics on SCT safety from the States, where transplants are routinely done for patients over the age of 65, there isn't much difference in the safety / risks of the procedure between the different age groups.
My personal suspicion is that the age restriction on transplants that is in place in most countries is driven more by cost considerations than it is by safety considerations. It's the same reason, I suspect, that off label prescribing is generally restricted in so many countries. Yes, the claim will be made that preventing off-label prescribing is for "safety" reasons. But the practical implication of the policy is that it ensures more patients are first treated with older, cheaper drugs, rather than newer drugs that do not yet have broader uses approved for listing in their prescribing information.
One can legitimately question the appropriate role of stem cell transplants in the treatment of newly diagnosed myeloma patients. But arbitrarily restricting transplants based on patient age doesn't make a lot of sense except, really, from a cost-saving perspective.
In France, ASCTs are performed up to the age of 65 as the potential benefits are considered to outweigh the risks.
completely reflects why SCTs generally aren't done for patients older than 65 in most countries other than the U.S.
As I recall, if you look at statistics on SCT safety from the States, where transplants are routinely done for patients over the age of 65, there isn't much difference in the safety / risks of the procedure between the different age groups.
My personal suspicion is that the age restriction on transplants that is in place in most countries is driven more by cost considerations than it is by safety considerations. It's the same reason, I suspect, that off label prescribing is generally restricted in so many countries. Yes, the claim will be made that preventing off-label prescribing is for "safety" reasons. But the practical implication of the policy is that it ensures more patients are first treated with older, cheaper drugs, rather than newer drugs that do not yet have broader uses approved for listing in their prescribing information.
One can legitimately question the appropriate role of stem cell transplants in the treatment of newly diagnosed myeloma patients. But arbitrarily restricting transplants based on patient age doesn't make a lot of sense except, really, from a cost-saving perspective.
Re: Should my father have a stem cell transplant?
Well said Ian.
-
gmarv - Name: marvin
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: aug.2012
- Age at diagnosis: 57
Re: Should my father have a stem cell transplant?
Hi antelope1225, Hopehope, Mijji, mikeb, Ian and gmarv,
I hope you all are doing great. Thanks for taking time and writing your experiences. Myeloma being a rare disease makes it is difficult to find a person with similar medical profile.
@antelope1225 - Good to know your experience. Wish you luck. Could you please tell me how was your kidney before and after transplant?
@Hopehope - My father’s creatinine touched 7.8 from 1.3 within a month. After 5 cycles of bortezomib (Myezome), cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone based chemotherapy brought down the creatinine 4. Its stayed there for sometime and came down to 2.7 and after one month after 5th and last chemotherapy. He did not had any maintenance medication since last month and creatinine hovers around 3. Latest creatinine is 2.8 (02-Aug-2015).
My doctor also showed me a study where 30% of patients got benefited with up to 25% increase in their Kidney GFR after ASCT.
GC Parikh et al, "Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation May Reverse Renal Failure in Patients with Multiple Myeloma," Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, July 2009 (abstract and full text of article)
My doctor says for an otherwise healthy patient risk is considered 2 to 3 percent. For patient with renal impairment it is considered 5%. Other doctors where I went for the opinion said risk to be at 20%. That means only 8 out of 10 such (renal Impaired) patients will survive an ASCT.
My doctor says these figures are world average stats and he still believes it to be around 5%. Well, stats doesn’t matter for an individual patient. The point is my doctor estimates the risk to be double because of renal impairment. That makes me uncomfortable choosing to go for it. (P.S. – My father weighs around 44 kg and looks quite lean, can be called weak. Indian male of his age and height should weigh around 55 kg to look ok.)
@Mijji - Thanks. One more thank for answering all of my questions. One more question: When did you had your ASCT?
To answer your questions “What does your father have to say himself?”. A little background. He is a science teacher in government junior high school with an interest in biology. We also do farming on our own ancestral land. So, my father used to be a physically and mentally strong men in his late 30’s. About 20 years back (when my father was 40 plus old), we lost my grandparents suddenly and my father went into depression for 3-4 years. Later he was diagnosed with diabetes and now he is adjusting with myeloma. He is not in a situation to make a logical decision. He feels weak (might be more than he actually is) and fear if he cannot recover from ASCT induced weakness or complications. He also feels that if he doesn’t go for ASCT, a relapse is more likely to occur early. On top of it, my doctor says he believes my father should benefit from ASCT, but how much cannot be said. So, my father doesn’t know if the benefits are worth the risk.
I also feel that same way as no doctor has advocated ASCT in his case strongly. They did say ASCT is the standard procedure of treatment which is expected to benefit.
@mikeb - surely I will keep updating the thread with the progress.
I have an appointment with my doctor on 4th of August. Base on my discussion with my father, we are going to say NO for ASCT at the moment. My father says if he feels stronger after couple of months he will go for it. Now, it’s up to my doctor if he feels that this is an option. My doctor did tell me (in private discussion without my father) that he will only do ASCT if my father himself choose to go for ASCT as ASCT is bound to make him weak for 3 months at least and if it is his decision he will try to cope with that and will be good for him.
Now, I will also like to know if anyone reading this has chose not to go for ASCT (with or without renal failure) what has been their experience and how long it has been from their diagnosis. Did you had relapse? If yes, how was the relapse free period?
I would also like to learn experience of the people who have had a relapse and what treatment they got to control the myeloma.
I hope you all are doing great. Thanks for taking time and writing your experiences. Myeloma being a rare disease makes it is difficult to find a person with similar medical profile.
@antelope1225 - Good to know your experience. Wish you luck. Could you please tell me how was your kidney before and after transplant?
@Hopehope - My father’s creatinine touched 7.8 from 1.3 within a month. After 5 cycles of bortezomib (Myezome), cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone based chemotherapy brought down the creatinine 4. Its stayed there for sometime and came down to 2.7 and after one month after 5th and last chemotherapy. He did not had any maintenance medication since last month and creatinine hovers around 3. Latest creatinine is 2.8 (02-Aug-2015).
My doctor also showed me a study where 30% of patients got benefited with up to 25% increase in their Kidney GFR after ASCT.
GC Parikh et al, "Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation May Reverse Renal Failure in Patients with Multiple Myeloma," Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, July 2009 (abstract and full text of article)
My doctor says for an otherwise healthy patient risk is considered 2 to 3 percent. For patient with renal impairment it is considered 5%. Other doctors where I went for the opinion said risk to be at 20%. That means only 8 out of 10 such (renal Impaired) patients will survive an ASCT.
My doctor says these figures are world average stats and he still believes it to be around 5%. Well, stats doesn’t matter for an individual patient. The point is my doctor estimates the risk to be double because of renal impairment. That makes me uncomfortable choosing to go for it. (P.S. – My father weighs around 44 kg and looks quite lean, can be called weak. Indian male of his age and height should weigh around 55 kg to look ok.)
@Mijji - Thanks. One more thank for answering all of my questions. One more question: When did you had your ASCT?
To answer your questions “What does your father have to say himself?”. A little background. He is a science teacher in government junior high school with an interest in biology. We also do farming on our own ancestral land. So, my father used to be a physically and mentally strong men in his late 30’s. About 20 years back (when my father was 40 plus old), we lost my grandparents suddenly and my father went into depression for 3-4 years. Later he was diagnosed with diabetes and now he is adjusting with myeloma. He is not in a situation to make a logical decision. He feels weak (might be more than he actually is) and fear if he cannot recover from ASCT induced weakness or complications. He also feels that if he doesn’t go for ASCT, a relapse is more likely to occur early. On top of it, my doctor says he believes my father should benefit from ASCT, but how much cannot be said. So, my father doesn’t know if the benefits are worth the risk.
I also feel that same way as no doctor has advocated ASCT in his case strongly. They did say ASCT is the standard procedure of treatment which is expected to benefit.
@mikeb - surely I will keep updating the thread with the progress.
I have an appointment with my doctor on 4th of August. Base on my discussion with my father, we are going to say NO for ASCT at the moment. My father says if he feels stronger after couple of months he will go for it. Now, it’s up to my doctor if he feels that this is an option. My doctor did tell me (in private discussion without my father) that he will only do ASCT if my father himself choose to go for ASCT as ASCT is bound to make him weak for 3 months at least and if it is his decision he will try to cope with that and will be good for him.
Now, I will also like to know if anyone reading this has chose not to go for ASCT (with or without renal failure) what has been their experience and how long it has been from their diagnosis. Did you had relapse? If yes, how was the relapse free period?
I would also like to learn experience of the people who have had a relapse and what treatment they got to control the myeloma.
Re: Should my father have a stem cell transplant?
Discussed with our doctor on 4th August. Doctor recommend to start the lenalidomide 10 mg daily after dinner for maintenance until we opt for ASCT. My doctor believe that ASCT will benefit so he has not ruled out ASCT yet.
My father took lenalidomide 10 mg for 3 days then he developed some itching over the forehead, head and ears. I could also see a tinch of redness under his eyes and on side of his face. However it was way far from being called a rash. Main problem was itching which covered his full body after the third dose. He was feeling restless because of itching so we finally decided to stop the medication and meet our doctor.
His itching is very much subsidized after 3 days of no lenalidomide. We met our doctor, who says sometime people develop immunity to such itching after sometime. He suggested to start a lenalidomide 5 mg for a week and then try lenalidomide 10 mg.
I hope that works, if not, we will have to try some other medication which I am not are as good as lenalidomide to deal with myeloma.
If anyone of you have been through or seen itching because of lenalidomide do let me know, in as much details as possible.
Regards,
Ashish
My father took lenalidomide 10 mg for 3 days then he developed some itching over the forehead, head and ears. I could also see a tinch of redness under his eyes and on side of his face. However it was way far from being called a rash. Main problem was itching which covered his full body after the third dose. He was feeling restless because of itching so we finally decided to stop the medication and meet our doctor.
His itching is very much subsidized after 3 days of no lenalidomide. We met our doctor, who says sometime people develop immunity to such itching after sometime. He suggested to start a lenalidomide 5 mg for a week and then try lenalidomide 10 mg.
I hope that works, if not, we will have to try some other medication which I am not are as good as lenalidomide to deal with myeloma.
If anyone of you have been through or seen itching because of lenalidomide do let me know, in as much details as possible.Regards,
Ashish
Re: Should my father have a stem cell transplant?
When I started Revlimid as treatment when I relapsed, I had itching of my scalp during the first round of therapy. Since then I occasionally develop a mild rash on my upper back. When this happens, I take Benadryl (diphenhydramine) or Claritin (loratadine), antihistamines, which calm the itching and rash down. My oncologist has said that this is ok.
Nancy in Phila
Nancy in Phila
-
NStewart - Name: Nancy Stewart
- Who do you know with myeloma?: self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 3/08
- Age at diagnosis: 60
21 posts
• Page 2 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
Return to Treatments & Side Effects