Yes… and no. I stopped Keytruda after 29 infusions (20 months). I had long been clear of any lesions, but with that "we don't know when to stop" still circling around, the docs and I were shooting for 2 years. When I was hit with some minor pancreatitis and the joint pain became unbearable, we decided to "take a break for awhile". My last infusion was July 5, 2016. With the stop of infusions, the pancreatitis resolved on its own. My joint pain did not. Although my inflammatory markers dropped, and any lupus-like symptoms disappeared, my right side knee, hip, shoulder, neck, elbow, aaaaaand fingers… all continued to ache. I was referred to rheumatology and began sulfasalizine (500 mg x2 daily) in early Sept 2016. Within 4-5 weeks, the pain was significantly decreased, and in some of the joints, completely gone. Buuuuut… I'm still on the sulfasalazine. At my last appointment, we discussed how much longer I should remain on these pills. I'm not a fan of taking any kind of meds. I'd like to give my liver its best chance for long term good function. : ) The big question regarding stoppage, is how much damage was done before we got the inflammation under control? If your hubs is having continuous joint pain, the docs should probably take a look at any inflammatory markers in his blood labs, and possibly even consider x-rays of the joints. If it is the inflammation itself causing the pain, that can be brought under control prior to it causing more permanent damage within the joint. On the plus side…… the side effects can ease or disappear, but the immune system can continue to kick cancer's a**! : )
.
