Second Ipi done now diarrhea

Keep a log of your bowel movements.  It may sound gross but since my first infusion the end of July 2013, I've had to fill out a chart: date, time, consistency, color, blood present?, mucous present?, and a rating scale.  If you are in a clinical trial (E1609) you probably have this chart.  I had diarrhea 2 weeks after my second (August 2013) and last, 3 mg/Kg body mass, infusion.  Prednisone slowed things down but not completely.  A temperature of 100.5 F brought me to the ER.  I was in the hospital 5 days.  A colonoscopy gave me a diagnosis of  ipi induced colitis.  Back home on prednisone.  Two weeks later I was back in the ER.  Massive rectal bleeding.  (Was the presnidone reduced too quickly?  Who knows?)  24 days in hospital in the Intermediate Care Unit.  Two infusions of infelximab (Remicade), nine units of blood transfusions, massive doses of prednisone (120 mg/day), orthostatic hypotension, adrenal gland shutdown due to prednisone, synthetic adrenal corticoid and mineral steroids, physical therapy when I came home. Still on colitis diet,  ACTH test in March.  Still on medications four months after discharge from hospital. Down to 5 mg prednisone/day.   All this after only two 3 mg/Kg infusions of ipilimumab!  Every person is different.  When is doubt call your oncologist or the oncologist on call if not during office hours.  The oncology fellow on call saved my sanity and possibly my life.  Remember it's better to feel foolish in the doctor's office or the ER and being sent home.  I did not hesitate to seek help.  I try not to think what might have happened it I "didn't want to bother anyone"!

Keep a log of your bowel movements.  It may sound gross but since my first infusion the end of July 2013, I've had to fill out a chart: date, time, consistency, color, blood present?, mucous present?, and a rating scale.  If you are in a clinical trial (E1609) you probably have this chart.  I had diarrhea 2 weeks after my second (August 2013) and last, 3 mg/Kg body mass, infusion.  Prednisone slowed things down but not completely.  A temperature of 100.5 F brought me to the ER.  I was in the hospital 5 days.  A colonoscopy gave me a diagnosis of  ipi induced colitis.  Back home on prednisone.  Two weeks later I was back in the ER.  Massive rectal bleeding.  (Was the presnidone reduced too quickly?  Who knows?)  24 days in hospital in the Intermediate Care Unit.  Two infusions of infelximab (Remicade), nine units of blood transfusions, massive doses of prednisone (120 mg/day), orthostatic hypotension, adrenal gland shutdown due to prednisone, synthetic adrenal corticoid and mineral steroids, physical therapy when I came home. Still on colitis diet,  ACTH test in March.  Still on medications four months after discharge from hospital. Down to 5 mg prednisone/day.   All this after only two 3 mg/Kg infusions of ipilimumab!  Every person is different.  When is doubt call your oncologist or the oncologist on call if not during office hours.  The oncology fellow on call saved my sanity and possibly my life.  Remember it's better to feel foolish in the doctor's office or the ER and being sent home.  I did not hesitate to seek help.  I try not to think what might have happened it I "didn't want to bother anyone"!

Keep a log of your bowel movements.  It may sound gross but since my first infusion the end of July 2013, I've had to fill out a chart: date, time, consistency, color, blood present?, mucous present?, and a rating scale.  If you are in a clinical trial (E1609) you probably have this chart.  I had diarrhea 2 weeks after my second (August 2013) and last, 3 mg/Kg body mass, infusion.  Prednisone slowed things down but not completely.  A temperature of 100.5 F brought me to the ER.  I was in the hospital 5 days.  A colonoscopy gave me a diagnosis of  ipi induced colitis.  Back home on prednisone.  Two weeks later I was back in the ER.  Massive rectal bleeding.  (Was the presnidone reduced too quickly?  Who knows?)  24 days in hospital in the Intermediate Care Unit.  Two infusions of infelximab (Remicade), nine units of blood transfusions, massive doses of prednisone (120 mg/day), orthostatic hypotension, adrenal gland shutdown due to prednisone, synthetic adrenal corticoid and mineral steroids, physical therapy when I came home. Still on colitis diet,  ACTH test in March.  Still on medications four months after discharge from hospital. Down to 5 mg prednisone/day.   All this after only two 3 mg/Kg infusions of ipilimumab!  Every person is different.  When is doubt call your oncologist or the oncologist on call if not during office hours.  The oncology fellow on call saved my sanity and possibly my life.  Remember it's better to feel foolish in the doctor's office or the ER and being sent home.  I did not hesitate to seek help.  I try not to think what might have happened it I "didn't want to bother anyone"!