My January 18th hematology appointment went fairly well. Since I’ve been off the prednisone for two weeks, I didn’t really know what to expect. My hemoglobin is still at 12.5 and my platelets are holding steady at 115. It’s a drop of 19 since Friday’s Infusion (in other words, my platelets dropped 19,000 in five days), but my doctor always says that platelets can fluctuate day-to-day, so I’m not worried. The 134 seemed a little too good to be true anyways.
In terms of side effects, the itching has let up a little, but is still definitely prevalent. The dry mouth and irritability seem to have vanished. These symptoms have, instead, been replaced by joint pain. My left shoulder has felt like I pulled a muscle since before Christmas, but lately it’s been even more painful and uncomfortable. Also, the outer portion of my right thigh oftentimes goes numb and tingles. I spoke to the doctor about it and he mentioned that there is a large nerve right there and the prednisone withdrawal could be affecting the nerves in my leg. In addition, my right foot hurts when I put any sort of pressure on it, especially when I’m going down the stairs. My legs, in general, feel really achy and sore. Prednisone’s most common side effect is joint pain, so I’m not surprised. I am, however, a little surprised that coming off the prednisone has given me new symptoms, rather than just prolonging the ones I had while on the drug.
I asked the hematologist if I was in the clear now that I’ve been off the steroids for two weeks and my numbers are fine, but he said prednisone stays in your system a while. He said that if I were to relapse it would be within the first three months (usually). So I guess I won’t be “in the clear” until the beginning of April. He said that there’s only about a 20% chance of relapse at this point, though! I’m 80% in the clear!
I see him again in two weeks (February 1st). Fingers crossed for high numbers!