CR 430: 38th infusion, a birthday and a rash

Almost immediately after my last infusion two weeks ago, a rash started forming all around my torso. I was fairly confident it was not related to my poison ivy, as I had kept my shirt on while I unwittingly coated my arms and legs in urushinol. My stomach and back looked like it was a testing area for mosquitos with Zika, and it itched like crazy. I applied hydrocortisone cream to the areas I could reach, but with Jennifer in Utah for part of the time helping with our new grandson, I was left to itch by myself. Meanwhile, the poison ivy rash on my legs and arms slowly dissipated.

My 54^th birthday passed this week with a low-key celebration. I had brunch with the family, then Jennifer and I attended Kurios, a steampunk Cirque du Soleil show. I was grateful simply to be around for another birthday – as my friend Bill said, statistics show the more you have, the longer you live. That maxim supports my suspicion that the over 50% of statistics exist to support any desired proposition.

At Hopkins today I was seen by a nurse practitioner as Dr. Hahn was in service. She looked at my rash and said that it looked to be typical for nivoumab-induced dermal toxicity. Since the rash did not cover more than 50% of my skin, it would not cause my treatment to be deferred. She also agreed with my use of hydrocortisone. Unfortunately, the Hopkins pharmacy was moving at a glacial speed, taking more than six hours (and 4+ hours more than scheduled) to compound and deliver my nivolumab. I passed my time by delving into the history of Scotland, doing further reading about the Border Abbeys, and mapping out possible itineraries for our trip in October.