. I started chemo Weds April 2, with the trial drug. At noon I went in for the 4 hour treatment, then a 4 hour watch period to see if the Morab-004 caused a reaction. I started feeling crappy at 8 when we left. By 1130 pm I was in the ER with a 104 temp, stiff neck body aches and nausea. They gave me a spinal tap and decided I had contracted Spinal Meningitis. Worst headache ever, ever! I was admitted to an isolation unit in the early hours of Thursday Apr. 3, pumped full of antibiotics, antivirals, Morphine/Dilaudid in ever increasing doses until the cultures came back on my spinal fluid to see if it was bacterial, viral, or whatever. Finally on Saturday the head of infectious diseases came in, Dr. Powderly( he and my dad knew each other previously, and they ran in to each other in the hall the day before, so he took interest) and informed my father and I that the Morab-004 has been known in other trials to cause atypical meningitis, specifically in some antiretroviral trials Dr. Powderly ran. It just causes meningitis but there is no bug or virus. He was talking to the drug company and Dr. VT about this being a possibility in my case. He took over the labs and cultures. I waited in great pain still. Which i would wish on my toxic, hate filled evil ex wife. I digress
Finally Dr. Powderly came in Sunday morning without a mask on. Everybody who entered my room had to wear a mask until that point. He said that no cultures had grown and he was certain the meningitis was being caused by the Morab-004 . He said it would fade within the next day or two and I should be better 100% by Wednesday. So I’m off the trial drug, and on regular chemo, which I start again tomorrow, 4/9/14. It was a brief dance with the Morab 004 monoclonal antibody. I shant miss thee oh Morab.
Thanks for the update Andy. This is definitely a side effect worth noting... I hope you find a better trial.