The pins and needles started for me after six treatments of Keytruda. My immune system attacked my sweat glands, and whenever I needed to sweat, I couldn't and would be electrocuted by needles all over my body and get red dots (hives?) at the site of every sweat gland. They would disappear after the electrocution stopped. It was excruciating torture. My only option was to remain cool and calm, which isn't sustainable. Even laughter would bring it on.

It took a month or two for my doctors to determine what to do. Although nobody verbalized it, I think they thought it might be MS, and there was talk of sending me to a neurologist. My oncologist was sure it was a Keytruda reaction and put me on 80 mg of prednisone. That fixed it, but 80 mg of prednisone! Weeeeeeeeee! That was a rush. For the past two years, I've been slowly tapering off and am down to 4 mg. I got slight zaps on my head the other day when I was outside working.

If that happens too many days in a row, I will increase to 5 mg and stay there for a few weeks. Then, I will try alternating 4 mg on a day and 5 mg the next, and a slower taper down. This is how it's been. I might always have to take a small dose of prednisone, but it's worth it not to be fried from head to toe. You can't live like that.