polycythemia vera
"My mom is in her 80's and was given this drug a year ago.  Shortly after, she developed red (painful) nodules on one arm and then the other that would NOT go away until she was finally put on prednisone.  She also has suffered from unexplained sore throat, difficultly breathing, along with no appetite.    No doctor can't explain what the nodules are, not even with many, many, biopsies, blood test,  cat scans ,etc.   She has a feeling of overall sickness that she cannot describe, has been hospitalized multiple times over the last year due to the symptoms. Again, all doctors say it's NOT the hydroxyurea that she has to be given when her hematocrit numbers climb too high.  Here we are a year later with no answers and my Mom is still sick."