about to start interfuron???

I've never done interferon but from what I've read on here it is not a very good med. but I also don't know of a good treatment for someone who is NED no evidence of disease. Hopefully someone on here has more knowledge that can help.

Artie

I've never done interferon but from what I've read on here it is not a very good med. but I also don't know of a good treatment for someone who is NED no evidence of disease. Hopefully someone on here has more knowledge that can help.

Artie

I've never done interferon but from what I've read on here it is not a very good med. but I also don't know of a good treatment for someone who is NED no evidence of disease. Hopefully someone on here has more knowledge that can help.

Artie

I also have never done interferon, but I wish you all the best in your treatments!

I also have never done interferon, but I wish you all the best in your treatments!

I also have never done interferon, but I wish you all the best in your treatments!

Are you being seen at a melanoma center of excellence. I personally would at least get a second opinion from a melanoma specialist before I started interferon.

Good Luck and God Bless

Are you being seen at a melanoma center of excellence. I personally would at least get a second opinion from a melanoma specialist before I started interferon.

Good Luck and God Bless

Are you being seen at a melanoma center of excellence. I personally would at least get a second opinion from a melanoma specialist before I started interferon.

Good Luck and God Bless

Hello, Whatever treatment option you decide will be the right treatment for you so once you decide don't second guess yourself.  That said, my melanoma sounds similar to yours; tan in color, nodular, 3.2, clear SLNB.  See my profile for details.  My doctor also suggested that I undergo a year of interferon.  After seeking a second opinion with a melanoma specialist I ultimately decided to decline interferon.  Some of what swayed my decision was that my original tumor was, although considered large, it was not ulcerated and had a low mitotic rate.   I also could not justify the potential side effects of interferon with such a low rate of success but that was me.  I ultimately opted for the "watch and wait" treatment approach.  I am currently seen every three months by an oncologist and dermatologist along with blood work quarterly and periodic scans.  Honestly from what I've read I think for my stage I am being slight over treated but thats okay with me.

In my opinion your best bet is to educate yourself using reliable sources as much as you can about this cancer (I hate that word!) and the various treatment options, talk to an expert and then whatever decision you make is the right one for you. 

Take care.

Hello, Whatever treatment option you decide will be the right treatment for you so once you decide don't second guess yourself.  That said, my melanoma sounds similar to yours; tan in color, nodular, 3.2, clear SLNB.  See my profile for details.  My doctor also suggested that I undergo a year of interferon.  After seeking a second opinion with a melanoma specialist I ultimately decided to decline interferon.  Some of what swayed my decision was that my original tumor was, although considered large, it was not ulcerated and had a low mitotic rate.   I also could not justify the potential side effects of interferon with such a low rate of success but that was me.  I ultimately opted for the "watch and wait" treatment approach.  I am currently seen every three months by an oncologist and dermatologist along with blood work quarterly and periodic scans.  Honestly from what I've read I think for my stage I am being slight over treated but thats okay with me.

In my opinion your best bet is to educate yourself using reliable sources as much as you can about this cancer (I hate that word!) and the various treatment options, talk to an expert and then whatever decision you make is the right one for you. 

Take care.

Hello, Whatever treatment option you decide will be the right treatment for you so once you decide don't second guess yourself.  That said, my melanoma sounds similar to yours; tan in color, nodular, 3.2, clear SLNB.  See my profile for details.  My doctor also suggested that I undergo a year of interferon.  After seeking a second opinion with a melanoma specialist I ultimately decided to decline interferon.  Some of what swayed my decision was that my original tumor was, although considered large, it was not ulcerated and had a low mitotic rate.   I also could not justify the potential side effects of interferon with such a low rate of success but that was me.  I ultimately opted for the "watch and wait" treatment approach.  I am currently seen every three months by an oncologist and dermatologist along with blood work quarterly and periodic scans.  Honestly from what I've read I think for my stage I am being slight over treated but thats okay with me.

In my opinion your best bet is to educate yourself using reliable sources as much as you can about this cancer (I hate that word!) and the various treatment options, talk to an expert and then whatever decision you make is the right one for you. 

Take care.

I was diagnosed with Stage 3B Melanoma and am currently in my 5th month of Interferon. I'm 34 years old and otherwise in good health. It's a bit of a controversial treatment and people will have different views about whether the best course of action would be Interferon or the so-called "watch and wait" where the doctors track you and keep an eye out for recurrence. 

My attitude towards Interferon going in was that I could always stop the treatment if it became too much to handle. The way I figure it, there was little risk of harm in trying the treatment to see how I tolerated it. The Melanoma specialist I met with was not necessarily a strong proponent of Interferon, but did say that if anyone was  an appropriate candidate for Interferon it was a relatively young and otherwise healthy person like myself. 

When I started the one month IV portion of the treatment, I had very bad fever, chills, muscle aches and tremendous fatigue for a few days. I was scared that it would be a short treatment for me as I wouldn't be able to handle it, but things got a lot better. In month 5, I struggle the most now with fatigue and some mental side effects (difficulty concentrating, brain fog) I still work 4 days a week and it's challenging, but im able to lead a pretty normal life. 

Almost everyone has side effects from Interferon and they range from minor annoyances to debilitating. There really are a wide range of experiences with this drug and no way to predict ahead of time how you will do. As far as the chance of recurrence, I don't know what it would be in percentage terms. Maybe a doctor could help you with that. Most people in this forum would encourage you not to focus on statistics, but how much you want to know about your prognosis in statistical terms is up to you. One thing to keep in mind if you do go digging for stats is that a lot of the data in general on Melanoma is outdated and that there are a lot of really great advances in treatment to help you if you ever were unfortunate enough to have a recurrence. 

Hang in there!

-Andrew 

I was diagnosed with Stage 3B Melanoma and am currently in my 5th month of Interferon. I'm 34 years old and otherwise in good health. It's a bit of a controversial treatment and people will have different views about whether the best course of action would be Interferon or the so-called "watch and wait" where the doctors track you and keep an eye out for recurrence. 

My attitude towards Interferon going in was that I could always stop the treatment if it became too much to handle. The way I figure it, there was little risk of harm in trying the treatment to see how I tolerated it. The Melanoma specialist I met with was not necessarily a strong proponent of Interferon, but did say that if anyone was  an appropriate candidate for Interferon it was a relatively young and otherwise healthy person like myself. 

When I started the one month IV portion of the treatment, I had very bad fever, chills, muscle aches and tremendous fatigue for a few days. I was scared that it would be a short treatment for me as I wouldn't be able to handle it, but things got a lot better. In month 5, I struggle the most now with fatigue and some mental side effects (difficulty concentrating, brain fog) I still work 4 days a week and it's challenging, but im able to lead a pretty normal life. 

Almost everyone has side effects from Interferon and they range from minor annoyances to debilitating. There really are a wide range of experiences with this drug and no way to predict ahead of time how you will do. As far as the chance of recurrence, I don't know what it would be in percentage terms. Maybe a doctor could help you with that. Most people in this forum would encourage you not to focus on statistics, but how much you want to know about your prognosis in statistical terms is up to you. One thing to keep in mind if you do go digging for stats is that a lot of the data in general on Melanoma is outdated and that there are a lot of really great advances in treatment to help you if you ever were unfortunate enough to have a recurrence. 

Hang in there!

-Andrew 

I was diagnosed with Stage 3B Melanoma and am currently in my 5th month of Interferon. I'm 34 years old and otherwise in good health. It's a bit of a controversial treatment and people will have different views about whether the best course of action would be Interferon or the so-called "watch and wait" where the doctors track you and keep an eye out for recurrence. 

My attitude towards Interferon going in was that I could always stop the treatment if it became too much to handle. The way I figure it, there was little risk of harm in trying the treatment to see how I tolerated it. The Melanoma specialist I met with was not necessarily a strong proponent of Interferon, but did say that if anyone was  an appropriate candidate for Interferon it was a relatively young and otherwise healthy person like myself. 

When I started the one month IV portion of the treatment, I had very bad fever, chills, muscle aches and tremendous fatigue for a few days. I was scared that it would be a short treatment for me as I wouldn't be able to handle it, but things got a lot better. In month 5, I struggle the most now with fatigue and some mental side effects (difficulty concentrating, brain fog) I still work 4 days a week and it's challenging, but im able to lead a pretty normal life. 

Almost everyone has side effects from Interferon and they range from minor annoyances to debilitating. There really are a wide range of experiences with this drug and no way to predict ahead of time how you will do. As far as the chance of recurrence, I don't know what it would be in percentage terms. Maybe a doctor could help you with that. Most people in this forum would encourage you not to focus on statistics, but how much you want to know about your prognosis in statistical terms is up to you. One thing to keep in mind if you do go digging for stats is that a lot of the data in general on Melanoma is outdated and that there are a lot of really great advances in treatment to help you if you ever were unfortunate enough to have a recurrence. 

Hang in there!

-Andrew 

Interferon should not be offered as a treatmnt for melanoma at all.

It has severe side effects with no evidence that it increases overall survival.

Tell your doctor to take a hike and get to a melanoma centre of excellence.

Dont destroy your quality of life and health with a  clinical proven ineffetive treatment.

 

 

Interferon should not be offered as a treatmnt for melanoma at all.

It has severe side effects with no evidence that it increases overall survival.

Tell your doctor to take a hike and get to a melanoma centre of excellence.

Dont destroy your quality of life and health with a  clinical proven ineffetive treatment.

 

 

Interferon should not be offered as a treatmnt for melanoma at all.

It has severe side effects with no evidence that it increases overall survival.

Tell your doctor to take a hike and get to a melanoma centre of excellence.

Dont destroy your quality of life and health with a  clinical proven ineffetive treatment.

 

 

To use interferon or not is a very personal decision. It is a very old treatment that remains the only one FDA approved for treatment of any melanoma patient who is resected at any stage. However, while some folks do well, few people are able to complete the year advised due to side effects. The best response rates that have been determined regarding interferon are MAYBE 10% with absolutely no effect at all on survival. Those facts certainly are a lot to think about when making your decision. However, another important one is that slowly but surely more effective trials are being developed for folks who progress to stage III and IV but are resected…trials with ipi, anti-PD1 and BRAF inhibitors….all drugs that actually have effective, significant response rates. BUT….having had a drug like interferon is often an exclusion for these trials should you need them down the road. You can see the post I made earlier I made about a trial for this very situation a bit below. Just thought that was a piece of information you should have. I echo the advice of others in that you need to seek out a melanoma specialist. General oncologists are often not aware of all the latest treatments for melanoma since overall we are not their most frequently encountered patient (thank goodness!) and the treatment landscape has changed dramatically in the past 4 years. I wish you my best in whatever choices you make.  Celeste

To use interferon or not is a very personal decision. It is a very old treatment that remains the only one FDA approved for treatment of any melanoma patient who is resected at any stage. However, while some folks do well, few people are able to complete the year advised due to side effects. The best response rates that have been determined regarding interferon are MAYBE 10% with absolutely no effect at all on survival. Those facts certainly are a lot to think about when making your decision. However, another important one is that slowly but surely more effective trials are being developed for folks who progress to stage III and IV but are resected…trials with ipi, anti-PD1 and BRAF inhibitors….all drugs that actually have effective, significant response rates. BUT….having had a drug like interferon is often an exclusion for these trials should you need them down the road. You can see the post I made earlier I made about a trial for this very situation a bit below. Just thought that was a piece of information you should have. I echo the advice of others in that you need to seek out a melanoma specialist. General oncologists are often not aware of all the latest treatments for melanoma since overall we are not their most frequently encountered patient (thank goodness!) and the treatment landscape has changed dramatically in the past 4 years. I wish you my best in whatever choices you make.  Celeste

To use interferon or not is a very personal decision. It is a very old treatment that remains the only one FDA approved for treatment of any melanoma patient who is resected at any stage. However, while some folks do well, few people are able to complete the year advised due to side effects. The best response rates that have been determined regarding interferon are MAYBE 10% with absolutely no effect at all on survival. Those facts certainly are a lot to think about when making your decision. However, another important one is that slowly but surely more effective trials are being developed for folks who progress to stage III and IV but are resected…trials with ipi, anti-PD1 and BRAF inhibitors….all drugs that actually have effective, significant response rates. BUT….having had a drug like interferon is often an exclusion for these trials should you need them down the road. You can see the post I made earlier I made about a trial for this very situation a bit below. Just thought that was a piece of information you should have. I echo the advice of others in that you need to seek out a melanoma specialist. General oncologists are often not aware of all the latest treatments for melanoma since overall we are not their most frequently encountered patient (thank goodness!) and the treatment landscape has changed dramatically in the past 4 years. I wish you my best in whatever choices you make.  Celeste

Hi Luv4scjjt, every one has strong feelings about Interferon!!! I would like to agree with previous post about seeing a Melanoma specialist, especially since you are stage 2. Clean lymph nodes is the best news, now what to do? Wait and do scans or fight? The problem for most people at this point is education about options. Many of us put our faith in the hands of strangers ( Oncologists, surgeons) after talking to them for only a few minutes. Read the literature on Interferon, talk to the nurses at the hospital ( they get to see the results first hand). You are stage 2, take the time to make a good decision!  Get a second or even third medical opinion. From my own experience I choose to do the drug because that was my only choice offered, if I wanted to fight the disease. I lasted only to the end of the high dose phase which was 4 weeks. I was a mess by the third day, lost 25 lbs over the month, Liver function test kept making them drop the recommended level of drug. My wife, still gets upset 3 years later when ever I talk about Interferon. She jokes that if I ever had to do a drug like that again her bags would be at the door. If you have any history of mood swings or depression, I would strongly recommend not to take the meds. There are  many new option going on in Melanoma with new clinical trials being offered to high risk patients. Take the time, do your home work then make an informed decision. Wishing you the best!!!! Ed  

Hi Luv4scjjt, every one has strong feelings about Interferon!!! I would like to agree with previous post about seeing a Melanoma specialist, especially since you are stage 2. Clean lymph nodes is the best news, now what to do? Wait and do scans or fight? The problem for most people at this point is education about options. Many of us put our faith in the hands of strangers ( Oncologists, surgeons) after talking to them for only a few minutes. Read the literature on Interferon, talk to the nurses at the hospital ( they get to see the results first hand). You are stage 2, take the time to make a good decision!  Get a second or even third medical opinion. From my own experience I choose to do the drug because that was my only choice offered, if I wanted to fight the disease. I lasted only to the end of the high dose phase which was 4 weeks. I was a mess by the third day, lost 25 lbs over the month, Liver function test kept making them drop the recommended level of drug. My wife, still gets upset 3 years later when ever I talk about Interferon. She jokes that if I ever had to do a drug like that again her bags would be at the door. If you have any history of mood swings or depression, I would strongly recommend not to take the meds. There are  many new option going on in Melanoma with new clinical trials being offered to high risk patients. Take the time, do your home work then make an informed decision. Wishing you the best!!!! Ed  

Hi Luv4scjjt, every one has strong feelings about Interferon!!! I would like to agree with previous post about seeing a Melanoma specialist, especially since you are stage 2. Clean lymph nodes is the best news, now what to do? Wait and do scans or fight? The problem for most people at this point is education about options. Many of us put our faith in the hands of strangers ( Oncologists, surgeons) after talking to them for only a few minutes. Read the literature on Interferon, talk to the nurses at the hospital ( they get to see the results first hand). You are stage 2, take the time to make a good decision!  Get a second or even third medical opinion. From my own experience I choose to do the drug because that was my only choice offered, if I wanted to fight the disease. I lasted only to the end of the high dose phase which was 4 weeks. I was a mess by the third day, lost 25 lbs over the month, Liver function test kept making them drop the recommended level of drug. My wife, still gets upset 3 years later when ever I talk about Interferon. She jokes that if I ever had to do a drug like that again her bags would be at the door. If you have any history of mood swings or depression, I would strongly recommend not to take the meds. There are  many new option going on in Melanoma with new clinical trials being offered to high risk patients. Take the time, do your home work then make an informed decision. Wishing you the best!!!! Ed  

I am a stage 2b. I was told they would want me on this same drug. My surgery is next week and at that time I will get the dye to see if mine spread. I have no one to help me as I live alone. I wouldn’t be able to care for myself if I experienced the horrible side affects. However they recommend it as a precautionary measure to kill any Un detected cells. This is,my life so I don’t know how much time is risky by getting 2nd and 3rd opinions as most are booked out 5 months. I am not sure what I will do.

I am a stage 2b. I was told they would want me on this same drug. My surgery is next week and at that time I will get the dye to see if mine spread. I have no one to help me as I live alone. I wouldn’t be able to care for myself if I experienced the horrible side affects. However they recommend it as a precautionary measure to kill any Un detected cells. This is,my life so I don’t know how much time is risky by getting 2nd and 3rd opinions as most are booked out 5 months. I am not sure what I will do.

I am a stage 2b. I was told they would want me on this same drug. My surgery is next week and at that time I will get the dye to see if mine spread. I have no one to help me as I live alone. I wouldn’t be able to care for myself if I experienced the horrible side affects. However they recommend it as a precautionary measure to kill any Un detected cells. This is,my life so I don’t know how much time is risky by getting 2nd and 3rd opinions as most are booked out 5 months. I am not sure what I will do.

Hello. Our situations are similar, I was diagnosed with nodular melanoma on the outter part of my left foot, just below the ankle bone. It was contained in a pinto bean size lump that I've had for 20+ years that never looked suspicious. 

The depth was 4.2 MM. I had a WLE and had the lymph nodes from my left groin removed after the SNB came back positive with micro traces of the disease. Thankfully all of the other lymph nodes that were removed were negative.

I choose to go the interferon route because I wanted to be proactive with it. I was not comfortable with the "watch and wait" option. The biggest thought that swayed my opinion is, the longer I give my body to hopefully fight off this disease, the better. 

The four weeks of IV were the toughest, I only last 3 weeks because my weight dropped too quickly (lost 30 pounds during those weeks). My Dr gave me a two week break and then I started the maintenance part of interferon, one weekly shot. Fatigue and diaherra that been the most consistent side effects since then so it's been manageable. As my treatment professes, so did my work hours as now I'm back to working near full time hours. I have 4 more shots left so I'm in the home stretch.

its a personal decision and it can vary on a case by case. My advice is to be as proactive as you can, clinical trials as well as maybe trying interferon. You can always stop if you can't handle the side affects.

 

good luck and feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.

 

mike

Hello. Our situations are similar, I was diagnosed with nodular melanoma on the outter part of my left foot, just below the ankle bone. It was contained in a pinto bean size lump that I've had for 20+ years that never looked suspicious. 

The depth was 4.2 MM. I had a WLE and had the lymph nodes from my left groin removed after the SNB came back positive with micro traces of the disease. Thankfully all of the other lymph nodes that were removed were negative.

I choose to go the interferon route because I wanted to be proactive with it. I was not comfortable with the "watch and wait" option. The biggest thought that swayed my opinion is, the longer I give my body to hopefully fight off this disease, the better. 

The four weeks of IV were the toughest, I only last 3 weeks because my weight dropped too quickly (lost 30 pounds during those weeks). My Dr gave me a two week break and then I started the maintenance part of interferon, one weekly shot. Fatigue and diaherra that been the most consistent side effects since then so it's been manageable. As my treatment professes, so did my work hours as now I'm back to working near full time hours. I have 4 more shots left so I'm in the home stretch.

its a personal decision and it can vary on a case by case. My advice is to be as proactive as you can, clinical trials as well as maybe trying interferon. You can always stop if you can't handle the side affects.

 

good luck and feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.

 

mike

Hello. Our situations are similar, I was diagnosed with nodular melanoma on the outter part of my left foot, just below the ankle bone. It was contained in a pinto bean size lump that I've had for 20+ years that never looked suspicious. 

The depth was 4.2 MM. I had a WLE and had the lymph nodes from my left groin removed after the SNB came back positive with micro traces of the disease. Thankfully all of the other lymph nodes that were removed were negative.

I choose to go the interferon route because I wanted to be proactive with it. I was not comfortable with the "watch and wait" option. The biggest thought that swayed my opinion is, the longer I give my body to hopefully fight off this disease, the better. 

The four weeks of IV were the toughest, I only last 3 weeks because my weight dropped too quickly (lost 30 pounds during those weeks). My Dr gave me a two week break and then I started the maintenance part of interferon, one weekly shot. Fatigue and diaherra that been the most consistent side effects since then so it's been manageable. As my treatment professes, so did my work hours as now I'm back to working near full time hours. I have 4 more shots left so I'm in the home stretch.

its a personal decision and it can vary on a case by case. My advice is to be as proactive as you can, clinical trials as well as maybe trying interferon. You can always stop if you can't handle the side affects.

 

good luck and feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.

 

mike

Hi there,

 

I was offered a 12 month Interferon treatment programme after I was diagnosed with 3A melanoma with primary on my upper arm. I was warned about side effects but told this was the only medical option at the point (adjuvant therapy).

I decided to go for it. I hear many report about unbearable side effects. Fatigue and flu-like symptoms. I personally would characterize my side effects as minor. I usually felt a bit tired the day after taking them. Toward the end of the 12 month period, I started feeling anxious and claustrophobic, but I did manage to live with these without too many problems. Physically, I was quite fit, managing to run long 10K km runs two-three times every week, like I used to before starting treatment.

Good luck with your choice.

 

Magnus

Hi there,

 

I was offered a 12 month Interferon treatment programme after I was diagnosed with 3A melanoma with primary on my upper arm. I was warned about side effects but told this was the only medical option at the point (adjuvant therapy).

I decided to go for it. I hear many report about unbearable side effects. Fatigue and flu-like symptoms. I personally would characterize my side effects as minor. I usually felt a bit tired the day after taking them. Toward the end of the 12 month period, I started feeling anxious and claustrophobic, but I did manage to live with these without too many problems. Physically, I was quite fit, managing to run long 10K km runs two-three times every week, like I used to before starting treatment.

Good luck with your choice.

 

Magnus

Hi there,

 

I was offered a 12 month Interferon treatment programme after I was diagnosed with 3A melanoma with primary on my upper arm. I was warned about side effects but told this was the only medical option at the point (adjuvant therapy).

I decided to go for it. I hear many report about unbearable side effects. Fatigue and flu-like symptoms. I personally would characterize my side effects as minor. I usually felt a bit tired the day after taking them. Toward the end of the 12 month period, I started feeling anxious and claustrophobic, but I did manage to live with these without too many problems. Physically, I was quite fit, managing to run long 10K km runs two-three times every week, like I used to before starting treatment.

Good luck with your choice.

 

Magnus

I dont want to labour the point but it still comes down to one thing. It doesnt improve overall survival and it is very toxic.

I dont understand why anyone would even consider it.

That doesnt mean you should do nothing.

Take steps to improve your diet. Look at supplements. Reduce stress etc 

 

 

I dont want to labour the point but it still comes down to one thing. It doesnt improve overall survival and it is very toxic.

I dont understand why anyone would even consider it.

That doesnt mean you should do nothing.

Take steps to improve your diet. Look at supplements. Reduce stress etc 

 

 

I dont want to labour the point but it still comes down to one thing. It doesnt improve overall survival and it is very toxic.

I dont understand why anyone would even consider it.

That doesnt mean you should do nothing.

Take steps to improve your diet. Look at supplements. Reduce stress etc 

 

 

Stage 3b here, I did biochemo in 2013 which was a total of 5 drugs used together to treat melanoma, 1 of those drugs being inferon. Hands down the inferon was the hardest part to get through. My body ached beyond belief, the flu x 10. I didn’t even notice the fevers I was usually told by others that I had one, all I remember was how bad my body hurt and ached. It’s the kind of pain that you can’t get to go away no matter how many pain killers you take. I took lots of baths and had a heating pad on me at all times. The good thing is that the pain doesn’t last forever but it became harder and harder to inject myself with the inferon knowing what I was in for. I was one of the lucky ones that only had to do 3 rounds and then I was done. I am happy that you have decided to do something. My first dr wanted me to watch and wait and being 28 with two kids and a husband I could not do that. Best of luck to you. Keep fighting

Stage 3b here, I did biochemo in 2013 which was a total of 5 drugs used together to treat melanoma, 1 of those drugs being inferon. Hands down the inferon was the hardest part to get through. My body ached beyond belief, the flu x 10. I didn’t even notice the fevers I was usually told by others that I had one, all I remember was how bad my body hurt and ached. It’s the kind of pain that you can’t get to go away no matter how many pain killers you take. I took lots of baths and had a heating pad on me at all times. The good thing is that the pain doesn’t last forever but it became harder and harder to inject myself with the inferon knowing what I was in for. I was one of the lucky ones that only had to do 3 rounds and then I was done. I am happy that you have decided to do something. My first dr wanted me to watch and wait and being 28 with two kids and a husband I could not do that. Best of luck to you. Keep fighting

Stage 3b here, I did biochemo in 2013 which was a total of 5 drugs used together to treat melanoma, 1 of those drugs being inferon. Hands down the inferon was the hardest part to get through. My body ached beyond belief, the flu x 10. I didn’t even notice the fevers I was usually told by others that I had one, all I remember was how bad my body hurt and ached. It’s the kind of pain that you can’t get to go away no matter how many pain killers you take. I took lots of baths and had a heating pad on me at all times. The good thing is that the pain doesn’t last forever but it became harder and harder to inject myself with the inferon knowing what I was in for. I was one of the lucky ones that only had to do 3 rounds and then I was done. I am happy that you have decided to do something. My first dr wanted me to watch and wait and being 28 with two kids and a husband I could not do that. Best of luck to you. Keep fighting

I did the 30 HD interferon and failed it, it spread to my lungs so went to Yervoy and finished it Aug 13th and have been NED since..Drink lot's and lot's of water and also drink V-8 juice to keep your veggie uptake going everyday..I also drank nutritional drinks..Fatigue and little hair thinning is the only side effects it had..Good luck

I did the 30 HD interferon and failed it, it spread to my lungs so went to Yervoy and finished it Aug 13th and have been NED since..Drink lot's and lot's of water and also drink V-8 juice to keep your veggie uptake going everyday..I also drank nutritional drinks..Fatigue and little hair thinning is the only side effects it had..Good luck

I did the 30 HD interferon and failed it, it spread to my lungs so went to Yervoy and finished it Aug 13th and have been NED since..Drink lot's and lot's of water and also drink V-8 juice to keep your veggie uptake going everyday..I also drank nutritional drinks..Fatigue and little hair thinning is the only side effects it had..Good luck

Wishing you the best with this tough decision.  I too had to decide to watch and wait, do ipimilumab or go on interferon.  There were a multiptude of reasons in my decision but I ultimately decided to start interferon and I'm in my last 2 months now. 

Wishing you the best with this tough decision.  I too had to decide to watch and wait, do ipimilumab or go on interferon.  There were a multiptude of reasons in my decision but I ultimately decided to start interferon and I'm in my last 2 months now. 

Wishing you the best with this tough decision.  I too had to decide to watch and wait, do ipimilumab or go on interferon.  There were a multiptude of reasons in my decision but I ultimately decided to start interferon and I'm in my last 2 months now.