› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Heading into interferon treatment, anything preparation you advise?
- This topic has 36 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 7 months ago by
swissfarm7.
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- October 8, 2012 at 9:34 pm
My husband (stage 3B) is set to begin interferon therapy next Monday. It will be the standard course of treatment, with daily infusions five times per week for the first month. We have a prep appointment this week so we can ask questions then. I need to have an idea, for example, how long the actual appointments tend to last so I can work on logistics. But I'm also interested in hearing from people here who as to whether you think there's anything he can/should do now to prepare ~ aside from take a few last, long rides since his bike won't be on
My husband (stage 3B) is set to begin interferon therapy next Monday. It will be the standard course of treatment, with daily infusions five times per week for the first month. We have a prep appointment this week so we can ask questions then. I need to have an idea, for example, how long the actual appointments tend to last so I can work on logistics. But I'm also interested in hearing from people here who as to whether you think there's anything he can/should do now to prepare ~ aside from take a few last, long rides since his bike won't be on the road for a bit. 😉
Thank you,
Colleen
- Replies
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- October 8, 2012 at 11:00 pm
I too am a stage 3b male melanoma patient. I have yet to decide which treatment i want to do. My wife and I are going to Sloan at the end of the month for a consultation. I would love to share stories with you to see what made you go with interferon, as opposed to a clinical study. As you know it is very confusing and scary to decide which treatment will help. It would be nice to correspond with someone going through this, and be able to share info, and for morale support.
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- October 8, 2012 at 11:00 pm
I too am a stage 3b male melanoma patient. I have yet to decide which treatment i want to do. My wife and I are going to Sloan at the end of the month for a consultation. I would love to share stories with you to see what made you go with interferon, as opposed to a clinical study. As you know it is very confusing and scary to decide which treatment will help. It would be nice to correspond with someone going through this, and be able to share info, and for morale support.
-
- October 8, 2012 at 11:00 pm
I too am a stage 3b male melanoma patient. I have yet to decide which treatment i want to do. My wife and I are going to Sloan at the end of the month for a consultation. I would love to share stories with you to see what made you go with interferon, as opposed to a clinical study. As you know it is very confusing and scary to decide which treatment will help. It would be nice to correspond with someone going through this, and be able to share info, and for morale support.
-
- October 8, 2012 at 11:19 pm
Colleen,
I finished interferon last November. Everyone reacts different as you have probably read in from other posts. The appointments lasted about 2 to 2 1/2 hours . Some of that time was waiting to get into the treatment area. Fluids…..drink as much as you can. For me eating was difficult due to nausea. They will give you nausea medication if you tell them you are having problems. They have several different kinds so tell them one is not working. I tried several different kinds before I found one that help a little. I slept a lot during that first month. I went to work, to my appointment at 2:45, home around 5:00. Ate what I could and then went straight to bed. That was my routine for the first month. Everyday I got more tired/ fatigued. Some people say Gatorade is good to have on hand. I could not drink it. I drank mostly water. Also I got the chills really bad after each treatment so I used a heating blanket every night.
Good luck
Scot -
- October 8, 2012 at 11:19 pm
Colleen,
I finished interferon last November. Everyone reacts different as you have probably read in from other posts. The appointments lasted about 2 to 2 1/2 hours . Some of that time was waiting to get into the treatment area. Fluids…..drink as much as you can. For me eating was difficult due to nausea. They will give you nausea medication if you tell them you are having problems. They have several different kinds so tell them one is not working. I tried several different kinds before I found one that help a little. I slept a lot during that first month. I went to work, to my appointment at 2:45, home around 5:00. Ate what I could and then went straight to bed. That was my routine for the first month. Everyday I got more tired/ fatigued. Some people say Gatorade is good to have on hand. I could not drink it. I drank mostly water. Also I got the chills really bad after each treatment so I used a heating blanket every night.
Good luck
Scot -
- October 8, 2012 at 11:19 pm
Colleen,
I finished interferon last November. Everyone reacts different as you have probably read in from other posts. The appointments lasted about 2 to 2 1/2 hours . Some of that time was waiting to get into the treatment area. Fluids…..drink as much as you can. For me eating was difficult due to nausea. They will give you nausea medication if you tell them you are having problems. They have several different kinds so tell them one is not working. I tried several different kinds before I found one that help a little. I slept a lot during that first month. I went to work, to my appointment at 2:45, home around 5:00. Ate what I could and then went straight to bed. That was my routine for the first month. Everyday I got more tired/ fatigued. Some people say Gatorade is good to have on hand. I could not drink it. I drank mostly water. Also I got the chills really bad after each treatment so I used a heating blanket every night.
Good luck
Scot -
- October 9, 2012 at 12:08 am
Hi Colleen,
I went through 2-1/2 weeks of Interferon last year. For me it took about 3 hours for the treatment. They will tap into your husbands pic line and first hydrate him then the anti nausea medication then the Interferon. My symptoms to begin with were tolerable, flu like symptoms, chills and fever mostly which kick in about an hour or so after the infusions. Mid way through my 3rd week my white blood count dropped really low and I was no longer able to tolerate it so I quit the treatment. My doctor asked to lower the dosage but I was done! I know people that have made it through without any problems but be prepared it may cause mood swings. Be patient and understanding. It's a tough treatment!! Good luck on your journey!!
Denise
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- October 9, 2012 at 2:24 pm
The big question is what was the alternative treatment. My oncologist doesn't paint a pretty picture for this medicine and claims @ 80% don't finish. He hasn't really answered the question of what happens if i quit it. What are you in place of it, if anything
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- October 9, 2012 at 2:24 pm
The big question is what was the alternative treatment. My oncologist doesn't paint a pretty picture for this medicine and claims @ 80% don't finish. He hasn't really answered the question of what happens if i quit it. What are you in place of it, if anything
-
- October 9, 2012 at 2:24 pm
The big question is what was the alternative treatment. My oncologist doesn't paint a pretty picture for this medicine and claims @ 80% don't finish. He hasn't really answered the question of what happens if i quit it. What are you in place of it, if anything
-
- October 10, 2012 at 2:47 am
Hi Joe,
The alternative was peginterferon which is for 5 years of self injections I believe 3x’s a week, the idea is that its a lower dose for a longer period to help reduce recurrence. I opted for the high dose and self injections for the year, but if I were to do it over I would have done the peg. At the time I didn’t want to deal with it for 5 years but now that I may have recurred I wish I would have taken melanoma more seriously. The high dose made me so sick I decided to not seek anymore treatment even being extremely high risk, this was probably a mistake but who knows!!?? Its not confirmed but I believe I have recurred with a sub q tumor on my arm, I winter know for sure until biopsy though. Anyway there are trials for 3B patients too. I chose not to pursue trials because in a trial your not guaranteed to actually get the drug. Interferon effects everyone differently but its a brutal drug!! If I were you I would either do the peg or look into trials, weigh the risk/benefits of all your options carefully and ask people on here for help. This site has helped me a lot but there are those that will disagree with your decisions, the bottom line is you have to do what you feel right about doing!! -
- October 10, 2012 at 2:47 am
Hi Joe,
The alternative was peginterferon which is for 5 years of self injections I believe 3x’s a week, the idea is that its a lower dose for a longer period to help reduce recurrence. I opted for the high dose and self injections for the year, but if I were to do it over I would have done the peg. At the time I didn’t want to deal with it for 5 years but now that I may have recurred I wish I would have taken melanoma more seriously. The high dose made me so sick I decided to not seek anymore treatment even being extremely high risk, this was probably a mistake but who knows!!?? Its not confirmed but I believe I have recurred with a sub q tumor on my arm, I winter know for sure until biopsy though. Anyway there are trials for 3B patients too. I chose not to pursue trials because in a trial your not guaranteed to actually get the drug. Interferon effects everyone differently but its a brutal drug!! If I were you I would either do the peg or look into trials, weigh the risk/benefits of all your options carefully and ask people on here for help. This site has helped me a lot but there are those that will disagree with your decisions, the bottom line is you have to do what you feel right about doing!! -
- October 10, 2012 at 2:47 am
Hi Joe,
The alternative was peginterferon which is for 5 years of self injections I believe 3x’s a week, the idea is that its a lower dose for a longer period to help reduce recurrence. I opted for the high dose and self injections for the year, but if I were to do it over I would have done the peg. At the time I didn’t want to deal with it for 5 years but now that I may have recurred I wish I would have taken melanoma more seriously. The high dose made me so sick I decided to not seek anymore treatment even being extremely high risk, this was probably a mistake but who knows!!?? Its not confirmed but I believe I have recurred with a sub q tumor on my arm, I winter know for sure until biopsy though. Anyway there are trials for 3B patients too. I chose not to pursue trials because in a trial your not guaranteed to actually get the drug. Interferon effects everyone differently but its a brutal drug!! If I were you I would either do the peg or look into trials, weigh the risk/benefits of all your options carefully and ask people on here for help. This site has helped me a lot but there are those that will disagree with your decisions, the bottom line is you have to do what you feel right about doing!!
-
- October 9, 2012 at 12:08 am
Hi Colleen,
I went through 2-1/2 weeks of Interferon last year. For me it took about 3 hours for the treatment. They will tap into your husbands pic line and first hydrate him then the anti nausea medication then the Interferon. My symptoms to begin with were tolerable, flu like symptoms, chills and fever mostly which kick in about an hour or so after the infusions. Mid way through my 3rd week my white blood count dropped really low and I was no longer able to tolerate it so I quit the treatment. My doctor asked to lower the dosage but I was done! I know people that have made it through without any problems but be prepared it may cause mood swings. Be patient and understanding. It's a tough treatment!! Good luck on your journey!!
Denise
-
- October 9, 2012 at 12:08 am
Hi Colleen,
I went through 2-1/2 weeks of Interferon last year. For me it took about 3 hours for the treatment. They will tap into your husbands pic line and first hydrate him then the anti nausea medication then the Interferon. My symptoms to begin with were tolerable, flu like symptoms, chills and fever mostly which kick in about an hour or so after the infusions. Mid way through my 3rd week my white blood count dropped really low and I was no longer able to tolerate it so I quit the treatment. My doctor asked to lower the dosage but I was done! I know people that have made it through without any problems but be prepared it may cause mood swings. Be patient and understanding. It's a tough treatment!! Good luck on your journey!!
Denise
-
- October 9, 2012 at 12:36 am
I responded to your previous post abt some of the side effects i experienced. One thing I learned was to take the ibuprofen or Tylenol before each infusion. I really try to avoid any unnecessary drugs, so I did not take it prior to the first couple of appointments even though it was suggested. I wanted to wait and see if I needed it. As a result, I had severe chills and flu-like symptoms. The nurse knew me well enough, and kindly nudged me to take them before the infusions, which i did from then on. This made a difference for me.
Tina
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- October 9, 2012 at 12:36 am
I responded to your previous post abt some of the side effects i experienced. One thing I learned was to take the ibuprofen or Tylenol before each infusion. I really try to avoid any unnecessary drugs, so I did not take it prior to the first couple of appointments even though it was suggested. I wanted to wait and see if I needed it. As a result, I had severe chills and flu-like symptoms. The nurse knew me well enough, and kindly nudged me to take them before the infusions, which i did from then on. This made a difference for me.
Tina
-
- October 9, 2012 at 12:36 am
I responded to your previous post abt some of the side effects i experienced. One thing I learned was to take the ibuprofen or Tylenol before each infusion. I really try to avoid any unnecessary drugs, so I did not take it prior to the first couple of appointments even though it was suggested. I wanted to wait and see if I needed it. As a result, I had severe chills and flu-like symptoms. The nurse knew me well enough, and kindly nudged me to take them before the infusions, which i did from then on. This made a difference for me.
Tina
-
- October 9, 2012 at 1:06 am
Colleen,
I finished interferon (both high dose and 11 month low dose) about a month ago. All the suggestion here are good. I do want to remind you to drink LOTS of water and/or gatorade, your body will try to expel the interferon, You can be come dehydrated very easy.
Also there will be weight loss during treatment because the interferon messes with the thyroid. You won't want to eat. Peanut Butter and crackers became a favorite of mine. I lost my sense of taste during treatment as well.
My appointments were about three hours long due to the fact I did not have a PIP port and needed a stick in my arm every other day. High dose treatment was still five days a week.
There really is an ending to treatment. Keep your head up we are all cheering for you.
MikeWI
stage 2c currently NED
-
- October 9, 2012 at 1:06 am
Colleen,
I finished interferon (both high dose and 11 month low dose) about a month ago. All the suggestion here are good. I do want to remind you to drink LOTS of water and/or gatorade, your body will try to expel the interferon, You can be come dehydrated very easy.
Also there will be weight loss during treatment because the interferon messes with the thyroid. You won't want to eat. Peanut Butter and crackers became a favorite of mine. I lost my sense of taste during treatment as well.
My appointments were about three hours long due to the fact I did not have a PIP port and needed a stick in my arm every other day. High dose treatment was still five days a week.
There really is an ending to treatment. Keep your head up we are all cheering for you.
MikeWI
stage 2c currently NED
-
- October 9, 2012 at 1:06 am
Colleen,
I finished interferon (both high dose and 11 month low dose) about a month ago. All the suggestion here are good. I do want to remind you to drink LOTS of water and/or gatorade, your body will try to expel the interferon, You can be come dehydrated very easy.
Also there will be weight loss during treatment because the interferon messes with the thyroid. You won't want to eat. Peanut Butter and crackers became a favorite of mine. I lost my sense of taste during treatment as well.
My appointments were about three hours long due to the fact I did not have a PIP port and needed a stick in my arm every other day. High dose treatment was still five days a week.
There really is an ending to treatment. Keep your head up we are all cheering for you.
MikeWI
stage 2c currently NED
-
- October 9, 2012 at 11:55 am
I am a stage 3a male patient. I am scheduled to start the low dose interferon after I have radiation therapy. In my case I was not given much choice as to the treatment that I would be getting. This is due to the fact that I have the autoimmune disease, Sarcoidosis. So, no clinical trials, no bio chemo therapy, and no high dose interferone. My choice was radiation and peginterferon for at least one year and up to five years, or do nothing. This sucks, as my Sarcoidosis cannot be treated while I am getting the cancer treatment. I will probably be on oxygen pretty soon as my lungs are full of the Sarcoid lesions. The Drs. Attitude is that sarcoidosis won’t kill me, and ………
Bill -
- October 9, 2012 at 11:55 am
I am a stage 3a male patient. I am scheduled to start the low dose interferon after I have radiation therapy. In my case I was not given much choice as to the treatment that I would be getting. This is due to the fact that I have the autoimmune disease, Sarcoidosis. So, no clinical trials, no bio chemo therapy, and no high dose interferone. My choice was radiation and peginterferon for at least one year and up to five years, or do nothing. This sucks, as my Sarcoidosis cannot be treated while I am getting the cancer treatment. I will probably be on oxygen pretty soon as my lungs are full of the Sarcoid lesions. The Drs. Attitude is that sarcoidosis won’t kill me, and ………
Bill -
- October 9, 2012 at 11:55 am
I am a stage 3a male patient. I am scheduled to start the low dose interferon after I have radiation therapy. In my case I was not given much choice as to the treatment that I would be getting. This is due to the fact that I have the autoimmune disease, Sarcoidosis. So, no clinical trials, no bio chemo therapy, and no high dose interferone. My choice was radiation and peginterferon for at least one year and up to five years, or do nothing. This sucks, as my Sarcoidosis cannot be treated while I am getting the cancer treatment. I will probably be on oxygen pretty soon as my lungs are full of the Sarcoid lesions. The Drs. Attitude is that sarcoidosis won’t kill me, and ………
Bill -
- October 9, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Colleen,
This was posted by the moderator on a different melanoma board.
Re: Interferon Posted: 7:39:47 am on 8/5/2010 Modified: Never The promising trials (and this is really where melanoma treatment is being discovered) are the BRAF and MEK trials, some just opening up in many locations. The target the pathway on a molecular level with an oral drug that has low toxicity. IL2 and interferon are drugs of past that have low response but high toxicity. The other newer treatment is Ipilimubab and it is in expanded use at various locations. Dacarbazine, a very old chemo is often given for melanoma, and it has the same response rate as IL2 and biochemo, but far less toxic and doesn't require a hospital stay. It is often used as the randomized part of a clinical trial. To find trials near you (and there is travel assistance available through the pharma, hospitals and us) go to: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
Also see: http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/10/9/739.full
and http://curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=929945
Possibly a better choice would be
Reduce stress as much as you can and get the proper amount of sleep.Best wishes to both of you,Gene-
- October 10, 2012 at 2:43 am
I want to correct something that is posted here. I am aware that the person who posted this copied it from another board and the poster in the message was a moderator. It may or may not be the actual opinion of the person who posted it on this web site. I did 12 months of interferon, finishing on 9/5/2012
Interferon is not highly toxic. It has side effects. Those side effects can be rough. It also has been shown to benefit some people but not all people. If we were to label a drug as being Highly toxic when it had side effects then all drugs should be labeled as Highly toxic.
Interferon is a naturally occuring chemical in our bodies When our cells detect something like a infection or tumor interferon is secreted by the cell to cells downstream warning them about the infection and telling them to prepare the body's defenses. That is the muscle ache, and fever that we usually feel when we are sick.
Interferon generally has the following side effects: increased temperature, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, convulsion, dizziness, hair thinning, and depression. I dealt with all of these when I went through this treatment. Most of the side effects passed over time. Consistanely I dealt with Fatigue, Muscle Pain and depression. These side effects were most common the day after injection.
Most people stop treatment due to the length of time of the injections. The total amount of treatment is 12 months long, it seems like an endless amount of time you are sick with the side effects. The depression was hard, there were several times I considered ending treatment based on that alone. Interferon also effects your liver and sometimes your thyroid. These were monitored by my doctor. Sometimes it is the doctor who ends treatment based on those blood tests
If given the same choices I had a year ago, I would still make the same decision. Treatment was rough but I made it through. I simply had too much to live for to stop treatment. Maybe it helped or did nothing. But currently I have no cancer in my body.
MikeWI
stage 2c currently NED
-
- October 10, 2012 at 2:43 am
I want to correct something that is posted here. I am aware that the person who posted this copied it from another board and the poster in the message was a moderator. It may or may not be the actual opinion of the person who posted it on this web site. I did 12 months of interferon, finishing on 9/5/2012
Interferon is not highly toxic. It has side effects. Those side effects can be rough. It also has been shown to benefit some people but not all people. If we were to label a drug as being Highly toxic when it had side effects then all drugs should be labeled as Highly toxic.
Interferon is a naturally occuring chemical in our bodies When our cells detect something like a infection or tumor interferon is secreted by the cell to cells downstream warning them about the infection and telling them to prepare the body's defenses. That is the muscle ache, and fever that we usually feel when we are sick.
Interferon generally has the following side effects: increased temperature, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, convulsion, dizziness, hair thinning, and depression. I dealt with all of these when I went through this treatment. Most of the side effects passed over time. Consistanely I dealt with Fatigue, Muscle Pain and depression. These side effects were most common the day after injection.
Most people stop treatment due to the length of time of the injections. The total amount of treatment is 12 months long, it seems like an endless amount of time you are sick with the side effects. The depression was hard, there were several times I considered ending treatment based on that alone. Interferon also effects your liver and sometimes your thyroid. These were monitored by my doctor. Sometimes it is the doctor who ends treatment based on those blood tests
If given the same choices I had a year ago, I would still make the same decision. Treatment was rough but I made it through. I simply had too much to live for to stop treatment. Maybe it helped or did nothing. But currently I have no cancer in my body.
MikeWI
stage 2c currently NED
-
- October 10, 2012 at 2:43 am
I want to correct something that is posted here. I am aware that the person who posted this copied it from another board and the poster in the message was a moderator. It may or may not be the actual opinion of the person who posted it on this web site. I did 12 months of interferon, finishing on 9/5/2012
Interferon is not highly toxic. It has side effects. Those side effects can be rough. It also has been shown to benefit some people but not all people. If we were to label a drug as being Highly toxic when it had side effects then all drugs should be labeled as Highly toxic.
Interferon is a naturally occuring chemical in our bodies When our cells detect something like a infection or tumor interferon is secreted by the cell to cells downstream warning them about the infection and telling them to prepare the body's defenses. That is the muscle ache, and fever that we usually feel when we are sick.
Interferon generally has the following side effects: increased temperature, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, convulsion, dizziness, hair thinning, and depression. I dealt with all of these when I went through this treatment. Most of the side effects passed over time. Consistanely I dealt with Fatigue, Muscle Pain and depression. These side effects were most common the day after injection.
Most people stop treatment due to the length of time of the injections. The total amount of treatment is 12 months long, it seems like an endless amount of time you are sick with the side effects. The depression was hard, there were several times I considered ending treatment based on that alone. Interferon also effects your liver and sometimes your thyroid. These were monitored by my doctor. Sometimes it is the doctor who ends treatment based on those blood tests
If given the same choices I had a year ago, I would still make the same decision. Treatment was rough but I made it through. I simply had too much to live for to stop treatment. Maybe it helped or did nothing. But currently I have no cancer in my body.
MikeWI
stage 2c currently NED
-
- October 9, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Colleen,
This was posted by the moderator on a different melanoma board.
Re: Interferon Posted: 7:39:47 am on 8/5/2010 Modified: Never The promising trials (and this is really where melanoma treatment is being discovered) are the BRAF and MEK trials, some just opening up in many locations. The target the pathway on a molecular level with an oral drug that has low toxicity. IL2 and interferon are drugs of past that have low response but high toxicity. The other newer treatment is Ipilimubab and it is in expanded use at various locations. Dacarbazine, a very old chemo is often given for melanoma, and it has the same response rate as IL2 and biochemo, but far less toxic and doesn't require a hospital stay. It is often used as the randomized part of a clinical trial. To find trials near you (and there is travel assistance available through the pharma, hospitals and us) go to: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
Also see: http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/10/9/739.full
and http://curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=929945
Possibly a better choice would be
Reduce stress as much as you can and get the proper amount of sleep.Best wishes to both of you,Gene -
- October 9, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Colleen,
This was posted by the moderator on a different melanoma board.
Re: Interferon Posted: 7:39:47 am on 8/5/2010 Modified: Never The promising trials (and this is really where melanoma treatment is being discovered) are the BRAF and MEK trials, some just opening up in many locations. The target the pathway on a molecular level with an oral drug that has low toxicity. IL2 and interferon are drugs of past that have low response but high toxicity. The other newer treatment is Ipilimubab and it is in expanded use at various locations. Dacarbazine, a very old chemo is often given for melanoma, and it has the same response rate as IL2 and biochemo, but far less toxic and doesn't require a hospital stay. It is often used as the randomized part of a clinical trial. To find trials near you (and there is travel assistance available through the pharma, hospitals and us) go to: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
Also see: http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/10/9/739.full
and http://curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=929945
Possibly a better choice would be
Reduce stress as much as you can and get the proper amount of sleep.Best wishes to both of you,Gene -
- October 10, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Hi, Colleen. I went through Interferon treatment in the spring-winter of 2010. I lasted 7 out of the scheduled 12 months of treatment. Onc stopped due to some neurological issues. Treatments lasted about 2 1/2 hours….1/2 hour of IV saline, 1 1/2 hours for the Interferon, and whatever time elapsed in between to check vitals, get drugs from pharmacy, etc I am a runner and was not able to continue while on Interferon, but I did walk regularly. Don't let your husband give up on the bike too soon…he may well be able to get some rides in. In fact he should try to get whatever exercise he can. Also drink, drink, and drink some more….water, Gatorade, etc. I always carried a bottle of something (non-alcoholic, unfortunately) with me and sipped all day. Fatigue was a constant issue. I slept a total of about 13 hours a day. Everyone reacts differently to Interferon but don't let life stop. Once I started the self-injecting phase, my wife and I were even able to go on a cruise, Once the treatment was discontinued it only took a few weeks to feel back to normal.
I hope this is helpful best of luck to you
FrankD Brooklyn
-
- October 10, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Hi, Colleen. I went through Interferon treatment in the spring-winter of 2010. I lasted 7 out of the scheduled 12 months of treatment. Onc stopped due to some neurological issues. Treatments lasted about 2 1/2 hours….1/2 hour of IV saline, 1 1/2 hours for the Interferon, and whatever time elapsed in between to check vitals, get drugs from pharmacy, etc I am a runner and was not able to continue while on Interferon, but I did walk regularly. Don't let your husband give up on the bike too soon…he may well be able to get some rides in. In fact he should try to get whatever exercise he can. Also drink, drink, and drink some more….water, Gatorade, etc. I always carried a bottle of something (non-alcoholic, unfortunately) with me and sipped all day. Fatigue was a constant issue. I slept a total of about 13 hours a day. Everyone reacts differently to Interferon but don't let life stop. Once I started the self-injecting phase, my wife and I were even able to go on a cruise, Once the treatment was discontinued it only took a few weeks to feel back to normal.
I hope this is helpful best of luck to you
FrankD Brooklyn
-
- October 10, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Hi, Colleen. I went through Interferon treatment in the spring-winter of 2010. I lasted 7 out of the scheduled 12 months of treatment. Onc stopped due to some neurological issues. Treatments lasted about 2 1/2 hours….1/2 hour of IV saline, 1 1/2 hours for the Interferon, and whatever time elapsed in between to check vitals, get drugs from pharmacy, etc I am a runner and was not able to continue while on Interferon, but I did walk regularly. Don't let your husband give up on the bike too soon…he may well be able to get some rides in. In fact he should try to get whatever exercise he can. Also drink, drink, and drink some more….water, Gatorade, etc. I always carried a bottle of something (non-alcoholic, unfortunately) with me and sipped all day. Fatigue was a constant issue. I slept a total of about 13 hours a day. Everyone reacts differently to Interferon but don't let life stop. Once I started the self-injecting phase, my wife and I were even able to go on a cruise, Once the treatment was discontinued it only took a few weeks to feel back to normal.
I hope this is helpful best of luck to you
FrankD Brooklyn
-
- October 14, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Thanks to everyone for your replies. With the farm, the boys, hosting visitors from Switzerland, and heading into this treatment tomorrow, I'm short on time and unable to reply to each of you individually. Please know how much I appreciate your responses, and best to all of you!
Warmly,
Colleen
-
- October 14, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Thanks to everyone for your replies. With the farm, the boys, hosting visitors from Switzerland, and heading into this treatment tomorrow, I'm short on time and unable to reply to each of you individually. Please know how much I appreciate your responses, and best to all of you!
Warmly,
Colleen
-
- October 14, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Thanks to everyone for your replies. With the farm, the boys, hosting visitors from Switzerland, and heading into this treatment tomorrow, I'm short on time and unable to reply to each of you individually. Please know how much I appreciate your responses, and best to all of you!
Warmly,
Colleen
-
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