My husband was in the clinical trial of interferon vs. ipi for stage 3C melanoma under his thumbnail. He was in the 10 mg arm. He had a partial amputation and a CLND. He received the first 4 infusions and then a small mets in his liver was found. He had microwave ablation . He has been NED for almost 2 years. We were terrified about the side effects, but he managed it well. So here are some tips
Gastric side effects: He did not have any until after the 2nd infusion. It then hit him hard. He discovered milk and whole grainn foods were the biggest culprits. If the diarrhea got too bad, he went on a diet of white rice, bananas, applesauce and he craved boiled eggs. He swears by his daily smootie of plain yogurt, bananas, and applesauce with keeping his GI tract under control. If he had more than 2 stools in a brief period, he took immodium. After he realized what set it off, the diarrhea bouts lessened. Sugar made him nauseated and still does. Restaurant food was a problem sometimes too.
Itchy skin: It seemed like the cheaper lotions, especially with baby oil worked the best. NIghly benadryl and occasional loratine during the day made it tolerable. The itching started early but disappeared fairly quickly after the infusions stopped. Sweatshirts and pants made the itching worse.
Daily living: My husband is retired so he didn;t have to deal with work. He was and is very active. He actually increased his exercise routine. He golfs, skis, backpacks, does wood working, and exercises for about 1 1/2 hours a day six days a week.
Permanent side effects: Milk and whole wheat still cause problems so he avoids them. He does have looser stools than before, but it is really not much of a problem. He has had no endocrine issues.
We were really scared when he started the ipi., but it really wasn't too bad. The small mets he had was devastating at the time, but we think the ipi was working because it got smaller from diagnosis to the surgery. He was lucky but also careful. Good luck to all of you . I am proud that he was a rattie for the stage 3 patients.
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