I Stopped Interferon

The "Interferon…yes or no" decision is a very personal one.  I don't think anyone can criticize or question your choice since only you have been in your shoes.  

There was at least one study that demonstrated that the high dose alone is just as effective as the whole year.  I don't have the link to it, but I'd be willing to bet someone will post it.

Hang in there!

Donna M.

The "Interferon…yes or no" decision is a very personal one.  I don't think anyone can criticize or question your choice since only you have been in your shoes.  

There was at least one study that demonstrated that the high dose alone is just as effective as the whole year.  I don't have the link to it, but I'd be willing to bet someone will post it.

Hang in there!

Donna M.

The "Interferon…yes or no" decision is a very personal one.  I don't think anyone can criticize or question your choice since only you have been in your shoes.  

There was at least one study that demonstrated that the high dose alone is just as effective as the whole year.  I don't have the link to it, but I'd be willing to bet someone will post it.

Hang in there!

Donna M.

I had to stop low-dose interferon half way through after hospital stays.  I was diagnosed stage 3 February of 2007 right before my 27th birthday.  In less then a month it will be 5 years since my diagnosis and I am doing awesome.  I do not regret my doctors and me deciding to stop the low dose.  Since then I meet and married an amazing husband, returned to a job that I loved, and living every day to the fullest.

Peace and Happiness,

Kristina

I had to stop low-dose interferon half way through after hospital stays.  I was diagnosed stage 3 February of 2007 right before my 27th birthday.  In less then a month it will be 5 years since my diagnosis and I am doing awesome.  I do not regret my doctors and me deciding to stop the low dose.  Since then I meet and married an amazing husband, returned to a job that I loved, and living every day to the fullest.

Peace and Happiness,

Kristina

I had to stop low-dose interferon half way through after hospital stays.  I was diagnosed stage 3 February of 2007 right before my 27th birthday.  In less then a month it will be 5 years since my diagnosis and I am doing awesome.  I do not regret my doctors and me deciding to stop the low dose.  Since then I meet and married an amazing husband, returned to a job that I loved, and living every day to the fullest.

Peace and Happiness,

Kristina

I had to stop low-dose interferon half way through after hospital stays.  I was diagnosed stage 3 February of 2007 right before my 27th birthday.  In less then a month it will be 5 years since my diagnosis and I am doing awesome.  I do not regret my doctors and me deciding to stop the low dose.  Since then I meet and married an amazing husband, returned to a job that I loved, and living every day to the fullest.

Peace and Happiness,

Kristina

I had to stop low-dose interferon half way through after hospital stays.  I was diagnosed stage 3 February of 2007 right before my 27th birthday.  In less then a month it will be 5 years since my diagnosis and I am doing awesome.  I do not regret my doctors and me deciding to stop the low dose.  Since then I meet and married an amazing husband, returned to a job that I loved, and living every day to the fullest.

Peace and Happiness,

Kristina

I had to stop low-dose interferon half way through after hospital stays.  I was diagnosed stage 3 February of 2007 right before my 27th birthday.  In less then a month it will be 5 years since my diagnosis and I am doing awesome.  I do not regret my doctors and me deciding to stop the low dose.  Since then I meet and married an amazing husband, returned to a job that I loved, and living every day to the fullest.

Peace and Happiness,

Kristina

Hi, Peter.  Sorry to hear you had a problem with Interferon.  I was able to get through the high dose month plus an additional 7 months or so.  I wanted to force myself to continue but the docs convinced me to stop.  It was the best decision.  I too, am a quality of life guy and after a a few weeks i was back to my normal self, both mentally and physically.  It just wasn't worth feeling miserable and giving up my life for another 5 months, especially considering the fact that no one knows if the Interferon helped.    My melanoma has come back but I still feel good and have no regrets.  I'm presently on IPI (2 doses completed) with little side effects.  You may want to look into a clinical trial.  Whatever decisions you make, you're really the only one who knows what's right for you.   My docs know my philosophy of life and try to present various options along with potential side effects, benefits, etc and we work from there.   My wife is pretty tough, too and she pushes for anything that might give me more time.  I think it can be tougher for caregivers than for patients in a lot of ways.  Right now, though, she's happy to have me in a "normal"  state and being able to enjoy life together.   My suggestion to you is keep looking forward, don't regret any past decisions, learn all you can about this disease and find a melanoma specialist who you feel comfortable with.  You and your family are in my thoughts.  I think you'll continue to find a lot of support on this network.

frankD  Brooklyn

Hi, Peter.  Sorry to hear you had a problem with Interferon.  I was able to get through the high dose month plus an additional 7 months or so.  I wanted to force myself to continue but the docs convinced me to stop.  It was the best decision.  I too, am a quality of life guy and after a a few weeks i was back to my normal self, both mentally and physically.  It just wasn't worth feeling miserable and giving up my life for another 5 months, especially considering the fact that no one knows if the Interferon helped.    My melanoma has come back but I still feel good and have no regrets.  I'm presently on IPI (2 doses completed) with little side effects.  You may want to look into a clinical trial.  Whatever decisions you make, you're really the only one who knows what's right for you.   My docs know my philosophy of life and try to present various options along with potential side effects, benefits, etc and we work from there.   My wife is pretty tough, too and she pushes for anything that might give me more time.  I think it can be tougher for caregivers than for patients in a lot of ways.  Right now, though, she's happy to have me in a "normal"  state and being able to enjoy life together.   My suggestion to you is keep looking forward, don't regret any past decisions, learn all you can about this disease and find a melanoma specialist who you feel comfortable with.  You and your family are in my thoughts.  I think you'll continue to find a lot of support on this network.

frankD  Brooklyn

Hi, Peter.  Sorry to hear you had a problem with Interferon.  I was able to get through the high dose month plus an additional 7 months or so.  I wanted to force myself to continue but the docs convinced me to stop.  It was the best decision.  I too, am a quality of life guy and after a a few weeks i was back to my normal self, both mentally and physically.  It just wasn't worth feeling miserable and giving up my life for another 5 months, especially considering the fact that no one knows if the Interferon helped.    My melanoma has come back but I still feel good and have no regrets.  I'm presently on IPI (2 doses completed) with little side effects.  You may want to look into a clinical trial.  Whatever decisions you make, you're really the only one who knows what's right for you.   My docs know my philosophy of life and try to present various options along with potential side effects, benefits, etc and we work from there.   My wife is pretty tough, too and she pushes for anything that might give me more time.  I think it can be tougher for caregivers than for patients in a lot of ways.  Right now, though, she's happy to have me in a "normal"  state and being able to enjoy life together.   My suggestion to you is keep looking forward, don't regret any past decisions, learn all you can about this disease and find a melanoma specialist who you feel comfortable with.  You and your family are in my thoughts.  I think you'll continue to find a lot of support on this network.

frankD  Brooklyn

Peter, interferon is a very old treatment for melanoma and its use these days is controversial. It seems to help some people and not others, so please don't feel bad about your decision. The stats that I have seen indicate that it may increase the disease free interval, but it seems to have little if any definite effect on overall survival.

Hope this helps

Frank from Australia

Peter, interferon is a very old treatment for melanoma and its use these days is controversial. It seems to help some people and not others, so please don't feel bad about your decision. The stats that I have seen indicate that it may increase the disease free interval, but it seems to have little if any definite effect on overall survival.

Hope this helps

Frank from Australia

Peter, interferon is a very old treatment for melanoma and its use these days is controversial. It seems to help some people and not others, so please don't feel bad about your decision. The stats that I have seen indicate that it may increase the disease free interval, but it seems to have little if any definite effect on overall survival.

Hope this helps

Frank from Australia

Pete, 

Interferon like a lot of other things, is something approved by insurance companies.  It really hasn't been showned to improve survival at all, if anything it just increases time between recurrences for a small population of people.  What you should look into doing would be some kind of vaccine trial for melanoma.  Given that there are a lot of other long lasting immunotherapies, it is much more likely that priming your immune system to fight against melanoma antigens will get them to work should you have a recurrence.  Interferon is simply buying crappy time.  Keep up w/the good attitude, stay active, and don't feel guilty for enjoying yourself.

Pete, 

Interferon like a lot of other things, is something approved by insurance companies.  It really hasn't been showned to improve survival at all, if anything it just increases time between recurrences for a small population of people.  What you should look into doing would be some kind of vaccine trial for melanoma.  Given that there are a lot of other long lasting immunotherapies, it is much more likely that priming your immune system to fight against melanoma antigens will get them to work should you have a recurrence.  Interferon is simply buying crappy time.  Keep up w/the good attitude, stay active, and don't feel guilty for enjoying yourself.

Pete, 

Interferon like a lot of other things, is something approved by insurance companies.  It really hasn't been showned to improve survival at all, if anything it just increases time between recurrences for a small population of people.  What you should look into doing would be some kind of vaccine trial for melanoma.  Given that there are a lot of other long lasting immunotherapies, it is much more likely that priming your immune system to fight against melanoma antigens will get them to work should you have a recurrence.  Interferon is simply buying crappy time.  Keep up w/the good attitude, stay active, and don't feel guilty for enjoying yourself.

Hiya Peter.. I stopped early too.. just couldn't take it for the whole year. I did take time to really explain to my wife why I was making the choice… not sure she bought it, but she sure saw what that freakin' interferon had done to me.  Almost immediately my fatigue fell away and I was out of the hell interferon put me in.  Glad I made it the length I did, just in case… but more glad they have less primitive treatments nowadays and on the horizon.  Maybe if you share with her the number of people on here who decided to forego the treatment halfway through she might see it's a reasonable choice.

Hiya Peter.. I stopped early too.. just couldn't take it for the whole year. I did take time to really explain to my wife why I was making the choice… not sure she bought it, but she sure saw what that freakin' interferon had done to me.  Almost immediately my fatigue fell away and I was out of the hell interferon put me in.  Glad I made it the length I did, just in case… but more glad they have less primitive treatments nowadays and on the horizon.  Maybe if you share with her the number of people on here who decided to forego the treatment halfway through she might see it's a reasonable choice.

Hiya Peter.. I stopped early too.. just couldn't take it for the whole year. I did take time to really explain to my wife why I was making the choice… not sure she bought it, but she sure saw what that freakin' interferon had done to me.  Almost immediately my fatigue fell away and I was out of the hell interferon put me in.  Glad I made it the length I did, just in case… but more glad they have less primitive treatments nowadays and on the horizon.  Maybe if you share with her the number of people on here who decided to forego the treatment halfway through she might see it's a reasonable choice.

Dear Peter,

I've been there. I did two weeks of high dose (8 doses, missed one because of holiday and one because white count too low). I went in Monday of week 3, sat in the leather recliner in the chemo room and just couldn't do it anymore and I couldn't even explain why. It took me about three weeks to feel human again. That was 10 1/2 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. If someone offerred me a million dollars to do it again I'm not sure I could. It was that bad for me. Your wife may be mad but it probably comes from fear of losing you. It must be nice to be that loved. You are not giving up, you are doing what is right for you.

Cynthia, 3b NED 10 1/2 years

Dear Peter,

I've been there. I did two weeks of high dose (8 doses, missed one because of holiday and one because white count too low). I went in Monday of week 3, sat in the leather recliner in the chemo room and just couldn't do it anymore and I couldn't even explain why. It took me about three weeks to feel human again. That was 10 1/2 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. If someone offerred me a million dollars to do it again I'm not sure I could. It was that bad for me. Your wife may be mad but it probably comes from fear of losing you. It must be nice to be that loved. You are not giving up, you are doing what is right for you.

Cynthia, 3b NED 10 1/2 years

Dear Peter,

I've been there. I did two weeks of high dose (8 doses, missed one because of holiday and one because white count too low). I went in Monday of week 3, sat in the leather recliner in the chemo room and just couldn't do it anymore and I couldn't even explain why. It took me about three weeks to feel human again. That was 10 1/2 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. If someone offerred me a million dollars to do it again I'm not sure I could. It was that bad for me. Your wife may be mad but it probably comes from fear of losing you. It must be nice to be that loved. You are not giving up, you are doing what is right for you.

Cynthia, 3b NED 10 1/2 years

Perhpas get into a anti pd 1 trial with peptides. I am NED and in a trial. The side effects are minimal. It boosts my immune system and I hope it keeps me NED. Mar 26 will be 2 years NED. almost 3 years at stage 4.

Perhpas get into a anti pd 1 trial with peptides. I am NED and in a trial. The side effects are minimal. It boosts my immune system and I hope it keeps me NED. Mar 26 will be 2 years NED. almost 3 years at stage 4.

Perhpas get into a anti pd 1 trial with peptides. I am NED and in a trial. The side effects are minimal. It boosts my immune system and I hope it keeps me NED. Mar 26 will be 2 years NED. almost 3 years at stage 4.

Peter,

I am new here. i just wanted to say that I had stage lllc Melanoma. it was in my cheek and then spread to the lymph nodes in my neck.

anyway i started the interferon for the month and took shots at home. i stopped after 4 months. my lungs got infected and the lymph nodes were swollen so bad the doctors thought the cancer had moved to my lungs. i had to get them scraped and some nodes taken out to test. all neg. i was losing weight like crazy. the doc. said the interferon was causing that. I insisted on a scan. i felt like if this kept going on i was going to die from something else and not cancer. i decided to stop the treatments. 9 months later today…i am back to normal and the doc. cant see the interferon causing the infection. everyones different. will it come back?? it can come back after a year. 10 years from now. she tried to get me started back after 2 months..i said no… you may have done whats best for you.

eakes463

stage lllc

Peter,

I am new here. i just wanted to say that I had stage lllc Melanoma. it was in my cheek and then spread to the lymph nodes in my neck.

anyway i started the interferon for the month and took shots at home. i stopped after 4 months. my lungs got infected and the lymph nodes were swollen so bad the doctors thought the cancer had moved to my lungs. i had to get them scraped and some nodes taken out to test. all neg. i was losing weight like crazy. the doc. said the interferon was causing that. I insisted on a scan. i felt like if this kept going on i was going to die from something else and not cancer. i decided to stop the treatments. 9 months later today…i am back to normal and the doc. cant see the interferon causing the infection. everyones different. will it come back?? it can come back after a year. 10 years from now. she tried to get me started back after 2 months..i said no… you may have done whats best for you.

eakes463

stage lllc

Peter,

I am new here. i just wanted to say that I had stage lllc Melanoma. it was in my cheek and then spread to the lymph nodes in my neck.

anyway i started the interferon for the month and took shots at home. i stopped after 4 months. my lungs got infected and the lymph nodes were swollen so bad the doctors thought the cancer had moved to my lungs. i had to get them scraped and some nodes taken out to test. all neg. i was losing weight like crazy. the doc. said the interferon was causing that. I insisted on a scan. i felt like if this kept going on i was going to die from something else and not cancer. i decided to stop the treatments. 9 months later today…i am back to normal and the doc. cant see the interferon causing the infection. everyones different. will it come back?? it can come back after a year. 10 years from now. she tried to get me started back after 2 months..i said no… you may have done whats best for you.

eakes463

stage lllc