› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Interferon, Hypothyroidism, Depression and Celiac.
- This topic has 54 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 5 months ago by kaney2021.
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- November 24, 2012 at 9:38 pm
Hi all. I am starting Interferon in December. I've read that it may effect my thyroid. Has anyone had a problem with this? Did you have symptoms? And any other knowledge of this would be much appreciated.
Hi all. I am starting Interferon in December. I've read that it may effect my thyroid. Has anyone had a problem with this? Did you have symptoms? And any other knowledge of this would be much appreciated.
Also, I am bi-polar with major depression and anxiety. I have been hospitalized and also have had ECT treatments. I have talked to my psychologist and we have a basic plan in place. I'm not really concerned. My meds have kept things well controlled for about a year or so. Should I be More concerned about this? Has anyone experienced severe depression while on Interferon?
I also have Celiac Disease. Would this be a concern for me?
Thanks for any replies,
Colleen
- Replies
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- November 24, 2012 at 11:00 pm
Why are you starting interferon? Have you tried any other type of melanoma treatment? Can you tell us a little about your history?
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- November 24, 2012 at 11:52 pm
Okay, I am stage 3A. I've had the wide excision and slnb. Showed cancer in node removed. I just had my 2nd surgery, surface nodes removed, no detectable cancer in those. My melanoma is aggressive. At time of initial biopsy showed at least 2.45 breslow and 4 per square millimeter miotic rate. They excised down to the muscle. It was on my leg. Grew to that size in 7 months. It. Was nodular with Nevoid features. No regression. For the node removed, the largest focus of cells was 0.6 mm. No extracapsular invasion is observed.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Colleen
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- November 25, 2012 at 12:14 am
Oh, and are you going to or at least consulting with an oncologist who specializes in melanoma? Have you gone to a Melanoma Center of Excellence like MD Anderson, Moffitt, Cornell, or someplace like that? Basically, I'm thinking clinical trials and wondering if you have discussed that with a knowledgeable oncologist.
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- November 25, 2012 at 12:14 am
Oh, and are you going to or at least consulting with an oncologist who specializes in melanoma? Have you gone to a Melanoma Center of Excellence like MD Anderson, Moffitt, Cornell, or someplace like that? Basically, I'm thinking clinical trials and wondering if you have discussed that with a knowledgeable oncologist.
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- November 25, 2012 at 12:14 am
Oh, and are you going to or at least consulting with an oncologist who specializes in melanoma? Have you gone to a Melanoma Center of Excellence like MD Anderson, Moffitt, Cornell, or someplace like that? Basically, I'm thinking clinical trials and wondering if you have discussed that with a knowledgeable oncologist.
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- November 25, 2012 at 12:20 am
I am being seen at The James Cancer Center part of the OSU Medical Center in Columbus, OHIO. I feel very confident in them. I have a Surgical Oncologist so far and will see my Hemotolgist Oncologist on December 4th. After I am fully recover from this surgery, I will get my scans.
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- November 25, 2012 at 12:20 am
I am being seen at The James Cancer Center part of the OSU Medical Center in Columbus, OHIO. I feel very confident in them. I have a Surgical Oncologist so far and will see my Hemotolgist Oncologist on December 4th. After I am fully recover from this surgery, I will get my scans.
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- November 25, 2012 at 12:20 am
I am being seen at The James Cancer Center part of the OSU Medical Center in Columbus, OHIO. I feel very confident in them. I have a Surgical Oncologist so far and will see my Hemotolgist Oncologist on December 4th. After I am fully recover from this surgery, I will get my scans.
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- November 25, 2012 at 2:19 am
OK, so you are still in the early stages of your diagnosis. If your tumor was large enough, your surgeon may already have sent a tissue sample out for BRAF testing. That would be a good thing. And you will soon have CT and/or MRI scans to check for distant metastases (hopefully negative!). Then your hematologist oncologist will be able to advise you about your treatment options.
My brother's original diagnosis was Stage IV, so I don't know a lot about Stage III. Others here will be able to speak more knowledgeably about Stage III. I do know that for Stage IV, 2 news drugs (Zelboraf and Yervoy) were FDA approved in the last year or so. These are the first new drugs available for melanoma in at least 15 years. In addition, several other new anti-melanoma drugs are now in clinical trials and some look very promising. Most of the clinical trials I know about are for stage IV patients. However, I do think that I have read about some trials currently underway or proposed for Stage III patients.
The advantage of a clinical trial is that only now are medical researchers beginning to get a handle on treating melanoma. None of the previously available treatments worked very well or for very many people. So we have a lot of hope for this newer generation of treatments. If you take a standard treatment first, you may become inelegible for some clinical trials. However, if you do a clinical trial first and it doesn't work, you can always go back and try one of the standard treatments like interferon.
The problem with clinical trials is that you usually have to find them yourself and then ask your oncologist if a trial of interest is appropriate for you. Most of us use the ClinicalTrials.gov web site to find promising trials. Yes, it's technical and time-consuming, but it's worth the effort. Also, many people on this forum are really "up" on current clinical trials, so you can ask questions here.
As for depression, that is sometimes a side effect of just about any type of chemotherapy. Heck! Just having a cancer diagnosis is a good reason to feel depressed sometimes. But, like most side effects, depression happens to some people and not to others. Just like fevers, fatigue, rashes, etc. If you recognize the symptoms of depression and have a good psychiatrist who can adjust your medications if necessary, you should be fine.
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- November 25, 2012 at 2:19 am
OK, so you are still in the early stages of your diagnosis. If your tumor was large enough, your surgeon may already have sent a tissue sample out for BRAF testing. That would be a good thing. And you will soon have CT and/or MRI scans to check for distant metastases (hopefully negative!). Then your hematologist oncologist will be able to advise you about your treatment options.
My brother's original diagnosis was Stage IV, so I don't know a lot about Stage III. Others here will be able to speak more knowledgeably about Stage III. I do know that for Stage IV, 2 news drugs (Zelboraf and Yervoy) were FDA approved in the last year or so. These are the first new drugs available for melanoma in at least 15 years. In addition, several other new anti-melanoma drugs are now in clinical trials and some look very promising. Most of the clinical trials I know about are for stage IV patients. However, I do think that I have read about some trials currently underway or proposed for Stage III patients.
The advantage of a clinical trial is that only now are medical researchers beginning to get a handle on treating melanoma. None of the previously available treatments worked very well or for very many people. So we have a lot of hope for this newer generation of treatments. If you take a standard treatment first, you may become inelegible for some clinical trials. However, if you do a clinical trial first and it doesn't work, you can always go back and try one of the standard treatments like interferon.
The problem with clinical trials is that you usually have to find them yourself and then ask your oncologist if a trial of interest is appropriate for you. Most of us use the ClinicalTrials.gov web site to find promising trials. Yes, it's technical and time-consuming, but it's worth the effort. Also, many people on this forum are really "up" on current clinical trials, so you can ask questions here.
As for depression, that is sometimes a side effect of just about any type of chemotherapy. Heck! Just having a cancer diagnosis is a good reason to feel depressed sometimes. But, like most side effects, depression happens to some people and not to others. Just like fevers, fatigue, rashes, etc. If you recognize the symptoms of depression and have a good psychiatrist who can adjust your medications if necessary, you should be fine.
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- November 25, 2012 at 2:19 am
OK, so you are still in the early stages of your diagnosis. If your tumor was large enough, your surgeon may already have sent a tissue sample out for BRAF testing. That would be a good thing. And you will soon have CT and/or MRI scans to check for distant metastases (hopefully negative!). Then your hematologist oncologist will be able to advise you about your treatment options.
My brother's original diagnosis was Stage IV, so I don't know a lot about Stage III. Others here will be able to speak more knowledgeably about Stage III. I do know that for Stage IV, 2 news drugs (Zelboraf and Yervoy) were FDA approved in the last year or so. These are the first new drugs available for melanoma in at least 15 years. In addition, several other new anti-melanoma drugs are now in clinical trials and some look very promising. Most of the clinical trials I know about are for stage IV patients. However, I do think that I have read about some trials currently underway or proposed for Stage III patients.
The advantage of a clinical trial is that only now are medical researchers beginning to get a handle on treating melanoma. None of the previously available treatments worked very well or for very many people. So we have a lot of hope for this newer generation of treatments. If you take a standard treatment first, you may become inelegible for some clinical trials. However, if you do a clinical trial first and it doesn't work, you can always go back and try one of the standard treatments like interferon.
The problem with clinical trials is that you usually have to find them yourself and then ask your oncologist if a trial of interest is appropriate for you. Most of us use the ClinicalTrials.gov web site to find promising trials. Yes, it's technical and time-consuming, but it's worth the effort. Also, many people on this forum are really "up" on current clinical trials, so you can ask questions here.
As for depression, that is sometimes a side effect of just about any type of chemotherapy. Heck! Just having a cancer diagnosis is a good reason to feel depressed sometimes. But, like most side effects, depression happens to some people and not to others. Just like fevers, fatigue, rashes, etc. If you recognize the symptoms of depression and have a good psychiatrist who can adjust your medications if necessary, you should be fine.
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- November 25, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Hi POW,
I believe stage 3 is treated differently from 4. Yervoy and zelboraf seem to be reserved for later stage. Also most trials for my stage are to lymph node disect or watch and wait. This is what I have seen to be the case. My Oncologist is actually heading up one of these studies herself. Since I decided to have more lymph nodes removed, I disqualified myself from her study for obvious reasons. Some trials also don't like people with additional autoimmune disease, I suspect it would squ results.
I haven't thoroughly researched other types of trials such as vaccines etc.
Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.
Colleen
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- November 25, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Hi POW,
I believe stage 3 is treated differently from 4. Yervoy and zelboraf seem to be reserved for later stage. Also most trials for my stage are to lymph node disect or watch and wait. This is what I have seen to be the case. My Oncologist is actually heading up one of these studies herself. Since I decided to have more lymph nodes removed, I disqualified myself from her study for obvious reasons. Some trials also don't like people with additional autoimmune disease, I suspect it would squ results.
I haven't thoroughly researched other types of trials such as vaccines etc.
Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.
Colleen
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- November 25, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Hi POW,
I believe stage 3 is treated differently from 4. Yervoy and zelboraf seem to be reserved for later stage. Also most trials for my stage are to lymph node disect or watch and wait. This is what I have seen to be the case. My Oncologist is actually heading up one of these studies herself. Since I decided to have more lymph nodes removed, I disqualified myself from her study for obvious reasons. Some trials also don't like people with additional autoimmune disease, I suspect it would squ results.
I haven't thoroughly researched other types of trials such as vaccines etc.
Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.
Colleen
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- November 24, 2012 at 11:52 pm
Okay, I am stage 3A. I've had the wide excision and slnb. Showed cancer in node removed. I just had my 2nd surgery, surface nodes removed, no detectable cancer in those. My melanoma is aggressive. At time of initial biopsy showed at least 2.45 breslow and 4 per square millimeter miotic rate. They excised down to the muscle. It was on my leg. Grew to that size in 7 months. It. Was nodular with Nevoid features. No regression. For the node removed, the largest focus of cells was 0.6 mm. No extracapsular invasion is observed.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Colleen
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- November 24, 2012 at 11:52 pm
Okay, I am stage 3A. I've had the wide excision and slnb. Showed cancer in node removed. I just had my 2nd surgery, surface nodes removed, no detectable cancer in those. My melanoma is aggressive. At time of initial biopsy showed at least 2.45 breslow and 4 per square millimeter miotic rate. They excised down to the muscle. It was on my leg. Grew to that size in 7 months. It. Was nodular with Nevoid features. No regression. For the node removed, the largest focus of cells was 0.6 mm. No extracapsular invasion is observed.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Colleen
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- November 25, 2012 at 5:08 am
Collen,
I got done with interferon in September. I don't want to discourage you. I also suffer from depression. It was very hard being sick everyday even with Prozac. You may or may not have the same issues as I did when on interferon, each person is different. Being sick all the time made MY depression worse. But I made it through the treatment. Finishing treatment was the most important thing for me. I went through my followup scans a few weeks ago and am currently cancer free.
I also suffered from depression after completing treatment. That was largely due to transitioning from actively fighting my cancer to a wait and watch strategy. I have sense come to grip with the new strategy.
Thanks,
MikeWI
Satge 2c, currently NED
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- November 25, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Hi Mike,
Thank you for replying. Like you, I have committed myself to make it through the whole year, barring any severe complications. I think in my case since I already know what signs and/or symptoms to look for i will be able to detect a problem very quickly. Also having seen the bottom of depression I know where my thoughts can go and know it's the depression talking.
I am sooooooooo glad your scans were clean. I can see where actively fighting vs. Not would be difficult. I'll cross that road when I get there.
It really helps to know other people have traveled the road before you and made it to the other side. Cheers to the other side no matter how long it lasts.
Colleen
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- November 25, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Hi Mike,
Thank you for replying. Like you, I have committed myself to make it through the whole year, barring any severe complications. I think in my case since I already know what signs and/or symptoms to look for i will be able to detect a problem very quickly. Also having seen the bottom of depression I know where my thoughts can go and know it's the depression talking.
I am sooooooooo glad your scans were clean. I can see where actively fighting vs. Not would be difficult. I'll cross that road when I get there.
It really helps to know other people have traveled the road before you and made it to the other side. Cheers to the other side no matter how long it lasts.
Colleen
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- November 25, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Hi Mike,
Thank you for replying. Like you, I have committed myself to make it through the whole year, barring any severe complications. I think in my case since I already know what signs and/or symptoms to look for i will be able to detect a problem very quickly. Also having seen the bottom of depression I know where my thoughts can go and know it's the depression talking.
I am sooooooooo glad your scans were clean. I can see where actively fighting vs. Not would be difficult. I'll cross that road when I get there.
It really helps to know other people have traveled the road before you and made it to the other side. Cheers to the other side no matter how long it lasts.
Colleen
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- November 25, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Colleen,
I had to look up celiac disease as I am unfamiliar with it. I don't have an answer for you on that other than you will likely be constipated from the interferon. The best thing to do during interferon treatment is drink lots of water and get plenty of rest
Thanks,
MikeWI
stage 2c, currently NED
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- November 25, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Colleen,
I had to look up celiac disease as I am unfamiliar with it. I don't have an answer for you on that other than you will likely be constipated from the interferon. The best thing to do during interferon treatment is drink lots of water and get plenty of rest
Thanks,
MikeWI
stage 2c, currently NED
-
- November 25, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Colleen,
I had to look up celiac disease as I am unfamiliar with it. I don't have an answer for you on that other than you will likely be constipated from the interferon. The best thing to do during interferon treatment is drink lots of water and get plenty of rest
Thanks,
MikeWI
stage 2c, currently NED
-
- November 25, 2012 at 5:08 am
Collen,
I got done with interferon in September. I don't want to discourage you. I also suffer from depression. It was very hard being sick everyday even with Prozac. You may or may not have the same issues as I did when on interferon, each person is different. Being sick all the time made MY depression worse. But I made it through the treatment. Finishing treatment was the most important thing for me. I went through my followup scans a few weeks ago and am currently cancer free.
I also suffered from depression after completing treatment. That was largely due to transitioning from actively fighting my cancer to a wait and watch strategy. I have sense come to grip with the new strategy.
Thanks,
MikeWI
Satge 2c, currently NED
-
- November 25, 2012 at 5:08 am
Collen,
I got done with interferon in September. I don't want to discourage you. I also suffer from depression. It was very hard being sick everyday even with Prozac. You may or may not have the same issues as I did when on interferon, each person is different. Being sick all the time made MY depression worse. But I made it through the treatment. Finishing treatment was the most important thing for me. I went through my followup scans a few weeks ago and am currently cancer free.
I also suffered from depression after completing treatment. That was largely due to transitioning from actively fighting my cancer to a wait and watch strategy. I have sense come to grip with the new strategy.
Thanks,
MikeWI
Satge 2c, currently NED
-
- November 26, 2012 at 3:05 am
Hi Collen,I like you also started with a lesion on my leg. WLE and positive SNB. I did the 1 month high dose interferon and couldn’t tolerate the weekly self injections. At that time my oncologist thought the 1 month high dose was as good as doing the whole year. I wound up with 2 recurrences in the lymph node basin mid thigh. Both of these showed up as a lump I could feel. I tell you this so that you can watch carefully for any sign of recurrence. One thing I wish I had done earlier was radiation. Since radiation I have had no further disease in my leg. Unfortunately I have lesions in my liver and bones.
Consider radiation to the lymph node basin to try to prevent a recurrence.
Good luck to you.
Julie in Las Vegas
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- November 26, 2012 at 3:05 am
Hi Collen,I like you also started with a lesion on my leg. WLE and positive SNB. I did the 1 month high dose interferon and couldn’t tolerate the weekly self injections. At that time my oncologist thought the 1 month high dose was as good as doing the whole year. I wound up with 2 recurrences in the lymph node basin mid thigh. Both of these showed up as a lump I could feel. I tell you this so that you can watch carefully for any sign of recurrence. One thing I wish I had done earlier was radiation. Since radiation I have had no further disease in my leg. Unfortunately I have lesions in my liver and bones.
Consider radiation to the lymph node basin to try to prevent a recurrence.
Good luck to you.
Julie in Las Vegas
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- November 26, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Hi Julie,
I guess I never thought about radiation because I thought it was only used for…wow, I guess I don't know when it's appropriate to use. Did they do the whole leg then when you found the lump? Did you have surgery again? I can't believe I have not even considered this. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Colleen
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- November 26, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Hi Julie,
I guess I never thought about radiation because I thought it was only used for…wow, I guess I don't know when it's appropriate to use. Did they do the whole leg then when you found the lump? Did you have surgery again? I can't believe I have not even considered this. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Colleen
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- November 26, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Hi Julie,
I guess I never thought about radiation because I thought it was only used for…wow, I guess I don't know when it's appropriate to use. Did they do the whole leg then when you found the lump? Did you have surgery again? I can't believe I have not even considered this. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Colleen
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- November 27, 2012 at 1:28 am
Colleen,I did interferon 1 month high dose then found first lump. Had lump excised it was melanoma and falling apart. Thnen did started adjuvant biochemo with IL2, interferon and temozolomide. Lump came back and would go up and down during biochemo treatments. Had third surgery where they took a very large chunk out of my upper inner thigh. This was followed very shortly with first round of Yervoy. While doing Yervoy I had first round of radiation. It was to the entire inner thigh- groin down to almost the knee.
I heve also now done two more rounds of radiation- this time for bone mets to my opposite leg and one of my vertebrae. This was done for pain. It helped nicely.
I just wonder if the radiation had been done following the wide excision, if I would have had the recurrences. You never know. I think it’s worth considering. See what your Drs think. Probably worth a consult with a radiation therapist.
Good luck,
Julie in Las Vegas
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- November 27, 2012 at 1:28 am
Colleen,I did interferon 1 month high dose then found first lump. Had lump excised it was melanoma and falling apart. Thnen did started adjuvant biochemo with IL2, interferon and temozolomide. Lump came back and would go up and down during biochemo treatments. Had third surgery where they took a very large chunk out of my upper inner thigh. This was followed very shortly with first round of Yervoy. While doing Yervoy I had first round of radiation. It was to the entire inner thigh- groin down to almost the knee.
I heve also now done two more rounds of radiation- this time for bone mets to my opposite leg and one of my vertebrae. This was done for pain. It helped nicely.
I just wonder if the radiation had been done following the wide excision, if I would have had the recurrences. You never know. I think it’s worth considering. See what your Drs think. Probably worth a consult with a radiation therapist.
Good luck,
Julie in Las Vegas
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- November 27, 2012 at 1:28 am
Colleen,I did interferon 1 month high dose then found first lump. Had lump excised it was melanoma and falling apart. Thnen did started adjuvant biochemo with IL2, interferon and temozolomide. Lump came back and would go up and down during biochemo treatments. Had third surgery where they took a very large chunk out of my upper inner thigh. This was followed very shortly with first round of Yervoy. While doing Yervoy I had first round of radiation. It was to the entire inner thigh- groin down to almost the knee.
I heve also now done two more rounds of radiation- this time for bone mets to my opposite leg and one of my vertebrae. This was done for pain. It helped nicely.
I just wonder if the radiation had been done following the wide excision, if I would have had the recurrences. You never know. I think it’s worth considering. See what your Drs think. Probably worth a consult with a radiation therapist.
Good luck,
Julie in Las Vegas
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- November 28, 2012 at 4:34 pm
Colleen,
I am stage 3b and just started a clinical trial at the end of October comparing interferon with ipilimumab (I can finally spell and pronounce it correctly, yay!). I would definitely ask your oncologist about it, it's the only way to get "ipi" without being inoperable stage 3, or stage 4. The trial has to be started within 12 weeks of surgery, and if you choose to do radiation, has to be 21 days after your last treatment, so timing is very important! If you look up the clinical trial online, the official name is: E1609 "A Phase III Randomized Study of Adjuvant Ipilimumab Anti-CTLA4 Therapy Versus High Dose Interferon a-2b for Resected High-Risk Melanoma"
As far as radiation, most likely, they'd just hit the area where the lymph nodes were taken, that's how mine was. My melanoma was on my shoulder, and the affected lymph nodes were under my arm, so they just radiated the underarm area. Basically it's just in case any cancer cells were left behind after surgery. It will most likely require another doctor, a Radiation Oncologist, but it's worth getting an opinion about. For me, it wasn't a big deal, because it mostly affects just the area it's treating. If it's your head or torso, it can be a lot worse. The worst thing I dealt with was an itchy rash.
Also, definitely ask your doctor about the Celiac disease, but I would think controlling your diet would control the Celiac and interferon shouldn't make it worse, but with no medical or personal experience, I can't really say that with total certainty! And I also have no experience with severe depression, but I think that already being on meds for that will help, same with hypothyroid (I can't remember if you said you were already on meds for the thyroid though).
I wish you the best of luck, and please feel free to email me directly (email is on my profile) if you have more questions about the clinical trial, or ipilimumab (I've only had 2 rounds of treatment, but I'm happy to share my experiences so far) or just need to talk to someone ๐
Melissa
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- November 28, 2012 at 4:34 pm
Colleen,
I am stage 3b and just started a clinical trial at the end of October comparing interferon with ipilimumab (I can finally spell and pronounce it correctly, yay!). I would definitely ask your oncologist about it, it's the only way to get "ipi" without being inoperable stage 3, or stage 4. The trial has to be started within 12 weeks of surgery, and if you choose to do radiation, has to be 21 days after your last treatment, so timing is very important! If you look up the clinical trial online, the official name is: E1609 "A Phase III Randomized Study of Adjuvant Ipilimumab Anti-CTLA4 Therapy Versus High Dose Interferon a-2b for Resected High-Risk Melanoma"
As far as radiation, most likely, they'd just hit the area where the lymph nodes were taken, that's how mine was. My melanoma was on my shoulder, and the affected lymph nodes were under my arm, so they just radiated the underarm area. Basically it's just in case any cancer cells were left behind after surgery. It will most likely require another doctor, a Radiation Oncologist, but it's worth getting an opinion about. For me, it wasn't a big deal, because it mostly affects just the area it's treating. If it's your head or torso, it can be a lot worse. The worst thing I dealt with was an itchy rash.
Also, definitely ask your doctor about the Celiac disease, but I would think controlling your diet would control the Celiac and interferon shouldn't make it worse, but with no medical or personal experience, I can't really say that with total certainty! And I also have no experience with severe depression, but I think that already being on meds for that will help, same with hypothyroid (I can't remember if you said you were already on meds for the thyroid though).
I wish you the best of luck, and please feel free to email me directly (email is on my profile) if you have more questions about the clinical trial, or ipilimumab (I've only had 2 rounds of treatment, but I'm happy to share my experiences so far) or just need to talk to someone ๐
Melissa
-
- November 28, 2012 at 4:34 pm
Colleen,
I am stage 3b and just started a clinical trial at the end of October comparing interferon with ipilimumab (I can finally spell and pronounce it correctly, yay!). I would definitely ask your oncologist about it, it's the only way to get "ipi" without being inoperable stage 3, or stage 4. The trial has to be started within 12 weeks of surgery, and if you choose to do radiation, has to be 21 days after your last treatment, so timing is very important! If you look up the clinical trial online, the official name is: E1609 "A Phase III Randomized Study of Adjuvant Ipilimumab Anti-CTLA4 Therapy Versus High Dose Interferon a-2b for Resected High-Risk Melanoma"
As far as radiation, most likely, they'd just hit the area where the lymph nodes were taken, that's how mine was. My melanoma was on my shoulder, and the affected lymph nodes were under my arm, so they just radiated the underarm area. Basically it's just in case any cancer cells were left behind after surgery. It will most likely require another doctor, a Radiation Oncologist, but it's worth getting an opinion about. For me, it wasn't a big deal, because it mostly affects just the area it's treating. If it's your head or torso, it can be a lot worse. The worst thing I dealt with was an itchy rash.
Also, definitely ask your doctor about the Celiac disease, but I would think controlling your diet would control the Celiac and interferon shouldn't make it worse, but with no medical or personal experience, I can't really say that with total certainty! And I also have no experience with severe depression, but I think that already being on meds for that will help, same with hypothyroid (I can't remember if you said you were already on meds for the thyroid though).
I wish you the best of luck, and please feel free to email me directly (email is on my profile) if you have more questions about the clinical trial, or ipilimumab (I've only had 2 rounds of treatment, but I'm happy to share my experiences so far) or just need to talk to someone ๐
Melissa
-
- November 26, 2012 at 3:05 am
Hi Collen,I like you also started with a lesion on my leg. WLE and positive SNB. I did the 1 month high dose interferon and couldn’t tolerate the weekly self injections. At that time my oncologist thought the 1 month high dose was as good as doing the whole year. I wound up with 2 recurrences in the lymph node basin mid thigh. Both of these showed up as a lump I could feel. I tell you this so that you can watch carefully for any sign of recurrence. One thing I wish I had done earlier was radiation. Since radiation I have had no further disease in my leg. Unfortunately I have lesions in my liver and bones.
Consider radiation to the lymph node basin to try to prevent a recurrence.
Good luck to you.
Julie in Las Vegas
-
- November 28, 2012 at 7:49 am
Hi from one Colleen to another! : ) My husband was diagnosed with Stage IIIB this past summer. He underwent the wide excision sentinel lymph node biopsy, followed by a lymph node dissection. He recently completed the month-long high-dose interferon treatment and is now a few weeks into the sub-q shots. Thus far, his symptoms have been manageable.
Has anyone experienced severe depression while on Interferon?
We don't personally know anyone else who has dealt with this particular disease or pursued this line of treatment. I have heard, though, of patients who did experience severe depression while on Interferon. Some of those were histories I read about online, and others were relayed to me by people in the medical field. I can absolutely see that the drug does alter one's personality. My husband has been overly healthy and active his entire life, with an open, optimistic attitude. Dealing with health issues, having his lifestyle suppressed, puts a real damper on his outlook. It's like the life has gone out of him. So if that's how he reacts, with no history whatsoever of depression, I can imagine that it might have a more significant impact on others. But it sounds like you're aware and have good communication with your psych. Ask the people close to you to help keep tabs on you and be on board with your plans as well.
I also have Celiac Disease. Would this be a concern for me?
Again, Hans (my husband) doesn't have this issue, but I can't imagine it should create any additional concerns for you. Your appetite will likely decrease during treatment, and you may experience some constipation. Keep up the fluids and rely on good, real food to sustain you.
Best to you!
Warmly,
Colleen
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- November 28, 2012 at 7:49 am
Hi from one Colleen to another! : ) My husband was diagnosed with Stage IIIB this past summer. He underwent the wide excision sentinel lymph node biopsy, followed by a lymph node dissection. He recently completed the month-long high-dose interferon treatment and is now a few weeks into the sub-q shots. Thus far, his symptoms have been manageable.
Has anyone experienced severe depression while on Interferon?
We don't personally know anyone else who has dealt with this particular disease or pursued this line of treatment. I have heard, though, of patients who did experience severe depression while on Interferon. Some of those were histories I read about online, and others were relayed to me by people in the medical field. I can absolutely see that the drug does alter one's personality. My husband has been overly healthy and active his entire life, with an open, optimistic attitude. Dealing with health issues, having his lifestyle suppressed, puts a real damper on his outlook. It's like the life has gone out of him. So if that's how he reacts, with no history whatsoever of depression, I can imagine that it might have a more significant impact on others. But it sounds like you're aware and have good communication with your psych. Ask the people close to you to help keep tabs on you and be on board with your plans as well.
I also have Celiac Disease. Would this be a concern for me?
Again, Hans (my husband) doesn't have this issue, but I can't imagine it should create any additional concerns for you. Your appetite will likely decrease during treatment, and you may experience some constipation. Keep up the fluids and rely on good, real food to sustain you.
Best to you!
Warmly,
Colleen
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- May 3, 2013 at 11:13 am
Synthetic thyroid hormone is the hypothyroid treatment option which most endocrinologists and other types of medical doctors choose to treat hypothyroidism with. However, there are basically three hypothyroid treatment options that people with this condition have. The goal of this article is to list these three different options, and to provide reasons why you might want to choose each treatment method, as well as reasons why you might not want to choose each of them.
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- May 3, 2013 at 11:13 am
Synthetic thyroid hormone is the hypothyroid treatment option which most endocrinologists and other types of medical doctors choose to treat hypothyroidism with. However, there are basically three hypothyroid treatment options that people with this condition have. The goal of this article is to list these three different options, and to provide reasons why you might want to choose each treatment method, as well as reasons why you might not want to choose each of them.
-
- May 3, 2013 at 11:13 am
Synthetic thyroid hormone is the hypothyroid treatment option which most endocrinologists and other types of medical doctors choose to treat hypothyroidism with. However, there are basically three hypothyroid treatment options that people with this condition have. The goal of this article is to list these three different options, and to provide reasons why you might want to choose each treatment method, as well as reasons why you might not want to choose each of them.
-
- November 28, 2012 at 7:49 am
Hi from one Colleen to another! : ) My husband was diagnosed with Stage IIIB this past summer. He underwent the wide excision sentinel lymph node biopsy, followed by a lymph node dissection. He recently completed the month-long high-dose interferon treatment and is now a few weeks into the sub-q shots. Thus far, his symptoms have been manageable.
Has anyone experienced severe depression while on Interferon?
We don't personally know anyone else who has dealt with this particular disease or pursued this line of treatment. I have heard, though, of patients who did experience severe depression while on Interferon. Some of those were histories I read about online, and others were relayed to me by people in the medical field. I can absolutely see that the drug does alter one's personality. My husband has been overly healthy and active his entire life, with an open, optimistic attitude. Dealing with health issues, having his lifestyle suppressed, puts a real damper on his outlook. It's like the life has gone out of him. So if that's how he reacts, with no history whatsoever of depression, I can imagine that it might have a more significant impact on others. But it sounds like you're aware and have good communication with your psych. Ask the people close to you to help keep tabs on you and be on board with your plans as well.
I also have Celiac Disease. Would this be a concern for me?
Again, Hans (my husband) doesn't have this issue, but I can't imagine it should create any additional concerns for you. Your appetite will likely decrease during treatment, and you may experience some constipation. Keep up the fluids and rely on good, real food to sustain you.
Best to you!
Warmly,
Colleen
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