yervoy side effects and work schedule

I was on the MDX-010 trial (Yevoy) and worked full time throughout.  I experienced some side effects and was placed on high dose steroids and still managed to work full time.   Everyone is different of course, but there have been many of us on the bulletin board that worked full time during the treatment.  Best of luck to you…

I was on the MDX-010 trial (Yevoy) and worked full time throughout.  I experienced some side effects and was placed on high dose steroids and still managed to work full time.   Everyone is different of course, but there have been many of us on the bulletin board that worked full time during the treatment.  Best of luck to you…

I was on the MDX-010 trial (Yevoy) and worked full time throughout.  I experienced some side effects and was placed on high dose steroids and still managed to work full time.   Everyone is different of course, but there have been many of us on the bulletin board that worked full time during the treatment.  Best of luck to you…

Good luck to you,

Julie in Las Vegas

Good luck to you,

Julie in Las Vegas

Good luck to you,

Julie in Las Vegas

I was able to complete Yervoy (4 treatments) and work my regular schedule of 40 hrs a week, and I also have a 1 hr commute to and from work.  I would only take time off on the day of the infusion.  The worst side effects I had was the bad rash and the itching, mainly on my upper body and both sides of my face.

Rosa

I was able to complete Yervoy (4 treatments) and work my regular schedule of 40 hrs a week, and I also have a 1 hr commute to and from work.  I would only take time off on the day of the infusion.  The worst side effects I had was the bad rash and the itching, mainly on my upper body and both sides of my face.

Rosa

I was able to complete Yervoy (4 treatments) and work my regular schedule of 40 hrs a week, and I also have a 1 hr commute to and from work.  I would only take time off on the day of the infusion.  The worst side effects I had was the bad rash and the itching, mainly on my upper body and both sides of my face.

Rosa

I was on Yervoy before the drug was approved, so I wound up getting 4 cycles of treatment (16 infusions). My doctor said that he thought I might have gotten more ippi than anyone else in the world. That being said, I felt completely fine the entire time I took the drug and I worked the entire time. The only side effects I experienced were crazily itchy legs (like, tear off your skin itchy). Not pleasant, but nothing that would have stopped me from working or leading a totally normal life. Best of luck!

I was on Yervoy before the drug was approved, so I wound up getting 4 cycles of treatment (16 infusions). My doctor said that he thought I might have gotten more ippi than anyone else in the world. That being said, I felt completely fine the entire time I took the drug and I worked the entire time. The only side effects I experienced were crazily itchy legs (like, tear off your skin itchy). Not pleasant, but nothing that would have stopped me from working or leading a totally normal life. Best of luck!

I was on Yervoy before the drug was approved, so I wound up getting 4 cycles of treatment (16 infusions). My doctor said that he thought I might have gotten more ippi than anyone else in the world. That being said, I felt completely fine the entire time I took the drug and I worked the entire time. The only side effects I experienced were crazily itchy legs (like, tear off your skin itchy). Not pleasant, but nothing that would have stopped me from working or leading a totally normal life. Best of luck!

Hi-

i was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in 2009.  I did IL-2 (utterly vile, laid me out flat, and I got no benefit at all.)  I've also done a number of clinical trials without much effect until I did BRAF, which gave me some shrinkage and then stability for nearly 15 months.    I had a number of side effects, including joint pain, itching and fatigue, so I ended up on a low dose.  I got some good reduction, but it stalled.  I did Ipi this fall.  I worked fulltime through all four infusions, but felt progressively more fatigued after each, and immediately after the fourth infusion had major nausea.  From that point, I had terrible diarrhea, and ended up being one of that very small percentage of people who get ulcerative colitis from Yervoy.  It was a bad scene, I ended up in the hospital for two weeks, and they nearly had to perform surgery on my colon.  A combination of Remicade and Prednisone eventually handled the issue.   After discharge from the hospital, they started reducing the steroid dose, and the symptoms came right back.  So I'm still taking a lot of steroids, and I've started a Remicade infusion protocol.  After the next infusion we'll try reducing the Prednisone again, and see of the Remicade infusions will keep the nasty at bay.   BUT, I had a PET/CT this week, and low and behold, I got a really good result from the Yervoy.  I had a lot of lymph node activity that is now completely gone, and my primary tumors have shrunk considerably.  And the positive effects may still be happening.  Given this result, I would make the decision to to Yervoy even if I knew I would be an unlucky recipient of major side effects.   If I start getting regrowth, my next stop is PD-1.

Melanoma is a difficult road to travel, but there is a lot of optimism these days, the science is moving at lightening speed.  The succession of trials has kept me going much longer than first expected – here I am at the three year mark, still working, still living a very full life.   Hang in there, and embrace trials – I'm convinced that the various trials back to back cumulatively, has brought me this far – and new things keep coming along at a good pace.   Whether one has cancer or doesn't have cancer, no one knows what the future holds, and every day is a blessing.

C in SB

Hi-

i was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in 2009.  I did IL-2 (utterly vile, laid me out flat, and I got no benefit at all.)  I've also done a number of clinical trials without much effect until I did BRAF, which gave me some shrinkage and then stability for nearly 15 months.    I had a number of side effects, including joint pain, itching and fatigue, so I ended up on a low dose.  I got some good reduction, but it stalled.  I did Ipi this fall.  I worked fulltime through all four infusions, but felt progressively more fatigued after each, and immediately after the fourth infusion had major nausea.  From that point, I had terrible diarrhea, and ended up being one of that very small percentage of people who get ulcerative colitis from Yervoy.  It was a bad scene, I ended up in the hospital for two weeks, and they nearly had to perform surgery on my colon.  A combination of Remicade and Prednisone eventually handled the issue.   After discharge from the hospital, they started reducing the steroid dose, and the symptoms came right back.  So I'm still taking a lot of steroids, and I've started a Remicade infusion protocol.  After the next infusion we'll try reducing the Prednisone again, and see of the Remicade infusions will keep the nasty at bay.   BUT, I had a PET/CT this week, and low and behold, I got a really good result from the Yervoy.  I had a lot of lymph node activity that is now completely gone, and my primary tumors have shrunk considerably.  And the positive effects may still be happening.  Given this result, I would make the decision to to Yervoy even if I knew I would be an unlucky recipient of major side effects.   If I start getting regrowth, my next stop is PD-1.

Melanoma is a difficult road to travel, but there is a lot of optimism these days, the science is moving at lightening speed.  The succession of trials has kept me going much longer than first expected – here I am at the three year mark, still working, still living a very full life.   Hang in there, and embrace trials – I'm convinced that the various trials back to back cumulatively, has brought me this far – and new things keep coming along at a good pace.   Whether one has cancer or doesn't have cancer, no one knows what the future holds, and every day is a blessing.

C in SB

Hi-

i was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in 2009.  I did IL-2 (utterly vile, laid me out flat, and I got no benefit at all.)  I've also done a number of clinical trials without much effect until I did BRAF, which gave me some shrinkage and then stability for nearly 15 months.    I had a number of side effects, including joint pain, itching and fatigue, so I ended up on a low dose.  I got some good reduction, but it stalled.  I did Ipi this fall.  I worked fulltime through all four infusions, but felt progressively more fatigued after each, and immediately after the fourth infusion had major nausea.  From that point, I had terrible diarrhea, and ended up being one of that very small percentage of people who get ulcerative colitis from Yervoy.  It was a bad scene, I ended up in the hospital for two weeks, and they nearly had to perform surgery on my colon.  A combination of Remicade and Prednisone eventually handled the issue.   After discharge from the hospital, they started reducing the steroid dose, and the symptoms came right back.  So I'm still taking a lot of steroids, and I've started a Remicade infusion protocol.  After the next infusion we'll try reducing the Prednisone again, and see of the Remicade infusions will keep the nasty at bay.   BUT, I had a PET/CT this week, and low and behold, I got a really good result from the Yervoy.  I had a lot of lymph node activity that is now completely gone, and my primary tumors have shrunk considerably.  And the positive effects may still be happening.  Given this result, I would make the decision to to Yervoy even if I knew I would be an unlucky recipient of major side effects.   If I start getting regrowth, my next stop is PD-1.

Melanoma is a difficult road to travel, but there is a lot of optimism these days, the science is moving at lightening speed.  The succession of trials has kept me going much longer than first expected – here I am at the three year mark, still working, still living a very full life.   Hang in there, and embrace trials – I'm convinced that the various trials back to back cumulatively, has brought me this far – and new things keep coming along at a good pace.   Whether one has cancer or doesn't have cancer, no one knows what the future holds, and every day is a blessing.

C in SB