HopefulOne

Hi Bill. I'm with you in regard to not wanting to stop Keytruda at five months. I agree with a post below that I would shoot for at least a year of treatments with clear scans. I thought a recent study showed that going 2-1/2 years on Keytruda with no recurrence statistically showed that you should stay clear for 10 years so that's what my husband is doing. He had his 46th infusion last week. Might that be too much? Perhaps but thankfully, knock on wood, he hasn't had a recurrence on Keytruda where previously on every other treatment he did. And his side effects have been very minimal. Listen to your body/mind! Good luck. Kimberly

Hi there. I remember my husband feeling tired after infusions in the beginning too. It's good that you followed up with the oncology department. Make sure to always be heard when you express concern. You know your body better than anyone else. Good luck with your treatments. Kimberly

Hi Donna,

Sorry to hear about your husband. Yet I know he's in good hands with you as you're reading everything you can to make informed decisions. 

While I don't know the answer to your question, I wanted you to know that your story resonated with me. My husband had had 31 axial lymph nodes removed in Oct. 2012. 11 of them positive for melanoma. At that time, he went on a vaccine clinical trial as he was Stage IIIC and there was only one FDA treatment at that time. And though he progressed on that trial and needed another surgery, he later got Ipi at 3mg. He was able to tolerate Ipi for four infusions (the amount recommended) with a brief delay in the one due to a bowel issue. Ipi helped him go a year without a recurrence. 

Fast forward from then, two more surgeries later, he was able to go on Keytruda and has been NED for two years.

So keep up the hope and asking questions. Even if the answer today is no combo therapy for this stage (if that is true), things are changing on this front every day and tomorrow he might be able to.

Hopefully for now, even if he only tolerates the three treatments, he receives a durable response from it.

Best wishes!

 

 

Hi there – I am soooo sorry that I never responded. I didn’t receive an alert and only noticed this now (2 years later). I hope you are doing well. Kimberly

Hi Bill – I am so sorry! I never received notification that you replied to me. How are you doing?