eakes463

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

Karen,

I was catching up on some of the forums. I ran across the long term effects of Interferon. I had my hip replaced because of interferon. The treatment damaged  the joints that were in bad shape. In other words I guess at some time in the future the hip would have been replace anyway? Not sure. I was fine before. I also need my ankle replaced. The ankle was in bad shape. Years of abuse from basketball. Each year I feel worse. I am on Tramadol and mobic.If i didn't take the meds. I couldn't walk or get around. The knees are shot. BTW I am only 45 yrs old. I have 1 more yr. and I will be 5 yrs 'NED'. I had stage III Melanoma on my face and had 32 Lymph nodes taken out my neck. The strange thing was. That the Melanoma looked like a pimple. Or a ingrown hair. Pink looking. It took 3 different doctors to figure out what it was. Even the DERM .didnt have a clue. Just wanted to post that I do have problems after interferon. I do get bad headaches. i think that comes from the Tramadol?

Jeff

Karen,

I was catching up on some of the forums. I ran across the long term effects of Interferon. I had my hip replaced because of interferon. The treatment damaged  the joints that were in bad shape. In other words I guess at some time in the future the hip would have been replace anyway? Not sure. I was fine before. I also need my ankle replaced. The ankle was in bad shape. Years of abuse from basketball. Each year I feel worse. I am on Tramadol and mobic.If i didn't take the meds. I couldn't walk or get around. The knees are shot. BTW I am only 45 yrs old. I have 1 more yr. and I will be 5 yrs 'NED'. I had stage III Melanoma on my face and had 32 Lymph nodes taken out my neck. The strange thing was. That the Melanoma looked like a pimple. Or a ingrown hair. Pink looking. It took 3 different doctors to figure out what it was. Even the DERM .didnt have a clue. Just wanted to post that I do have problems after interferon. I do get bad headaches. i think that comes from the Tramadol?

Jeff

Karen,

I was catching up on some of the forums. I ran across the long term effects of Interferon. I had my hip replaced because of interferon. The treatment damaged  the joints that were in bad shape. In other words I guess at some time in the future the hip would have been replace anyway? Not sure. I was fine before. I also need my ankle replaced. The ankle was in bad shape. Years of abuse from basketball. Each year I feel worse. I am on Tramadol and mobic.If i didn't take the meds. I couldn't walk or get around. The knees are shot. BTW I am only 45 yrs old. I have 1 more yr. and I will be 5 yrs 'NED'. I had stage III Melanoma on my face and had 32 Lymph nodes taken out my neck. The strange thing was. That the Melanoma looked like a pimple. Or a ingrown hair. Pink looking. It took 3 different doctors to figure out what it was. Even the DERM .didnt have a clue. Just wanted to post that I do have problems after interferon. I do get bad headaches. i think that comes from the Tramadol?

Jeff