Can you work while having treatment

Hello Hyzer2022

I am a 64 year old male. I was diagnosed with having advanced melanoma in early 2020 with small tumors in the left lung after undergoing the removal of the melanoma growth, lymph node analysis and an initial PET-scan. The prescribed treatment was a year of immunotherapy and there was no chemotherapy involved. My initial concerns were similar to your own, so I am writing to tell you of my experience with immunotherapy. 

The Keytruda infusions can cause different symptoms that vary from patient to patient. The problem is that the drug can also attack healthy tissue in addition to targeting cancer cells. Your cancer specialist will advise you of what to expect and watch out for if immunotherapy is necessary and guide you along the path of treatment. I was fortunate. Only sporadic Keytruda-induced colitis and a little brain-fog. All irritating but in no way debilitating. I never missed a single day of work except for scheduled medical out-patient appointments and my driving was not restricted in any way. As my treatment was at a local Oncology Center, I was able to meet many more people with successful and similar journeys.

As of June, 2022 I have been diagnosed as cancer-free and in complete remission after 3 clean CT-scans pursuant to treatment. Hope this helps...I have posted replies to people with similar concerns in this forum.

I hope that your moles turn out to be a non-issue and all is well but hope that I am able to alleviate some of your concerns about any possible negative outcome. Take care and wishing you the best.

Hi Dave thank you for the reply it is helpful, I’m glad to hear you are now cancer free. What stage was the melanoma in and did you need any time off after the surgery to remove the melanoma? 
It sounds like immunotherapy isn’t as bad as chemo. I am very worried as the lesion/mole just looks wrong, the edges look more blurry. I have two dark lesions near each other. I really hope it’s nothing but I feel I know deep down somethings wrong. Life is crazy. I hope you will have no further troubles and stay cancer free. 

Hi Hyzer. My mole appeared on the rear of my left shoulder and appeared similar to your description. I let it go a couple of months unchecked until it developed a pronounced head in the center mass. My bad. My dermatologist performed a biopsy of the tissue and it was determined to be nodular melanoma, which is very aggressive. I was referred to an oncologist and sent to surgery for the removal of a golf ball sized tumor and also the removal of the lymph node under my armpit closest to the tumor. all done in a hospital with me completely out and under. The lymph node was biopsied to determine if any melanoma cells were present, which there were in my case. It was determined to be Stage 3 at the beginning of treatment. The armpit was sore for a few days and I had to be careful of the incision but I only missed 2 days of work including the day of surgery. As they say, life is what happens when we have other plans. Hang in there while you wait. Melanoma treatment has come so very far in the last decade. Many moles can present with the physical characteristics similar to melanoma but are not. Wishing you the best and hope this helps.

Hello Dave11 glad you have clear results,I was wondering if you was given a choice in what treatment to have as I have stage 3 and have been given the immunotherapy or the tablet form of chemo. If you did have a choice why did you choose the immunotherapy please.

Hi Hyzer2022. Did you get your results?

Kind regards

Emily

Hi May81. I was not given a choice by my oncologist. He outlined the course of the immunotherapy infusions. The tablet form of chemo was never mentioned as an alternative for me. I researched immunotherapy and consented to the treatment which so far has worked well for me. Wishing you all the best with your treatment.