Meet your oncologist

Today is my first scheduled meeting with Dr. Miller to discuss my cancer treatment options. As it turns out, I actually meet with Dr. Jason Chesney, who is the director for clinical trials for Brown Cancer Center. I have been studying on interferon treatment like a madman for the last few weeks and after changing my mind a gazillion times have decided against pursuing interferon treatment. I found a paper on the internet summarizing the clinical trials that have been done with interferon for melanoma treatment theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/cgi/content/full/10/9/739 The bottom line of the research is that the interferon treatment will make you feel terrible for a year and doesn't prolong your life expectancy any! I print up the research and am ready to make them convince me of the value of interferon. When I pull out my research on Dr. Chesney, he tells me that he has seen it all, that they don't recommend interferon to anyone and that he wouldn't take it himself! Curveball!
He recommends a much less toxic six month treatment combining chemotherapy (dacarbazine) and injections of an immune system stimulant (interleukin-2) on a 28 day cycle. On day one you will get an IV with the chemotherapy and get an injection of interleukin-2 at Brown Cancer Center. Then on days 2, 3 & 4 you get injections of interleukin-2; either at the Brown Cancer Center or you can give them to yourself. Dr. Chesney recommends that you stay off of work all four days, but that you will feel fine for the remaining 24 days in the cycle. They classify the side affects of this treatment as a vacation compared to interferon. Without additional treatment there is a 25 to 35% chance of my melanoma recurring within the next five years and that the recurrent cancer is very difficult to treat. They contend that this treatment will lower those odds to a 15 to 20% chance of the cancer recurring in that same five year window. Dr. Chesney also tells me that I have a one in eight chance of developing a new melanoma, totally unrelated to the first cancer - I don't understand this at all.
I woke at at 2:00 this morning sick as a dog and couldn't go back to sleep. I was running a 101 degree fever in the morning. I also saw Dr. McMasters today and he prescribed a general antibiotic for the infection and took swabs of the site where the tube goes into me: oh my stars did that hurt!