Stage IV Melanoma Survivor：为什么我不介意具有可见的副作用

一个immunotherapy临床试验在MD安德森帮助我击败了第四阶段黑色瘤差不多五年前。但是ldsports乐动体育 I experienced during my two years of治疗对我来说是严重的伤害。尽管如此，我通过他们，并于2014年初，我在缓解了。

The only evidence of my treatment today is vitiligo. It’s a condition that causes patches of skin to become discolored, which can lead to an unusually blotchy complexion. It’s very visible all over my body, but I honestly don’t care.

Why vitiligo is a non-issue

与活跃，患者治疗期间经历的副作用相比，白癜风是非问题。每次我通过临床试验收到IL-2和免疫疗法疫苗，我都经历过恶心，A.elevated heart rate和严重的寒冷和摇晃。我还保留了大约20磅的水体重，在从医院出院之前我必须用利尿剂脱落。

后期的临床试验,我只needed the vaccine once every three to six months. My routine was to fly to Houston in the morning and get the vaccine, then fly back to Atlanta that same afternoon. By the time I got to the airport for my return flight, I was already feeling the effects. I frequently had to explain to more than one alarmed seatmate why I was acting the way I was.

A good reminder of where I’ve been … and where I am

我首先开始注意到2012年的白癜风发展，几个月后完成了患者的治疗。我带来了我的肿瘤科医生的注意，并令我惊讶的是，他很兴奋。

Apparently, vitiligo is considered a positive side effect in this situation. It means the vaccine is working, searching for cancer cells in your body and destroying them.

The vitiligo is all over my legs and arms now, so it’s pretty obvious if I wear shorts or short-sleeve shirts. It’s also on the back of my neck. Sometimes, I catch people staring, but it’s not a big deal. It doesn’t hurt or itch. It just doesn’t look very good.

我不考虑太多。但是，当我这样做时，我认为这是一个良好的提醒，对什么是托运的。这只是我成为谁的一部分 - 为什么我今天还在这里。

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