It's not over until it's over! Keep going.

[Staph]

19. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

That said, I took Keytruda for 2.5 years, after my endometrial cancer returned for round three and there were no other available medical treatments.

That was six and a half years ago, and I've been cancer-free for five and a half of those years. I had my latest CT scan last month and I'm still clear.

Side effects - definitely! Within three months of starting Keytruda, I developed rheumatoid arthritis, without having any of the usual RA markers. I don't have pain in my hands, but I have had to learn to do things differently. There's no physical proof that the Keytruda caused the RA, and it was not at that time listed as a known side effect. My immune system has turned to crap - I catch every bug out there, and I've developed vocal cord warts. I've had vocal cord surgery twice in the last year. I'm fully COVID-vaccinated but I've had COVID three times. I caught the flu last winter, two months after my flu shot, and kept coughing for eight weeks. Keytruda isn't necessarily the cause of my immune system issues, though. It could also have been caused the other rounds of traditional chemo and radiation.


TL;DR. Keytruda caused some other issues. I've been cancer-free for six years. I'll take the side effects all day, any day and twice on Sunday.