It’s a very common misconception that immunotherapy is easier than chemotherapy.
It isn’t easier, it just has different side effects.
Because we don’t lose our hair and extreme vomiting is rare it is assumed it’s a walk in the park.
The number of people who told me I didn’t look like I had cancer!
I had nivolumab which gave me colitis after 3 or so infusions. Horribly painful and debilitating as I am sure you know.
Was hospitalised for a week, on a drip for severe dehydration and given high dose steroids and painkillers.
As the OP says, my doctors told me that in some ways colitis is a good sign as it shows the immunotherapy is really working on changing your immune system.
It sounds like your body is changing too so that is a big positive even though colitis is (literally!) shitty.
Then it took a month at home to wean off the steroids and restarted nivo.
Another six months of nivo and the colitis was back and I needed another week in hospital on a drip and steroids.
This time the oncologists said no more nivo because anymore was likely to finish my intestines off.
Luckily for me the time I managed to stay on nivo had stopped my melanoma.
My original site (arm) and the spread to my lungs had disappeared after the first few infusions.
The ones on my arm started actually dissolving in front of my eyes after the very first treatment.
Nivo alone is supposedly milder than a combination treatment like ipi/nivo so I was even luckier that my immune system reacted so well and kicked in to kill the cancer.
I am now almost five years in remission.
I actually had a check up yesterday with my lovely consultant who was telling me about the vaccine treatments which are making such huge improvements for melanoma treatment and it is hoped these will soon replace immunotherapy altogether.
She said that in the past ten or so years she has seen a complete turnaround from basically having nothing to offer patients with advanced melanoma to now the majority of patients ending up in complete remission.
Sending you all good wishes.