My Life's Journey with Melanoma

So it is done!  I finished the clinical trial this month!!!  It has been three years and now it is complete!!  My scans were clear!!  Dr Grossman even said that he was surprised how clear my scans were and how well I have been doing!!!  We did talk about the future.  I will go back and see him in 3 months and get scans again in 6 months.  I will see him every 3 months for 2 years but will only get scans every 6 months. We talked about risk of re occurrence.  I take this for what it is, statistical, because of going 7 years before re occurring.  Statistically speaking, things look very good for me!!!  What  I do know is that melanoma is a monster and can come back at any time and disrupt life!!!  The good thing is I know now some of the things that create a greater risk than others and can mitigate those risks as much as possible. The good thing is that this bout has not slowed me down.  I play basketball twice a week a...

Been a little crazy but all is well on the cancer front.  Treatments have gone well and as normal, strange things pop up each time. This last visit, I told the doctor I was having some fuzziness with my peripheral vision.  That bit of news generated an MRI.  One of the side effects of the drug is that it can cause there pituitary gland to swell.  If this happens, it puts pressure on there optic nerve and causes issues with vision.  Luckily, the pituitary gland was OK.  One bonus of three last treatment was I did not have to get benadryl.  The doctor did not order it so I caught a break. The great thing is I have been able to stay active, working, and doing the things I love.  My family has been very supportive and has taken very good care of me. 

It's been a while and some things have happened that I should update those that follow.  I have had good luck with treatments and my scans have been clear (up to this point!)  The major problems have been with my sinus'. I had surgery on my nose to correct a deviated septum (which I also had corrected when I was 16) and to clear out my sinus' so I could breath.  I was breathing at night like I had sleep apnea but I did not have sleep apnea.  I was having problems sleeping at night which was corrected after the surgery.  I then started to have problems that I thought were related to allergies.  The problem was that my nose would plug up but nothing I took (allergy pill-wise) would clear up my nose.  I could not sleep at night and it was very unpleasant and gross!  The nose doctor ( Dr. Riddle) said he could clear it up pretty quick by simply giving me a topical steroid to put in my nose.  The problem with the steroid was that I can...

Since my last infusion, I have noticed changes a lot earlier in this round than normal.  I usually notice "issues" near the end of the treatment cycle.  I have noticed more and more that I am forgetful.  I have trouble remembering names and every once in a while I forget what I am talking about.  It could be just my age as well as the drug. I have been playing basketball twice a week to stay in shape and to stay active.  I have been doing this for over a year.  Just in about the last month, I noticed that I get very sore especially after sitting for more that about 30 minutes.  I wake up in the morning and my joints are very sore.  My back will be stiff, my shoulders will be sore, and by hips, knees, and ankles will be very sore.  It makes it difficult at times to simply walk.  Walking up and down the stairs is also very difficult.  I have noticed that places that I have previously injured are also more sore than usual.  I ha...

It's been about a week since I completed my latest round of treatment. Of course I went up on Thursday for blood draws and CT scans. About three weeks ago, I was at UVRMC getting an MRI of my back. During the last three months, I have experienced pain in my hip especially if I sit down for more than about a half hour. The pain will radiate down my right leg. Nicole spoke with Dr. Reichman about it and he wanted the MRI. So, I tell this because I was given contrast during that MRI and had to have an IV started. When I went to HCI on Thursday, I went to the lab to get my blood draw. Normally, to prevent getting "stuck" multiple times, the lab will leave the IV in until I come back on Friday and get the infusion. After leaving the lab, I went to CT. In CT, I was told the IV I had would not work because it was in my hand and the test that was ordered required a larger needle and the IV to be above my elbow. Unfortunately, the tech missed the first IV, in my left ...

I'm just getting ready for my next infusion.  The last three weeks have been quite eventful.  About three weeks ago, I began having pain in my back and stomach.  It would come and go.  I began thinking that if I could just get to my next treatment and scans, I could find out what was going on.  I had never been in that much sustained discomfort ever without knowing what was causing the problem or pain.  Last Thursday, I was at home and suddenly my tailbone felt like someone was attempting to pull it out of my back.  It hurt so bad I couldn't stand up. I sat down and the pain went away.  When I sat up to get into bed, my back began hurting.  I woke up on Friday and felt OK so I went to work.  I was OK sitting down but as soon as I stood up for any length of time, my back would hurt so bad I could not move!  My wife, Nicole, had already called Huntsman to ask Dr. Grossman what we should do.  About 3 pm, Nicole called me to tell...