Back for scans in preparation for clinical trial

So on Friday I will go back to Huntsman and have another MRI scan in preparation for the clinical trial. The clinical trial will start, if everything gets approved, on the following Wednesday. It will be nice to start treatment, even if it is the placebo.

My face is healing pretty well. I went back to the doctor because I had two lumps in my cheek. The one lump was full of fluid and the other was full of blood. They are going to test the blood just to make sure.

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When People Think You Are Dying

I received an interesting email from a friend this week. It said he had heard I had relapsed and he wanted to get together and go to lunch. I was really appreciative of the invitation but started to wonder why he thought I had relapsed. I spoke with this friend who told me that he heard through someone else that I was "terminal" and that I only had a few months to live. He also told me that this message had been received by many in an announcement made at a meeting. I was a little shocked! First that someone heard I was dying and second that I mattered enough to have it announced! I assured my friend that I was doing just fine and that I was not "dying". I told him that I had no new re-occurrence of melanoma and that my treatments were going just fine. This made me start to think about life in general and how we communicate! In regards to communication, I learned how this information was obtained. It was taken out of con...

Quick note

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.

This treatment I felt like a pin cushion!

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 ...

My Life's Journey with Melanoma

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