Stage3a Desperate for advice

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  • sher4
    sher4 Member Posts: 17
    #22
    happydad said:

    Stage 3 looking for advice
    I was also diagnosed with stage 3b. One of the complicating things for me was that they are not sure if the tumor that was removed by two surgeries last year was whether it was the primary tumor. I had something on my head that had fallen off months earlier. After the surgeries the doctors recommended interferon. As has already been shared, it is brutal; especially the four weeks of IV. I have fourteen more treatments left to complete my full year of treatment. I won't deny that it has been difficult. My doctor started me on an antidepressant about two weeks before the interferon started. My children tell me I am much more mellow!

    Try to help your daughter drink lots of water and get plenty of rest. Every person responds to the regimen differently, but those two things seem to help the most. Support from friends and family has been a very important part of my experience and has been a big help. Let people know how it is going. I have children around the age of your daughter and would not wish this experience on any of them. You will be a big part of her success.

    Take care,

    Happydad

    oops

    oops
  • thomasman
    thomasman Member Posts: 20
    #23
    sher4 said:

    Daughter completed treatments
    Daughter completed the treatments of interferon in June. Scans came out clean last week, so official in remission. Thank you for your comments. I did read earlier. My father was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly after my daughter. He lost his battle. It had been a hard year. Honestly I just got tired of talking about cancer and began to get things confused at times on which one I was talking about. My daughter did very well with the interferon. Doctors were amazed. She was able to continue with school and kept her GPA up and was on the honor roll. She was amazing and we are so proud of her for completing the injections. Hope you are still doing well also.

    this is awesome to hear!! so
    this is awesome to hear!! so glad the interferon worked! i was 3c when diagnosed 5 years ago. after initial wide area excision and axillary surgery, i got into a clinical trial and was put on the interferon arm of it. after the first 4 weeks of infusions, i had a week off before starting the self injection thing. i went in to see my oncologist during that week to get the first months supply of injections, discuss what to expect and have any questions answered. before leaving i mentioned i had some hardness under my arm where the lymph nodes were removed, but i thought it could be scar tissue. welp, a needle biopsy revealed the melanoma had already returned ( and it was also back in the primary location) so the interfuron didnt work for me. but i am very glad to see it work for someone at that stage. how true it is to have a positive attitude(which can be hard to keep when going through such tough treatment) and prayer really does change things!

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