Any metastatic melanoma survivors?

yalleh said:

Here's one
I have been battling for almost 5 yrs now. I had 5 tumors in my brain, 7 in my lungs and about a dozen others... Down to about half a dozen. The good news is it sounds like yours is a slow moving Melanoma but still the odds arent good. Mine is a very fast moving (uber aggresive) Melanoma.... but I'm uber stubborn and as of late have a chemo that seems to be helping. Keep up the good fight.

Guardianone 2000 said:

I am David
Stage 4 met

I went to oncology last week and I was told the tumor in my lung was enlarged. Sarcastically said, my Dr. told me she didn't even need another Dr. to help see what she was looking at, because of the large size. That was the only laughing we were doing.

I knew that she was right, because I have been experiencing pain in my chest, again.
What we are not sure about is what the tumor is doing, because it is now 18 months since I had radiation in that lung and on that tumor. From what I understand 18 months is the time of radiation effects and some of this could be scar tissue or just fluid from the radiation. My oncologist told me she wasn't sure what to do at present and whether or not more radiation treatments could be done, due to the amount given previously.

I told her I was going to my Radiation Cancer Dr. on Friday the December 9, 2011 and we would wait to find out what could be done and more test if necessary. She agreed too, so we are waiting for the next step in my living with melanoma cancer.

Now as a side note: I went to my Eye Dr. at Duke yesterday on December 6, 2011 and again I was given news that my eye condition had deteriorated. I was told because of the radiation to my eye in 2003, my eye had more blood vessels growing inside and cutting off the ability for my eye to release fluids and therefore making my eye pressure to and in unsafe limits.

After consultation with the Dr.'s they decided to inject a medicine in my eye to stop the blood vessels from growing and allow my eye to drain properly. Then they put another needle in my eye to extract some of the fluid that was creating the pressure. Now, when I was done with this procedure the pressure was down to almost nothing and safe. I was given a prescription for more medicine and antibiotics to prevent infection.

I wish I could tell you how this felt, but I do not think you really want to know. They of course said they wanted me back in 6 months and that I might require more injections to fix the problem; however they weren't as optimistic as they had been in the past, because they considered this Glaucoma and I was told it was the worst stage of it and that eventually I could have my eye enucleated, if the pain became too bad. The one thing said that made me feel better was that because I am already blind in my left eye they could use laser to fix the condition or at least lessen the effects.

I will update everyone following my condition after I see the Dr.'s on Friday. Thanks everyone for your prayers and as God has blessed me, I hope and pray for Gods' will to be done and from there I will do whatever He has planned for me.

Please visit my website: bradleydallasnorth.net or .com

Guardianone 2000 said:

My survival is Gods' Miracle
Jessica,

Imagine traveling to Duke Medical Center for what is called a Hail Mary chance for life. A team of physicians, the top oncologist in the world are reviewing your case file and assessing your condition to determine what course of treatment is left or available. When they have completed their evaluation, the decision is made, there is nothing can be done to save or prolong your life.
In 2004, I was sent home with less than 2 months to live (stage 4). The melanoma tumor which started in my left eye had metastasis throughout my lymph system, liver, lungs and brain.

I couldn’t even be given experimental chemotherapy, because it would have no affect crossing the blood barrier in the brain. When the Dr. told me this, I looked up and said, “Thank You Lord, now You and I can work this out together.” My Dr. looked at me like I was crazy and then he told me, “They would keep me comfortable until I was gone.”
As we left the hospital, I was in shock. I had to try and comfort my sister who had driven me that day. I was on large doses of morphine for the pain and was unable to drive myself. She was really upset about what the Dr’s. had said. I told her everything was going to be alright. Everything was in God’s hands, not mine nor the Doctor’s.
On the way home I shut my eyes and started thinking about the things I was going to miss. I wasn’t even going to see my daughter graduate High School later that year.

I thanked God for all the blessing’s I had had in my life. I never asked God to save my life. I did say “Lord, You know I have been all over the world helping people and if it is Your Will for me to come home, then I am ready; however if You give me the opportunity, I will write three books in Your Honor.”

In 2005, I fulfilled my covenant with God and I am here today. I still have seven nods in my lungs. After the second book was written, my doctor’s and I realized I had had a miracle occur. All the cancer was out of my body. I was immediately tested again with cats, pets, bone scans, x-rays and labs.

In May 2010, I had stereotactic radiation to stop the bleeding and kill the nod that grew into a tumor. I’ve had surgery, radiation, pain medicines and thank God for Dr.’s and scientist.
The rest of this story can be found on my website: bradleydallasnorth.net

Don't give up on God or yourself, nothing is easy about this disease.

carrie2010 said:

Question
I will be starting interferon A here in about two weeks, I am scared to death about it. I am 25 years old with 2 young girls , a husband who is in the military ( who will be gone for most of my battle with chemo) and family who is 12 hours away. Is this the type of chemo your on and if so what were/are your side effects? Mine was found in the back of my head with a little bit of lymph node in it. When they did the sentinel lymph node biopsy and removed the margins everything came back clear. The doctor said the chemo is a preventive measure. I am diagnosed with stage 3A. Most of the posts I've read on here says that's a high stage to have. I know your no doctor but from what your told / been through the chances of it coming back are high?

felicia_franklinstull2 said:

Nathan08
Well on there ther is 4 treatments every three weeks I think if i remember properly this is her husbent Frank and it can be harsh and some say it has a 25% but it dependson some aspects of the cancer so in some cases some experts say 50% no remember this drug is dangeruse can cuse memory lost,weekness, i know in one case death it cuseed a a man have a bowl burst that had a bowl sendrum allso i know on this drug you will have to report almost any thing can be agervateing and this drug you have sharp stabeing pains or a steady pain thatis unbarble they tell you to report to the er. also my wife up there got the il2 and v-trap and il2 mixed up also. Remimber one thing also docs cant tell you that you are gona decess ive been told over 100 times i was dead man walken I was told i was gona decess in a week, even one time they gave me a day locl docs arnt always the best mainly here in West Virgina.

Nathan08 said:

Your miracle
Praise God you are here today to give others hope in
God. My brother has had his first Yeroy treatment. It's been
Rough on his body and docs given him 25% survival rate
But we serve a God who gives life and life abundantly. My
Brother has melanoma on his lungs. The lungs docs told
Him to go home and prepare to die. His cancer doc said he
Would try Yervoy and see what happened. My brother Jeff is
Starting to feel the side affects like tiredness and rashes on his
Body. We are believing for a miracle. Please pray for Jeff and
Believe with us. Thank God I read ur blog. It has greatly
Encouraged me. Be blessed as you walk in your healing.

carrie2010 said:

Question
I will be starting interferon A here in about two weeks, I am scared to death about it. I am 25 years old with 2 young girls , a husband who is in the military ( who will be gone for most of my battle with chemo) and family who is 12 hours away. Is this the type of chemo your on and if so what were/are your side effects? Mine was found in the back of my head with a little bit of lymph node in it. When they did the sentinel lymph node biopsy and removed the margins everything came back clear. The doctor said the chemo is a preventive measure. I am diagnosed with stage 3A. Most of the posts I've read on here says that's a high stage to have. I know your no doctor but from what your told / been through the chances of it coming back are high?

Nathan08 said:

Yervoy
Felicia, how many times did ur husband get the Yervoy treatments?
My brother has stage IV melanoma on his lungs. He got his first treatment
Last week. We are believing God for a miracle. Docs have given him
25% survival rate. He's starting to feel the side affects.

Terrified_mom said:

Stage4 Metastastic Melanoma with Brain Metastases
You are about as close to my son's (26yrs old)diagnoses as anyone here. He was to start a trial that was FDA approved in the USA but not yet available here except by "Special Access" namely the trial. The day he was to start we had our world come down on us and were told he had 7 brain tumours with 2wks without treatment and 2+months with to live... another doctor said with the Radiation he could have as much as 7 months. My son was EXCELLENT health before all this started in fall 2010 and at one point thought we were out of the woods but all that was happening was the hospital just never bothered to call us on the new scans last summer to say it had spread to his Ilium (one on each side) and a sub centimetre lesion within his liver... 3 months wasted before we found out.. well that was Jan 31 2012 when we got the devastating news about the brain tumours and he started Radiation immediately with the drug Decrodan (sp?) he is being weened off at the moment and last night was insanely hard. Tomorrow Valentines Day is his last Radiation treatment and honestly I have no clue what is in store after that until we see the doctor. He did tell us he could do the trial after the brain mets were treated but I have read different since then so just don't know and the emotional roller coaster is brutal for both of us. The steroid is causing rage outbursts and vomitting all kinds of thing thrush can't walk without assistance... ANY of this?? Have you gone thru?? and how are your tumours now? What other things have you tried?? Willing to swap emails/numbers to speak off the discussion boards We are currently doing fundraising to get the funds together to take my son elsewhere for better treatment as our local Cancer Clinic rank the bottom of the list and just last week the Head of Cancer Care at the hospital was let go with a hefty severance for not properly over seeing the program.. BTW WE WILL NOT GIVE UP RESEARCHING OR FIGHTING TO FIND TREATMENT ~ My son is a HARD CORE FIGHTER and we believe there's something out there ~ we just have to keep looking. God Bless everyone on here and may this disease leave your bodies so that you may all,live life with little to no limitations Chele