Bad News

Don't know what to say.

::Hugs::

Don't know what to say.

::Hugs::

Don't know what to say.

::Hugs::

I'm really sorry to hear that, Vicki.  Hopefully you'll get a plan of attack from the doctors soon and get that taken care of very quickly!  

I'm really sorry to hear that, Vicki.  Hopefully you'll get a plan of attack from the doctors soon and get that taken care of very quickly!  

I'm really sorry to hear that, Vicki.  Hopefully you'll get a plan of attack from the doctors soon and get that taken care of very quickly!  

Have Faith… Get a plan asap

Have Faith… Get a plan asap

Have Faith… Get a plan asap

Hey Vicki!  Just saw your note on blog.  So very sorry, sweetie.  But, as I said there….you can do this.  It is not fun.  But you can do it.  Make sure you are being seen by a melanoma specialist.  Zap the sucker and follow up rapidly with the systemic treatment you decide is best for you….would be my approach.  Yell, scream…let us know what we can do.  Hang in there.  You can do this!!!  love, c

Hey Vicki!  Just saw your note on blog.  So very sorry, sweetie.  But, as I said there….you can do this.  It is not fun.  But you can do it.  Make sure you are being seen by a melanoma specialist.  Zap the sucker and follow up rapidly with the systemic treatment you decide is best for you….would be my approach.  Yell, scream…let us know what we can do.  Hang in there.  You can do this!!!  love, c

Hey Vicki!  Just saw your note on blog.  So very sorry, sweetie.  But, as I said there….you can do this.  It is not fun.  But you can do it.  Make sure you are being seen by a melanoma specialist.  Zap the sucker and follow up rapidly with the systemic treatment you decide is best for you….would be my approach.  Yell, scream…let us know what we can do.  Hang in there.  You can do this!!!  love, c

So sorry Vicki! Definitely NOT what you wanted to hear from MDA… you'll get that sucker taken care of, as you know, there's tons of support here and lots of good info for you!

Sending you lots of hugs!

So sorry Vicki! Definitely NOT what you wanted to hear from MDA… you'll get that sucker taken care of, as you know, there's tons of support here and lots of good info for you!

Sending you lots of hugs!

So sorry Vicki! Definitely NOT what you wanted to hear from MDA… you'll get that sucker taken care of, as you know, there's tons of support here and lots of good info for you!

Sending you lots of hugs!

Ok.  Zap it into oblivion!!!  I never had signs or symptoms due to my brain mets either.  Glad the lung nodules are nothing.  That's all good.  But, I wouldn't be happy with watch and wait myself.  And…believe me….I've been in NED melanoma never land.  Which is not bad…and it is where you will be as soon as you get this zapped.  But, I would really want systemic therapy.  Tons of articles on my blog of the benefit of systemic therapy on the heels of radiation for brain mets as well as other yuck.  So….you think about what YOU want and we will start that search and research if you like.  Hang in there.  SRS or gamma knife is yucky….but totally doable.  Halo installation and removal was the worst part for me…but lots of places use the mask these days and that works great.  So sorry you are having to deal with this.  But….you will move past it and be able to look back on it as just one more crazy thing (like I wrote to Josh) before you know it!  Ever yours, celeste

Ok.  Zap it into oblivion!!!  I never had signs or symptoms due to my brain mets either.  Glad the lung nodules are nothing.  That's all good.  But, I wouldn't be happy with watch and wait myself.  And…believe me….I've been in NED melanoma never land.  Which is not bad…and it is where you will be as soon as you get this zapped.  But, I would really want systemic therapy.  Tons of articles on my blog of the benefit of systemic therapy on the heels of radiation for brain mets as well as other yuck.  So….you think about what YOU want and we will start that search and research if you like.  Hang in there.  SRS or gamma knife is yucky….but totally doable.  Halo installation and removal was the worst part for me…but lots of places use the mask these days and that works great.  So sorry you are having to deal with this.  But….you will move past it and be able to look back on it as just one more crazy thing (like I wrote to Josh) before you know it!  Ever yours, celeste

Ok.  Zap it into oblivion!!!  I never had signs or symptoms due to my brain mets either.  Glad the lung nodules are nothing.  That's all good.  But, I wouldn't be happy with watch and wait myself.  And…believe me….I've been in NED melanoma never land.  Which is not bad…and it is where you will be as soon as you get this zapped.  But, I would really want systemic therapy.  Tons of articles on my blog of the benefit of systemic therapy on the heels of radiation for brain mets as well as other yuck.  So….you think about what YOU want and we will start that search and research if you like.  Hang in there.  SRS or gamma knife is yucky….but totally doable.  Halo installation and removal was the worst part for me…but lots of places use the mask these days and that works great.  So sorry you are having to deal with this.  But….you will move past it and be able to look back on it as just one more crazy thing (like I wrote to Josh) before you know it!  Ever yours, celeste

Vicki, My husband (the patient) and I are so sorry to hear of this change. We live in Houston so, Randy is getting his treatment here at MDA. We are curious to know which doc gave the watch and wait opinion. My husband is stage 3c. His first oncologist there was Dr. Diab. He wanted to watch and wait based on the fact that  Randy has an autoimmune disease (colitis). We wanted more aggressive treatment and actually requested a change to Dr. Amaria. Randy has just finished a year's clinical trial with the combo targeted therapy dabrafenib/trametinib and is NED, praise God!

i think Celeste is a special agent from the Lord. Not only does she encourage others, she researches for and checks routinely on others. Thank-you C. For all you do! I totally agree with her on the systemic philosophy.

We will keep you in our prayers. 

Corinne and Randy

Vicki, My husband (the patient) and I are so sorry to hear of this change. We live in Houston so, Randy is getting his treatment here at MDA. We are curious to know which doc gave the watch and wait opinion. My husband is stage 3c. His first oncologist there was Dr. Diab. He wanted to watch and wait based on the fact that  Randy has an autoimmune disease (colitis). We wanted more aggressive treatment and actually requested a change to Dr. Amaria. Randy has just finished a year's clinical trial with the combo targeted therapy dabrafenib/trametinib and is NED, praise God!

i think Celeste is a special agent from the Lord. Not only does she encourage others, she researches for and checks routinely on others. Thank-you C. For all you do! I totally agree with her on the systemic philosophy.

We will keep you in our prayers. 

Corinne and Randy

Vicki, My husband (the patient) and I are so sorry to hear of this change. We live in Houston so, Randy is getting his treatment here at MDA. We are curious to know which doc gave the watch and wait opinion. My husband is stage 3c. His first oncologist there was Dr. Diab. He wanted to watch and wait based on the fact that  Randy has an autoimmune disease (colitis). We wanted more aggressive treatment and actually requested a change to Dr. Amaria. Randy has just finished a year's clinical trial with the combo targeted therapy dabrafenib/trametinib and is NED, praise God!

i think Celeste is a special agent from the Lord. Not only does she encourage others, she researches for and checks routinely on others. Thank-you C. For all you do! I totally agree with her on the systemic philosophy.

We will keep you in our prayers. 

Corinne and Randy

Hi Vicki, I have not been able to stop thinking about your post since I first read it. I hope you feel more positive now that people who have had brain mets treated successfully have posted.

You have a perfect right to be scared but please try to fight it. Days polluted with fear are less good than they would have been without that fear.

I feel silly posting this, because it make me seem like a complete SciFi geek but I am going to:

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when my fear is gone I will turn and face fear's path, and only I will remain."

Hi Vicki, I have not been able to stop thinking about your post since I first read it. I hope you feel more positive now that people who have had brain mets treated successfully have posted.

You have a perfect right to be scared but please try to fight it. Days polluted with fear are less good than they would have been without that fear.

I feel silly posting this, because it make me seem like a complete SciFi geek but I am going to:

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when my fear is gone I will turn and face fear's path, and only I will remain."

Hi Vicki, I have not been able to stop thinking about your post since I first read it. I hope you feel more positive now that people who have had brain mets treated successfully have posted.

You have a perfect right to be scared but please try to fight it. Days polluted with fear are less good than they would have been without that fear.

I feel silly posting this, because it make me seem like a complete SciFi geek but I am going to:

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when my fear is gone I will turn and face fear's path, and only I will remain."

Vicki, hang in there, brain mets can do a number on you psychologically but the SRS procedure is really not that painful (especially cyberknife, as I've done both) and very effective for most, especially when you catch things early. Just be alert to any changes in your behavior/symptoms months down the road and call every single one in to your doctor, in case a pesky tumor recurs. Ask as many questions of your doctors as you need until you feel at ease, then believe in them and in your own will to heal. You've got this!!

Vicki, hang in there, brain mets can do a number on you psychologically but the SRS procedure is really not that painful (especially cyberknife, as I've done both) and very effective for most, especially when you catch things early. Just be alert to any changes in your behavior/symptoms months down the road and call every single one in to your doctor, in case a pesky tumor recurs. Ask as many questions of your doctors as you need until you feel at ease, then believe in them and in your own will to heal. You've got this!!

Vicki, hang in there, brain mets can do a number on you psychologically but the SRS procedure is really not that painful (especially cyberknife, as I've done both) and very effective for most, especially when you catch things early. Just be alert to any changes in your behavior/symptoms months down the road and call every single one in to your doctor, in case a pesky tumor recurs. Ask as many questions of your doctors as you need until you feel at ease, then believe in them and in your own will to heal. You've got this!!

So sorry you are dealing with this.. Just wanted to mention my mom had 4 brain mets prior to gamma knife that she did in June and had no symptoms… They were small.. Hopefully they can zap it and its a non issue!!!

So sorry you are dealing with this.. Just wanted to mention my mom had 4 brain mets prior to gamma knife that she did in June and had no symptoms… They were small.. Hopefully they can zap it and its a non issue!!!

So sorry you are dealing with this.. Just wanted to mention my mom had 4 brain mets prior to gamma knife that she did in June and had no symptoms… They were small.. Hopefully they can zap it and its a non issue!!!