Melanoma Recurrence Back again

All I can say is dont give up. In your case the opdivo is a good idea and may well prevent a recurrence. Side effects are typically not too bad and the beneifts potentially great. And this way you can keep monitoring the area to check for no recurrences.

Although it is some time back now, I can relate to what you must be going through and how unlucky you are. I hope that your husband is recovering from his second surgery and that the opdivo will work
Best wishes Mark

My melanoma was on my lower left leg. The first operation (when I was Stage II) was not too bad, I cant remember how much time I took off work, if anything. Second time around needed a skin graft and this meant a few weeks off work and again crutches which I hate and am useless with. My surgery looked awful – i have photos – and i had to bandage it up for a long time afterwards. Now it’s much better. So I would focus on making sure the surgery heals.

He had a recurrence due to disease progression but if the surgery removed all then in theory he should be fine. The problem is that small melanoma cells may still be lurking around. That’s why they are putting him on opdivo now to try to forestall another recurrence. He may not need this opdivo since it may not recur. But they are probably concerned that since it recurred before it may recur again, that surgery is not enough. So opdivo seems a good idea, i would definitely do it.

In terms of cure, we dont know. My doctor says in my case he would not speak of a cure unless I was without disease for 10 years, then he might think we had cured it (this is not to say it wont come back since I may be prone to new melanomas). I dont think there are any clear victories – we cannot be sure. We will only know later when we die of something else! But the odds can be good and they tend to improve if you can go a few years without a recurrence. So many of us are actually cured, we just dont know this for certain. This adds a different perspective to life though, to be incredibly grateful to be alive. I have lost this feeling now (to some extent), but when on treatment it was particualrly intense. In a way wonderfully intense.

I believe thiis website has lots of resources on the various stages. Bubbles blog has lots of cases and advice. I would say in your husband’s case if it has not spread to the lymph nodes and it stays local (which was my case) then he may have better chances. I hope your husband reads the bulletin board and the info here and understands the stages. A complete cure does seem possible, its just that you may not know this,

Good luck
Mark