A little less than a year ago I was trying to understand the meaning of being diagnosed with advanced Stage 4 melanoma. It was difficult to comprehend the possibility of time running out, of not having to plan for the future, of the world moving on without me. With meditative focus, I ultimately prepared, intellectually and emotionally, to leave – a difficult and almost surreal task. The investigational drug trial was something to do in the meantime.
But I, like others in this forum, have been given a gift of more time. Yesterday, the results of my fourth CT scan over the past six months were consistent with the rest — no evidence of recurrent disease.
The radiologists are still arguing whether or not the small sclerotic bone lesions are mets or just "bone scarring,", but they are few, small and haven't changed in 6 months, so I'm optimistic.
It's been a little rough climbing back up after being in a deep valley for a while, but I feel like I'm nearing the top. My strength is coming back, my weight is back, surgical scars have all healed, radiation burns are but a memory and there are days that I truly feel energetic. Bicycling, swimming, hiking, tennis – they're all a part of my life again. I'm taking advantage of the extra time I've been given.
Hopefully, this trend of good news from melanoma survivors will continue to grow. I'm a retired physician, and when I was in medical school, my diagnosis would have been a death warrant, but not now. The trend is a welcome change, and a very hopeful one.
DVD
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