MRF-Logo2019-Horizontal-RGB
Our story
REGISTER
The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Content within the patient forum is user-generated and has not been reviewed by medical professionals. Other sections of the Melanoma Research Foundation website include information that has been reviewed by medical professionals as appropriate. All medical decisions should be made in consultation with your doctor or other qualified medical professional.

Our story

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Our story

  • Post
    • April 4, 2016 at 12:23 pm
    Patrisa
    Participant

      Hey guys…

       

      I just registered, but i have been following your stories for quite some time now….. It really helped me, knowing that we (my fater to be precise) are not alone…..

       

      My fathers story began on October 2012, when he felt an itch and began to scratch his back like a mad man… I took a look at it and saw a black mole on top of his excisting (don t know how to say it in english) "growth" he has had his entire life.. He went to check it out and dermatoligist said it was basal cell carcinoma, nothing to really worry about…. Well, it turned out to be melanoma…..

      We were so shocked, we knew nothing about the disease, except that it was deadly…. The surgeon went it the sencond time and did a wider excision, along with taking the sentinel node, which came back positive, and after that the removed all the limph nodes from his armpit which were all negative….. His stage at the time III3

      He then went on Interferon and managed to take it for the whole 12 months (first month was brutal) and every doctors visit after then was OK. I have to mention that every visit to the doctors was just S -100 check and phisical exam… Nothing else….

      Well, ffwd, last summer I noticed a bump on his back, fairly close to his original place of melanoma and i freaked out… He went to see a dermatologist and they assured him it was ateroma and scheduled him for operation 6 months from then….  I was kind of releived, but in the back of my mind i always thought it might be melanoma…. In november 2015 he had his regular checkup at the oncologysts and he did a biopsy, just to be on the safe side (he said its probably ateroma) and it came back posivite…. After CT, we realized he had mets in his lungs and were devestated…. We knew nothing about new treatments, just poor statistics for chemo and thats it….

      BUT, luckily, he is not that old and doctors offered KEYTRUDA…. that was the first time we ever heard of it and of course we took it….

      He started Keytruda on Jan, 25 this year and today received his 4th dose…. His blood works are excellent, his biggest tumor (5x5cm) is at least 70% gone, and the smaller one dissapeared….. His first CT will be in a couple of weeks, but we are quite optimistic that the lungs could be cleared too…..

      I have to say that he s a real truper, positive, goes hiking every day, easts 90% healthy, drinks aronia juice every day and has no side effects of Keytruda…..

      He is just a little anqsious about excercise, he thinks getting a lot of oxigene to the body, on the one side helps, but helps cancer cells to live too? What do you guys think? To excercise or not?

      Thank you for beeing such a wonderful place, where one can come and really feel at home and somewhat hopeful…. Many of us come here and never post, but we cheer for each and every one of you!!!!

       

      P.S. I apologize for my not so perfect English, but i know all you wonderful people don t really mind… :-)))) 

    Viewing 5 reply threads
    • Replies
        • April 4, 2016 at 2:12 pm
        geriakt
        Participant

          I am a IIIB melanoma and I juice green vegetables (Kyle, cucumber, celery, green apples, ginger and lemon). It helps to oxygen my blood and reduce my fatigue.  I think exercise is always good to release stress and reduce fatigue.

           

          Tom

          • April 4, 2016 at 2:12 pm
          geriakt
          Participant

            I am a IIIB melanoma and I juice green vegetables (Kyle, cucumber, celery, green apples, ginger and lemon). It helps to oxygen my blood and reduce my fatigue.  I think exercise is always good to release stress and reduce fatigue.

             

            Tom

            • April 4, 2016 at 2:12 pm
            geriakt
            Participant

              I am a IIIB melanoma and I juice green vegetables (Kyle, cucumber, celery, green apples, ginger and lemon). It helps to oxygen my blood and reduce my fatigue.  I think exercise is always good to release stress and reduce fatigue.

               

              Tom

              • April 4, 2016 at 3:23 pm
              kpcollins31
              Participant

                I think exercise is very important as it offers both physical and mental benefits. In my case, I credit a strong exercise regimen to being able to quickly bounce back from surgery a couple years ago when I first became stage 4. Not only am I still here, but I remain NED 2+ years later and continue to exercise several times a week. I recommend a focus on weight training for your father – as we get older, we naturally start to lose muscle mass and weight training will help slow this.

                Kevin 

                • April 4, 2016 at 3:23 pm
                kpcollins31
                Participant

                  I think exercise is very important as it offers both physical and mental benefits. In my case, I credit a strong exercise regimen to being able to quickly bounce back from surgery a couple years ago when I first became stage 4. Not only am I still here, but I remain NED 2+ years later and continue to exercise several times a week. I recommend a focus on weight training for your father – as we get older, we naturally start to lose muscle mass and weight training will help slow this.

                  Kevin 

                  • April 4, 2016 at 3:23 pm
                  kpcollins31
                  Participant

                    I think exercise is very important as it offers both physical and mental benefits. In my case, I credit a strong exercise regimen to being able to quickly bounce back from surgery a couple years ago when I first became stage 4. Not only am I still here, but I remain NED 2+ years later and continue to exercise several times a week. I recommend a focus on weight training for your father – as we get older, we naturally start to lose muscle mass and weight training will help slow this.

                    Kevin 

                Viewing 5 reply threads

                Tagged: 

                • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
                About the MRF Patient Forum

                The MRF Patient Forum is the oldest and largest online community of people affected by melanoma. It is designed to provide peer support and information to caregivers, patients, family and friends. There is no better place to discuss different parts of your journey with this cancer and find the friends and support resources to make that journey more bearable.

                The information on the forum is open and accessible to everyone. To add a new topic or to post a reply, you must be a registered user. Please note that you will be able to post both topics and replies anonymously even though you are logged in. All posts must abide by MRF posting policies.

                Popular Topics