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stage 3 to stage 4
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stage 3 to stage 4

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › stage 3 to stage 4

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    • July 15, 2018 at 7:33 pm
    peterjohnk
    Participant

      Brand new to the forum.  I have minor chest pain thats months old also with cold-like symtoms.  Does anybody have experience with this before they were diagnosed w/ stage 4?

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    • Replies
        • July 16, 2018 at 4:00 am
        brianm
        Participant

          For my lung tumor, I just had an incessant cough…..

          Hope that helps

            • July 16, 2018 at 4:32 am
            peterjohnk
            Participant

              It all helps.  wishing you the best.

               

            • July 16, 2018 at 12:34 pm
            JuTMSY4
            Participant

              Are you saying you've had (I assume) surgery to remove melanoma from your lymph nodes and now you're experience chest pain with cold-like symptoms?

              I had a lymphadectamy to remove nodes in my groin and even follow up in my kidney before a scan revealed that the chestpain I suffered from was cancer spreading to my rib cage (bones), sternum, etc.  I did not have any cold-like symptoms.  My pain was similar to the tightness you get after lifting weights (especially if you just started).  However, I encourage you to do two things: 1) Talk to your doctor and perhaps be persistant about scans and 2) Relax – ymmv and it's really hard to predict similar symptoms.  

                • July 16, 2018 at 10:30 pm
                peterjohnk
                Participant

                  Thanks JuTMSY4.  Yes, thats what is happening; radical neck dissection 18-months ago and now this.  I see results shortly on a scan just taken.  I've been focused on blood heavy areas for reoccurance (as thats what I've been told; lungs, liver and brain) but I know of course there are many outcomes.  Relaxing is hard but it is unquestionably good advice.  Can I ask; what was your treatment after it spread?

                  • July 17, 2018 at 3:27 pm
                  JuTMSY4
                  Participant

                    After they found cancer elsewhere in my body, I received 4 infusions of Yervoy (Ipilumumab) as immunotherapy and Xgeva (denosomab) for bone growth/assistance.  That greatly reduced my physical symptoms (my bone mets caused tremendous pain in my back, shoulder and chest).  At the time, yervoy was the frontline stage 4 treatment and Keytruda/Opdivo were secondary.

                    After that, scans still showed the cancer in my body, so we moved onto about 2 years of Keytruda (pembrolizumab).  About halfway through that, I was declared NED.  We stopped treatment about a year after NED.  

                    I had a recurrence in my right adrenal gland earlier this year and I'm back on Keytruda for probably a year (we're talking about doing a clinical trial vaccine though).  However, I had scans about 1 month after surgery and just got some new ones back yesterday.  I'm NED again.  

                    • July 19, 2018 at 12:44 am
                    peterjohnk
                    Participant

                      Thanks again, that is incredibly helpful.  Your story is of course amazing and encouraging. My scans came back negative and so elated but cannot find a diagnosis for chest pain and ongoing flu-like symptoms. Nonetheless, I will accept as positive. 

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