Stage IIIa, in Remission but don’t feel like it. Have any of you felt this way?

I looked up your previous post, which didn't sound like it was melanoma related but sure sounded like it could have been interferon related.  Also much of it might have been age related.  Unfortunately without a profile completed difficult to say much else. 

Always a chance that Mel is lurking there somewhere and scans are not picking it up but usually you are not symptomatic at that point.  Find yourself a good Internist that will treat the whole body and be proactive.

I looked up your previous post, which didn't sound like it was melanoma related but sure sounded like it could have been interferon related.  Also much of it might have been age related.  Unfortunately without a profile completed difficult to say much else. 

Always a chance that Mel is lurking there somewhere and scans are not picking it up but usually you are not symptomatic at that point.  Find yourself a good Internist that will treat the whole body and be proactive.

I know that any cancer treatment can cause fatigue. And in 56% of cancer patients, this fatigue can last for months or years.

Maybe your are still recovering from whatever treatment you received before remission.

Nicki, stage 3b

I know that any cancer treatment can cause fatigue. And in 56% of cancer patients, this fatigue can last for months or years.

Maybe your are still recovering from whatever treatment you received before remission.

Nicki, stage 3b

Sounds to me you are feling sorry for yourself and letting your mind get away from you…………………which is okay; but if you want medical treatment, you MUST define your feelings and sensations.

What, specific physical feelings are you having?  What is it, exactly  that leads you to beleive  you have active disease?

Do you have pain in a specific location?  Is it at a previous surgical site?  Are you fatigued?  Are you losing weight?  Are you having cognitive issues that make it difficult for you to frame thoughts?  Do you have trouble walking or thinking?  Is there swelling or lumps that are knew?  Is your temperature elevated?  Is your urine or stool different?  How is your appetite?  Is your skin a different color?  Do you have swelling or a feeling of fullness that you have not had before?

Is it difficult for you to swallow or breathe?  Does your heart rate/pulse feel different?  When is the last time you had scans and what type of scans were they?

Do you, besides melanoma, have any other health issues?

Sounds to me like you have a melanoma freak, and given your self described "warrior" status, you should know better.

Work the problem and science and set your emotion aside.

Charlie S

Sounds to me you are feling sorry for yourself and letting your mind get away from you…………………which is okay; but if you want medical treatment, you MUST define your feelings and sensations.

What, specific physical feelings are you having?  What is it, exactly  that leads you to beleive  you have active disease?

Do you have pain in a specific location?  Is it at a previous surgical site?  Are you fatigued?  Are you losing weight?  Are you having cognitive issues that make it difficult for you to frame thoughts?  Do you have trouble walking or thinking?  Is there swelling or lumps that are knew?  Is your temperature elevated?  Is your urine or stool different?  How is your appetite?  Is your skin a different color?  Do you have swelling or a feeling of fullness that you have not had before?

Is it difficult for you to swallow or breathe?  Does your heart rate/pulse feel different?  When is the last time you had scans and what type of scans were they?

Do you, besides melanoma, have any other health issues?

Sounds to me like you have a melanoma freak, and given your self described "warrior" status, you should know better.

Work the problem and science and set your emotion aside.

Charlie S

I'm sorry you have been feeling so badly. I have had many health issues following my groin lymph dissection 6 years ago. I am followed by a number of doctors including a rheumatologist who has helped me a lot. I hope that you can find the right combination of doctors to diagnose you, and hopefully it will turn out to be treatable and not related to melanoma. Even if you have symptoms that some people have when their cancer progresses it doesn't mean that's what's going on with you. The problem with symptoms is the same symptom can indicate a number of different health issues and sometimes it takes time to figure it all out. I've gotten to the point that I assume any new problems I have aren't related to melanoma. That's my coping mechanism. Everyone is different and it's good to rule out metastatic disease if you have a melanoma history but after so long without a recurrence the odds are definitely on your side. That doesn't mean you shouldn't rule out cancer but hopefully it's something else and you will find some relief. Take care, Carver

I'm sorry you have been feeling so badly. I have had many health issues following my groin lymph dissection 6 years ago. I am followed by a number of doctors including a rheumatologist who has helped me a lot. I hope that you can find the right combination of doctors to diagnose you, and hopefully it will turn out to be treatable and not related to melanoma. Even if you have symptoms that some people have when their cancer progresses it doesn't mean that's what's going on with you. The problem with symptoms is the same symptom can indicate a number of different health issues and sometimes it takes time to figure it all out. I've gotten to the point that I assume any new problems I have aren't related to melanoma. That's my coping mechanism. Everyone is different and it's good to rule out metastatic disease if you have a melanoma history but after so long without a recurrence the odds are definitely on your side. That doesn't mean you shouldn't rule out cancer but hopefully it's something else and you will find some relief. Take care, Carver

PS

I was tired when I replied and realized that I was thinking it had been 27 years since your last recurrence rather than only 10 months. Since it's fairly recently that you had a recurrence it is certainly important for the doctor's to follow you closely and make sure your health issues aren't related to melanoma. I will say though that the first year after I was diagnosed at stage III, I had a lot of scans and some were suspicious which called for repeat scans. I was lucky and it turned out that my problems related to surgery not to melanoma. I know how hard it is though not to worry and I certainly did a lot of that the first few years of being stage III. Again, I hope it will turn out that your health issues don't relate to melanoma. That will be something the doctors will have to determine with scans, tests and time. Take care, Carver

PS

I was tired when I replied and realized that I was thinking it had been 27 years since your last recurrence rather than only 10 months. Since it's fairly recently that you had a recurrence it is certainly important for the doctor's to follow you closely and make sure your health issues aren't related to melanoma. I will say though that the first year after I was diagnosed at stage III, I had a lot of scans and some were suspicious which called for repeat scans. I was lucky and it turned out that my problems related to surgery not to melanoma. I know how hard it is though not to worry and I certainly did a lot of that the first few years of being stage III. Again, I hope it will turn out that your health issues don't relate to melanoma. That will be something the doctors will have to determine with scans, tests and time. Take care, Carver