› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Stage IIIA – NED 9.5 years
- This topic has 18 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 8 months ago by
jimjoeb.
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- August 4, 2011 at 7:56 pm
Hi,
I am so saddened by the recent posts on the board, and hope that my post can give a seed of hope to others who are facing their melanoma diagnoses.
My husband had his last CT scan today at 1:00 and we got the results by 3:00 – No Evidence of Disease. Thank you to the nurses, staff and doctors at the St. Luke's Hospital Cancer Center and the Imaging Center in Bethlehem for always going above and beyond for us. For any of you in the Lehigh Valley, PA, or surrounding areas, I absolutely recommend this hospital.
Hi,
I am so saddened by the recent posts on the board, and hope that my post can give a seed of hope to others who are facing their melanoma diagnoses.
My husband had his last CT scan today at 1:00 and we got the results by 3:00 – No Evidence of Disease. Thank you to the nurses, staff and doctors at the St. Luke's Hospital Cancer Center and the Imaging Center in Bethlehem for always going above and beyond for us. For any of you in the Lehigh Valley, PA, or surrounding areas, I absolutely recommend this hospital.
Anyway, I just wanted to post the specifics of my husband's cancer and follow-up so that if someone is searching for a long-term survivor, they will find this post. He was diagnosed Stage IIIA at age 26 back in January 2002, just a week after we returned from our honeymoon. His lesion was 1.3 mm, Clarks level IV, not ulcerated – mitotic rate was not given back then… It was on the tricep area of his right arm. After the initial surgery to remove the mole, he had a wide excision and sentinel node biopsy. Microscopic melanoma was found in 2 nodes – one had less than 2 mm deposit and the other had "not more than 10 loosely scattered cells." Both were subcapsular. He had a complete lymph node removal, no other interventions. He had CT scans every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 more years, and then every year since then. He has bloodwork drawn every 6 months, visits his oncologist every 6 months and visits his dermatologist every 6 months. He eats what he wants, but we rarely eat processed foods (not as a result of the cancer diagnosis, we just always have), he drinks lots of beer, he exercises regularly, and he gets a good nights' sleep.
Since 2002, he has earned a teaching certificate, a masters in education and has 5 years of teaching middle school under his belt. We have traveled the country, have moved 5 times, bought a house, got 2 dogs, and have had 2 children, one who died before birth and one who was born prematurely at 28 weeks and is thriving at age 2. There have been lots of ups and downs, but most importantly, there has been lots of living.
My best to you all in your journeys,
Wendy
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- August 4, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Wanted to add that he will still be going to the oncologist every 6 months for bloodwork and once a year, he will have a chest xray. He will still go the derm every 6 months. I don't want my post to convey the idea that we think he is "cured" – we will always be vigilant.
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- August 4, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Wendy,
Your husband's good news came at a perfect time for so many who are feeling all of the bad posts of late.
I love the fact that your husband has kept on living and has not let this stop him!
I hope your young family continues to thrive.
linda
Stage IV for 5 years, NED for 9 weeks
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- August 4, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Wendy,
Your husband's good news came at a perfect time for so many who are feeling all of the bad posts of late.
I love the fact that your husband has kept on living and has not let this stop him!
I hope your young family continues to thrive.
linda
Stage IV for 5 years, NED for 9 weeks
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- August 4, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Wanted to add that he will still be going to the oncologist every 6 months for bloodwork and once a year, he will have a chest xray. He will still go the derm every 6 months. I don't want my post to convey the idea that we think he is "cured" – we will always be vigilant.
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- August 4, 2011 at 9:41 pm
hi Wendy!your news is absolutely perfect!i hope and belive that ned will be forever for your husband!i wanted also to thanke you for the courage that yous are giving to all of us with these great news!
god bless you and your family
all my wishes for a cure to all of us
my prays have all of you in
DiRena
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- August 4, 2011 at 9:41 pm
hi Wendy!your news is absolutely perfect!i hope and belive that ned will be forever for your husband!i wanted also to thanke you for the courage that yous are giving to all of us with these great news!
god bless you and your family
all my wishes for a cure to all of us
my prays have all of you in
DiRena
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- August 4, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Thank you so much Wendy for posting your husband's success. I think those of us sitting at stage III, watching & waiting to see if the beast is going to return, need that occasional reminder that there are "success stories" at stage III. I think we get so focused on recurrence and stage IV, we forget to appreciate and celebrate our NED life at stage III.
I know I forget. I spent several months post-interferon terrified out of my mind, waiting for that shoe to drop. When that fear started affecting my relationship with my husband, I had to take a huge step back and make some decisions on how I was going to handle it.
My new rule is I'm only allowed to stress over MY melanoma during "scanxiety week". The rest of the time, it's off limits. And I don't let anyone else send me there either – including my non-oncology doctors. (Why do they all assume I think everything might be a cancer recurrence, when I NEVER even mention the possibility?) I'm not always 100% successful – sometimes in the middle of the night, my thoughts get the better of me. But the longer I spend at NED (2 years 1 Sep), I get better and better.
I do consider it essential to keep up to date on the latest melanoma research/news, so I allow myself to visit melanoma sites & blogs. And frankly, I can't discuss melanoma with my husband – he doesn't want to talk about it. So I need the board as an occasional outlet. I find I don't even need to post – usually, someone else has already posted most eloquently exactly what I am feeling. I can read their post and the responses and find exactly what I need to get me thru my angst.
With this new "attitude", I find I can view these sites and read other people's journey thru melanoma with a new perspective. Instead of thinking "OMG! That IS going to happen to me someday!", I instead say a little prayer for that person and think, "Thank you God for letting me be where I am today."
Thank you! Congratulations, long life and health to you both.
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- August 4, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Thank you so much Wendy for posting your husband's success. I think those of us sitting at stage III, watching & waiting to see if the beast is going to return, need that occasional reminder that there are "success stories" at stage III. I think we get so focused on recurrence and stage IV, we forget to appreciate and celebrate our NED life at stage III.
I know I forget. I spent several months post-interferon terrified out of my mind, waiting for that shoe to drop. When that fear started affecting my relationship with my husband, I had to take a huge step back and make some decisions on how I was going to handle it.
My new rule is I'm only allowed to stress over MY melanoma during "scanxiety week". The rest of the time, it's off limits. And I don't let anyone else send me there either – including my non-oncology doctors. (Why do they all assume I think everything might be a cancer recurrence, when I NEVER even mention the possibility?) I'm not always 100% successful – sometimes in the middle of the night, my thoughts get the better of me. But the longer I spend at NED (2 years 1 Sep), I get better and better.
I do consider it essential to keep up to date on the latest melanoma research/news, so I allow myself to visit melanoma sites & blogs. And frankly, I can't discuss melanoma with my husband – he doesn't want to talk about it. So I need the board as an occasional outlet. I find I don't even need to post – usually, someone else has already posted most eloquently exactly what I am feeling. I can read their post and the responses and find exactly what I need to get me thru my angst.
With this new "attitude", I find I can view these sites and read other people's journey thru melanoma with a new perspective. Instead of thinking "OMG! That IS going to happen to me someday!", I instead say a little prayer for that person and think, "Thank you God for letting me be where I am today."
Thank you! Congratulations, long life and health to you both.
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- August 5, 2011 at 2:52 am
Dear Wendy – thank you for making my day. I am so happy to hear that his scans were clear once again. And how great that you got the news so quickly. "He drinks lots of beer, he exercises regularly, and he gets a good nights' sleep"….LOVE IT – this IS my husband (along with micro mets). His scans and our anxiety are on the way in 2 weeks and I will be thinking of you. All my best, Emily
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- August 5, 2011 at 2:52 am
Dear Wendy – thank you for making my day. I am so happy to hear that his scans were clear once again. And how great that you got the news so quickly. "He drinks lots of beer, he exercises regularly, and he gets a good nights' sleep"….LOVE IT – this IS my husband (along with micro mets). His scans and our anxiety are on the way in 2 weeks and I will be thinking of you. All my best, Emily
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- August 5, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Thanks for the post Wendy! I needed to hear that!
Continued prayers for a wonderful, NED life!
Laurie
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- August 5, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Thanks for the post Wendy! I needed to hear that!
Continued prayers for a wonderful, NED life!
Laurie
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- August 5, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Thank you Wendy! I was IIIa and NED as of June 10 of this year. I really needed to read a positive story after so many other sad ones of late.
I agree with what all of the others have said. I'm trying to move forward with viligence and not relive contstantly the anxiety of those first few months. This helps a lot.
Again, thank you!
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- August 5, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Thank you Wendy! I was IIIa and NED as of June 10 of this year. I really needed to read a positive story after so many other sad ones of late.
I agree with what all of the others have said. I'm trying to move forward with viligence and not relive contstantly the anxiety of those first few months. This helps a lot.
Again, thank you!
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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