I am coming up on three years on the BRAF/MEK combo of GSKs remarkable combo and my Stage IV melanoma remains dormant. However, I have had three knife fights with wild type melanoma sprouting on my face and chest. Had they been the BRAF positive type I think it would have washed me out of this trial I have come to love. Now I insist on “when in doubt, cut it out.” One spot only had two of the five indicators, and I insisted it come out. She gave in, and it was already stage II, but they got it out with big margins. This bastard is relentless and we must remain vigilant as it seems to be always on the prowl.
This sucker doesn’t like scalpels and stitches but I do. I want every gram of it out of me, and I am still waiting for my first lab report of benign or whatever.it says when things look fine. There is a whole lot of me, and they only take bits and pieces so I figure this could go on for decades, and that would be just fine.
One cohort is turning albino! Our drugs are not just killing her melanoma, but stopping her whole melanin system. How can you have melanoma, if it has no melanin to mutate? She actually could be cured. We all love her. She has never had an adverse affect, complains about driving 20 miles, and parking at MGH to folks like me who come from Colorado each month. She now has three years I believe and she charms us with her unrealistic expectations and yet she gets the best results. Now she says she misses her liver marks as she looks younger and younger. I think I am also, as they had to use a carpet knee-kicker to stretch my forehead over the silver dollar sized hole they excised last week, and my wrinkles disappeared.
The local dermatologist just removed the stitches, and I had him take out another small spot just for both of us to stay in practice.
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