simone

Wow.  This is truly amazing and inspirational.  Thank you for sharing and spreading hope to all!  Good luck to you and may you continue to be blessed and NED.  Gotta love NED.

Wow.  This is truly amazing and inspirational.  Thank you for sharing and spreading hope to all!  Good luck to you and may you continue to be blessed and NED.  Gotta love NED.

Wow.  This is truly amazing and inspirational.  Thank you for sharing and spreading hope to all!  Good luck to you and may you continue to be blessed and NED.  Gotta love NED.

HI-

Congrats on your awesome New Year's news!!  I usually don't respond to many posts, but I felt the exact same way when I (thank goodness) got my own NED from my SNB. (I am Stage 1B)  I was like "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"… now what????????????????????????????????????????????????????????  Oh, see you in SIX months… What?!?!  How am I going to wait 6 mos???  It's all so overwhelming. 

I got my NED from my SNB in October & was going nuts not knowing what to do next.  I paid on my own to get a 2nd opinion from a Mel specialist (just to hear it was all ok again) and I was able to get my doc to request a PET Scan.  That scan was just a month ago so I don't have my bill from that (and I'm sure it's pretty bad even with insurance!!!) but I really wanted more peace of mind.  There was no way I could wait 6mos w/out another form of reassurance.  Oh well, I guess that's what we all want who have been diagnosed w/ Mel… reassurance that it won't come back.

Good luck to you… i wish you a lifetime of NED!!! 🙂

HI-

Congrats on your awesome New Year's news!!  I usually don't respond to many posts, but I felt the exact same way when I (thank goodness) got my own NED from my SNB. (I am Stage 1B)  I was like "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"… now what????????????????????????????????????????????????????????  Oh, see you in SIX months… What?!?!  How am I going to wait 6 mos???  It's all so overwhelming. 

I got my NED from my SNB in October & was going nuts not knowing what to do next.  I paid on my own to get a 2nd opinion from a Mel specialist (just to hear it was all ok again) and I was able to get my doc to request a PET Scan.  That scan was just a month ago so I don't have my bill from that (and I'm sure it's pretty bad even with insurance!!!) but I really wanted more peace of mind.  There was no way I could wait 6mos w/out another form of reassurance.  Oh well, I guess that's what we all want who have been diagnosed w/ Mel… reassurance that it won't come back.

Good luck to you… i wish you a lifetime of NED!!! 🙂

Your message immediately caught my eye…   I've been looking for another woman who wants to try again after diagnosis of Mel.  I too want to beat Mel (and I assume I WILL) & get on with my life and have another child!  I am also trying to learn as much as I can.  I am actively starting to research it now & get opinions from as many in the medical community as possible. I don't have much to offer yet (well, except hope and a shared goal!)  🙂

I was just diagnosed in September 2010 (1b).  We had just miscarried prior to my diagnosis & were actively trying for another child.  I struggle with dealing with the fact that I have Mel & that my doctors (also) say to wait a number of years before trying again.  I will be out of years to have another baby.  So, in addition to being sad/mad about my diag, I am also sad/mad that I am told I should wait a few years (which would mean that I could not have another).  I'm sure the same or similar feelings are going on in your house.  My heart goes to you and your husband.  And kudos to you for doing Interferon with a young toddler!  As if being a mommy to a toddler isn't tiring enough?!?!

I'm going to meet with a  new Derm and Onc  at Yale and SloanKettering this week to get their opinions.  I am hoping that they'll tell me waiting a year would be good enough reassurance.  I will let you know what I hear & what I continue to learn.  Would love to share what you find & am so glad to know you are out there ready to try again!  (I was feeling pretty alone in that camp). 

I hope you'll keep in touch and best of luck to you. 

Your message immediately caught my eye…   I've been looking for another woman who wants to try again after diagnosis of Mel.  I too want to beat Mel (and I assume I WILL) & get on with my life and have another child!  I am also trying to learn as much as I can.  I am actively starting to research it now & get opinions from as many in the medical community as possible. I don't have much to offer yet (well, except hope and a shared goal!)  🙂

I was just diagnosed in September 2010 (1b).  We had just miscarried prior to my diagnosis & were actively trying for another child.  I struggle with dealing with the fact that I have Mel & that my doctors (also) say to wait a number of years before trying again.  I will be out of years to have another baby.  So, in addition to being sad/mad about my diag, I am also sad/mad that I am told I should wait a few years (which would mean that I could not have another).  I'm sure the same or similar feelings are going on in your house.  My heart goes to you and your husband.  And kudos to you for doing Interferon with a young toddler!  As if being a mommy to a toddler isn't tiring enough?!?!

I'm going to meet with a  new Derm and Onc  at Yale and SloanKettering this week to get their opinions.  I am hoping that they'll tell me waiting a year would be good enough reassurance.  I will let you know what I hear & what I continue to learn.  Would love to share what you find & am so glad to know you are out there ready to try again!  (I was feeling pretty alone in that camp). 

I hope you'll keep in touch and best of luck to you. 

As another 1B, I really appreciate your message and all that you do for this site.  You are a wealth of knowledge and you help provide some "control" in such an out-of control & scary time for us.  Thank you.  I hope there is a time that I can look at these posts and not get scared.  I guess maybe for now, I should try to focus on feeling lucky that I'm 1 and not 4.

thanks for all you do.  truly!

As another 1B, I really appreciate your message and all that you do for this site.  You are a wealth of knowledge and you help provide some "control" in such an out-of control & scary time for us.  Thank you.  I hope there is a time that I can look at these posts and not get scared.  I guess maybe for now, I should try to focus on feeling lucky that I'm 1 and not 4.

thanks for all you do.  truly!

As another 1B, I really appreciate your message and all that you do for this site.  You are a wealth of knowledge and you help provide some "control" in such an out-of control & scary time for us.  Thank you.  I hope there is a time that I can look at these posts and not get scared.  I guess maybe for now, I should try to focus on feeling lucky that I'm 1 and not 4.

thanks for all you do.  truly!

Jamietk-

Your reply really struck me and thought you gave wonderful advice and support.  My heart really went out to you.  After all you endured, you now struggle with fertility issues.  Agh…. I am so sorry.  I too give you permission to say that you HATE Melanoma.  It has taken so much already, I constantly feel like "isn't the fact that we had to deal with it enough"???   It's hard to make peace with this beast, but I hope you can.  It will give me hope that I can moving forward.  Right now, I am angry that I got this.  I guess we all are.  Everyone keeps telling me that I am so lucky that it's not worse staging.  I am unable to feel lucky now.   I hope your plans for a child/ or to raise your sister's children work out for you.  You sound like a really great person & those children/your sister are lucky to have you.

I was recently diagnosed (1b) and am now faced with the "wait" to see if I have recurrence.  I will soon "age out" of having another child.  We had our heart set on it & now we feel robbed of that child due to my dignosis.  Every dr says wait a minimum of 2 yrs before getting pregnant.  And I thought my staging was "good" and that things were seeming like a really good prognosis.  Turns out, no one must truly think that if they say hold off having a child for 2+ years.  That in itself scares me… I mean, reallly?  You don't thiink I'll be around?  We don't know what to do… I also agreee w/ your adoption comments… thought there were an abundance of babies to adopt. 

Anyway,  I appreciated your comments.  Thank you.

Jamietk-

Your reply really struck me and thought you gave wonderful advice and support.  My heart really went out to you.  After all you endured, you now struggle with fertility issues.  Agh…. I am so sorry.  I too give you permission to say that you HATE Melanoma.  It has taken so much already, I constantly feel like "isn't the fact that we had to deal with it enough"???   It's hard to make peace with this beast, but I hope you can.  It will give me hope that I can moving forward.  Right now, I am angry that I got this.  I guess we all are.  Everyone keeps telling me that I am so lucky that it's not worse staging.  I am unable to feel lucky now.   I hope your plans for a child/ or to raise your sister's children work out for you.  You sound like a really great person & those children/your sister are lucky to have you.

I was recently diagnosed (1b) and am now faced with the "wait" to see if I have recurrence.  I will soon "age out" of having another child.  We had our heart set on it & now we feel robbed of that child due to my dignosis.  Every dr says wait a minimum of 2 yrs before getting pregnant.  And I thought my staging was "good" and that things were seeming like a really good prognosis.  Turns out, no one must truly think that if they say hold off having a child for 2+ years.  That in itself scares me… I mean, reallly?  You don't thiink I'll be around?  We don't know what to do… I also agreee w/ your adoption comments… thought there were an abundance of babies to adopt. 

Anyway,  I appreciated your comments.  Thank you.