› Forums › General Melanoma Community › what to do after stopping treatment
- This topic has 15 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 6 months ago by
ed williams.
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- November 17, 2016 at 11:45 pm
I was diagnosed with Stage 3b melanoma August 2015. 1 of 3 lymph nodes biospied had cancer. Rather than have them all removed, I opted to do a year of Interferon. It was definitely hard, and I suffered a lot, but I'm proud of myself for making it all the way through, especially after I found out that a lot of people don't see it through to the end. I finished my treatment Sept 30th of this year. I started feeling somewhat better pretty fast, and although I'm still having some issues (like muscle weakness), I'm taking steps to help myself (oncology rehab). At my last dr appt, they told me the cancer was completely gone. While I'm thrilled to hear that, I'm still so anxious…
I'm EXTREMELY worried that it's going to come back. I've already had a couple moles removed since finishing treatment because I was so paranoid about them. I'm so worried that after enduring everything I did for the past year, that it's going to come back and I'll have to do it all over again. My anxiety level right now is higher than it was when I had cancer! And then I also feel…I don't really know how to describe it…I feel like there's more I should be doing to prevent getting it again, or to prevent having to go through all of this. Like before, I was actively doing something, even though that something sucked. Hopefully the oncology rehab can help me with this feeling, I start next week.
I just have a lot of feelings, and I know some don't make any sense. My husband has really been here for me this past year, but I can tell when I talk about anxiety and depression and stuff, that he just doesn't understand. I eventually had to start on an anti depressant at the beginning of summer, because my mood had just gotten worse and worse. I wish I'd started earlier, but my husband kept telling me depression wasn't "real" and so I was afraid to bring it up at the doctor.
Sorry if this is just rambling. I have a lot of stuff going through my head.
- Replies
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- November 18, 2016 at 3:03 am
Depression is a side effect of Interferon. Hopefully you start to feel better and less worried about whether it will come back.
Not much to do, besides keeping up with doctors appointments and scans, just live life, be glad to be alive each day, and hopefully you never deal with mel again!
If you do have mel come back, make sure to get a melanoma specialist, and just know that you would never have to deal with the crappiness of Interferon ever again, as you'd be offered the much better immunotherapy treatments that are much easier to tolerate.
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- November 18, 2016 at 3:03 am
Depression is a side effect of Interferon. Hopefully you start to feel better and less worried about whether it will come back.
Not much to do, besides keeping up with doctors appointments and scans, just live life, be glad to be alive each day, and hopefully you never deal with mel again!
If you do have mel come back, make sure to get a melanoma specialist, and just know that you would never have to deal with the crappiness of Interferon ever again, as you'd be offered the much better immunotherapy treatments that are much easier to tolerate.
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- November 18, 2016 at 3:03 am
Depression is a side effect of Interferon. Hopefully you start to feel better and less worried about whether it will come back.
Not much to do, besides keeping up with doctors appointments and scans, just live life, be glad to be alive each day, and hopefully you never deal with mel again!
If you do have mel come back, make sure to get a melanoma specialist, and just know that you would never have to deal with the crappiness of Interferon ever again, as you'd be offered the much better immunotherapy treatments that are much easier to tolerate.
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- November 19, 2016 at 4:08 pm
Depression is VERY real, I have first hand knowledge. I have suffered from major depression and anxiety for the last 22 years. Many years ago it had quite a stigma attatched to it, but that has changed. Its good that you got on meds for it. If you can get some regular exercise, it would also help. So happy to hear that your Mel is under control. Congrats!
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- November 19, 2016 at 4:08 pm
Depression is VERY real, I have first hand knowledge. I have suffered from major depression and anxiety for the last 22 years. Many years ago it had quite a stigma attatched to it, but that has changed. Its good that you got on meds for it. If you can get some regular exercise, it would also help. So happy to hear that your Mel is under control. Congrats!
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- November 19, 2016 at 4:08 pm
Depression is VERY real, I have first hand knowledge. I have suffered from major depression and anxiety for the last 22 years. Many years ago it had quite a stigma attatched to it, but that has changed. Its good that you got on meds for it. If you can get some regular exercise, it would also help. So happy to hear that your Mel is under control. Congrats!
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- November 21, 2016 at 12:58 am
Yes, the depression and anxiety are very real!!! And they were the most difficult of the Stage IV diagnosis for me to deal with! There are many ways to help…meds, music (that really helps me!!!), light therapy, talk therapy, good diet, regular sleep patterns, and certainly exercise. I feel more anxious when I fall down the rabbit whole internet. You aren't alone….so many of us feel this way and I think it's good to discuss it. Try to imagine those t-cells as your own Army of warriors attacking and protecting you whenever they're needed.
It's great that your melanoma is under control. Yeh!!!!!!!
Terrie
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- November 21, 2016 at 12:58 am
Yes, the depression and anxiety are very real!!! And they were the most difficult of the Stage IV diagnosis for me to deal with! There are many ways to help…meds, music (that really helps me!!!), light therapy, talk therapy, good diet, regular sleep patterns, and certainly exercise. I feel more anxious when I fall down the rabbit whole internet. You aren't alone….so many of us feel this way and I think it's good to discuss it. Try to imagine those t-cells as your own Army of warriors attacking and protecting you whenever they're needed.
It's great that your melanoma is under control. Yeh!!!!!!!
Terrie
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- November 21, 2016 at 12:58 am
Yes, the depression and anxiety are very real!!! And they were the most difficult of the Stage IV diagnosis for me to deal with! There are many ways to help…meds, music (that really helps me!!!), light therapy, talk therapy, good diet, regular sleep patterns, and certainly exercise. I feel more anxious when I fall down the rabbit whole internet. You aren't alone….so many of us feel this way and I think it's good to discuss it. Try to imagine those t-cells as your own Army of warriors attacking and protecting you whenever they're needed.
It's great that your melanoma is under control. Yeh!!!!!!!
Terrie
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- November 21, 2016 at 9:35 am
The hardest part for me was when I was in limbo like you are. I was stage IV and a complete responder to IL-2. I knew if I could make it past 30 months without a recurrance I probably wouldn't have one. On the one hand I was living life like I had very little time left yet hoping to live for a long time. Do I continue to work (felt great) or make the best of what little time I had left. It was agonizing. In the end I continued to live my life as usual, working, taking care of kids etc. I wasn't going to let melanoma dictate my life. Over the next few years, especially after making it past the 30 month mark, I was finally able to live like I didn't have mel.
It takes time.
The mental gymnastics got me nowhere except to make sure I had plans for who was going to raise my girls, and writing down my accounts and assets (not much).
I was grateful I was already on SSRI's for anxiety & depression. Excerscise also helps, even when I didn't want to.
This is normal to feel like you do. It can and does get better, that is why we are here. We "get it".
Take care of yourself, but also know there are things you can do to help with the what now issues. You go from fighting for your life, to being "fired" by your oncologist because you are too boring – LOL. Fortunately for me, I reached that point faster than my docs and am now OK with not being followed up anymore. My docs did say they were only a phone call away just in case.
Time is the best healer, the longer you can go without any mel, the greater the chance it won't bother you any more. I respect mel, but it had better stay locked away in it's hidey hole forever because I tossed out the key.
Cyber hugs.
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- November 21, 2016 at 9:35 am
The hardest part for me was when I was in limbo like you are. I was stage IV and a complete responder to IL-2. I knew if I could make it past 30 months without a recurrance I probably wouldn't have one. On the one hand I was living life like I had very little time left yet hoping to live for a long time. Do I continue to work (felt great) or make the best of what little time I had left. It was agonizing. In the end I continued to live my life as usual, working, taking care of kids etc. I wasn't going to let melanoma dictate my life. Over the next few years, especially after making it past the 30 month mark, I was finally able to live like I didn't have mel.
It takes time.
The mental gymnastics got me nowhere except to make sure I had plans for who was going to raise my girls, and writing down my accounts and assets (not much).
I was grateful I was already on SSRI's for anxiety & depression. Excerscise also helps, even when I didn't want to.
This is normal to feel like you do. It can and does get better, that is why we are here. We "get it".
Take care of yourself, but also know there are things you can do to help with the what now issues. You go from fighting for your life, to being "fired" by your oncologist because you are too boring – LOL. Fortunately for me, I reached that point faster than my docs and am now OK with not being followed up anymore. My docs did say they were only a phone call away just in case.
Time is the best healer, the longer you can go without any mel, the greater the chance it won't bother you any more. I respect mel, but it had better stay locked away in it's hidey hole forever because I tossed out the key.
Cyber hugs.
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- November 21, 2016 at 9:35 am
The hardest part for me was when I was in limbo like you are. I was stage IV and a complete responder to IL-2. I knew if I could make it past 30 months without a recurrance I probably wouldn't have one. On the one hand I was living life like I had very little time left yet hoping to live for a long time. Do I continue to work (felt great) or make the best of what little time I had left. It was agonizing. In the end I continued to live my life as usual, working, taking care of kids etc. I wasn't going to let melanoma dictate my life. Over the next few years, especially after making it past the 30 month mark, I was finally able to live like I didn't have mel.
It takes time.
The mental gymnastics got me nowhere except to make sure I had plans for who was going to raise my girls, and writing down my accounts and assets (not much).
I was grateful I was already on SSRI's for anxiety & depression. Excerscise also helps, even when I didn't want to.
This is normal to feel like you do. It can and does get better, that is why we are here. We "get it".
Take care of yourself, but also know there are things you can do to help with the what now issues. You go from fighting for your life, to being "fired" by your oncologist because you are too boring – LOL. Fortunately for me, I reached that point faster than my docs and am now OK with not being followed up anymore. My docs did say they were only a phone call away just in case.
Time is the best healer, the longer you can go without any mel, the greater the chance it won't bother you any more. I respect mel, but it had better stay locked away in it's hidey hole forever because I tossed out the key.
Cyber hugs.
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- November 21, 2016 at 3:44 pm
Just thought I would share this article from last Friday with you!!!Best Wishes!!!!Ed http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/brothers-under-the-skin-cancer-health/article32923808/
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- November 21, 2016 at 3:44 pm
Just thought I would share this article from last Friday with you!!!Best Wishes!!!!Ed http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/brothers-under-the-skin-cancer-health/article32923808/
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- November 21, 2016 at 3:44 pm
Just thought I would share this article from last Friday with you!!!Best Wishes!!!!Ed http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/brothers-under-the-skin-cancer-health/article32923808/
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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