Hi Friends,
Thanks so much for asking! I'm in a much better place than I was at in Sept/Oct! That was bad funk time.
While testing for clinical trials I found out that I have (now had) hepatitis c. This was a shock- more like a gut kick. Of course excludes me from any clinical trial so my melanoma options were surgery, or watch and wait.
Since then I've taken the treatment for hep c. It's a kick upside the head as the fatigue and muscle / bone/joint pain have been debilitating at times. But it's working and this is temporary (this is my mantra when I feel crummy). I should be back to my normal self when the treatment's over.
Meanwhile on the melanoma front, I chose to watch and wait. I have a very small tumor burden (yea!!). One lunch met under 2 cm. Also it's been slow, but smart- it's evaded all the smart drugs we've thrown at it. So watch and wait was a real option. In early Dec I had scans and they show stable disease. essentially no change. At the end of Jan I should be finished with the evil hep c meds and I'll make a decision whether to have surgery or try for a clinical trial.
To be honest, right now, if I had to make a decision, I'd probably pick surgery. I'm not sure I want to keep feeling crummy. And who knows what a clinical trial will do.
So this is where I'm at. I appreciate the community that this has become for me. Thanks for asking for an update!
May you all have a blessed (and NED!!) 2017!
Shalom,
Julie
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