On October 4, 2014, I first experienced groin pain and swelling that lead to emergency surgery for what was thought to be an incarcerated hernia. It turned out to be a swollen lymph node. The local pathologists eventually referred the specimen to the Mayo Clinic, who diagnosed metastatic melanoma in late October. I was then referred to the Melanoma Clinic at U of M Hospital in Ann Arbor.
A PET scan was done on November 7, which revealed no additional hot spots other than the post surgical inflammation in the right groin and the mole on my abdomen. Scattered indeterminate lung nodules were detected that would require follow-up.
At my first appointment in Ann Arbor on November 12, I was informed that I would undergo right groin lymph node resection surgery on December 4. The mole was removed, biopsied, and confirmed as the point of origin (Clark's Level IV, Breslow Depth 5.5 mm).
The surgery was performed, and, after over a month of recovery time and the removal of the two surgical drains, I was first seen by my oncologist in Ann Arbor, who stated that I was Stage 3C, and would be subsequently seen for surveillance assuming that the chest, abdomen, and pelvis CT and brain MRI were negative.
The January 19, CT scan revealed multiple nodules in both lungs, several having quadrupled in size compared to the November 7 PET scan (the largest went from 4 to 17 mm). A lung biopsy on February 6, confirmed that I was Stage 4.
I received 2 of 4 infusions of the Nivolumab and Ipilimumab combination immunotherapy treatment on February 27 and March 24, before severe toxicity reactions forced a stoppage.
I developed drug-induced autoimmune hepatitis, diabetes requiring insulin injections (blood sugars spiking to over 500), and meningitis-like brain inflammation.
I was hospitalized for two weeks and prescribed steroids for a few months until my liver function returned to normal.
On the bright side, CT scans in March and July showed continued shrinkage in both the number and size of the lung tumors, and the CT scan done last Friday showed No Evidence of Disease!
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