JonathanB

sFeldman: thanks for the comments and support.

Very happy to hear your scans were clear from the GSK Braf/Mek medication. I have been doing some research on the drug and will definitely bring it up with my oncologist. Did you suffer side-effects while undergoing the treament? How long did you take it for?

I couldn't agree more with your recommendation of a diet loaded with high nutrient cruciferous green vegetables, fruit, whole grains, mushrooms and turmeric. I would also add onions, leeks, garlic, etc. (the allium vegetables) and select nuts and seeds – walnuts, hazelnuts, flaxseed, etc. The hard part, for me anyway, was the elimination of refined sugars, although it does get easier as the cravings subside and you genuinely feel "full" from the abovementioned foods. I have even got my kids eating many of the foods now, although they won't go near the turmeric or spicy dishes 🙂

Jonathan

sFeldman: thanks for the comments and support.

Very happy to hear your scans were clear from the GSK Braf/Mek medication. I have been doing some research on the drug and will definitely bring it up with my oncologist. Did you suffer side-effects while undergoing the treament? How long did you take it for?

I couldn't agree more with your recommendation of a diet loaded with high nutrient cruciferous green vegetables, fruit, whole grains, mushrooms and turmeric. I would also add onions, leeks, garlic, etc. (the allium vegetables) and select nuts and seeds – walnuts, hazelnuts, flaxseed, etc. The hard part, for me anyway, was the elimination of refined sugars, although it does get easier as the cravings subside and you genuinely feel "full" from the abovementioned foods. I have even got my kids eating many of the foods now, although they won't go near the turmeric or spicy dishes 🙂

Jonathan

sFeldman: thanks for the comments and support.

Very happy to hear your scans were clear from the GSK Braf/Mek medication. I have been doing some research on the drug and will definitely bring it up with my oncologist. Did you suffer side-effects while undergoing the treament? How long did you take it for?

I couldn't agree more with your recommendation of a diet loaded with high nutrient cruciferous green vegetables, fruit, whole grains, mushrooms and turmeric. I would also add onions, leeks, garlic, etc. (the allium vegetables) and select nuts and seeds – walnuts, hazelnuts, flaxseed, etc. The hard part, for me anyway, was the elimination of refined sugars, although it does get easier as the cravings subside and you genuinely feel "full" from the abovementioned foods. I have even got my kids eating many of the foods now, although they won't go near the turmeric or spicy dishes 🙂

Jonathan

Denise: thanks for the comments. I tend to agree with you about leaving alone for now the two visible tumors on my leg, as they are fairly small at this point and may provide a measureable indication of Zelboraf's ability to shrink tumors. I have yet to discuss the pros/cons with my surgeon, who is normally pretty aggressive about removing what he can, but now that I will be taking Zelboraf he may have a different outlook. In general I believe that surgically removing tumors where possible is the best approach, but of course this is not always easily possible, or even practical when there get to be many. And as you may have experienced, the surgery often involves removing more than just the tumor, as many surgeons like to get margins as wide as possible and will often take out any nearby lymph nodes and sometimes tissue as well. About nine months ago, my ENT surgeon decided he wanted to "pop out" a smallish tumor on the back of my neck, which he felt would be about a 1/2 hour operation. I was a little shocked to find out afterwards that not only did he "pop out" the melanoma mass, he also made an incision clear across the back of my neck and removed a swath of tissue and who knows what else, "as a preventative measure." That one hurt for quite a while afterwards.

The good news, for both of us, is that Zelboraf has a better than average track record of stopping new tumor growth and sometimes shrinking existing ones. The hope is that the reported side effects are not too difficult to handle. If you don't have one already, ask your Doctor for the Zelboraf "Kit", which is a package of literature that comes directly from Roche, the drug's manufacturer. It's fairly informative and includes a little log book to keep track of your daily dosages and reported side effects. Apparently Roche also has a nurse on call to speak with regarding your treatment and side-effects, which could be useful.

I will post updates once I begin taking Zelboraf and let you know how things progress. It is no understatement to say I am counting on this drug to bring a halt to the tumor growth and give me some renewed hope. My fall back plan if Zelboraf doesn't work is to ask my oncologist to prescribe Yervoy/Ipi, which a second-opinion oncologist I spoke with in Seattle informed me was their clinic's first line drug to recommend, sometimes followed by Zelboraf. At my clinic, it seems to be the other way around.

I do wish you success with your treatment and hope you can let us know of your progress.

Jonathan

Denise: thanks for the comments. I tend to agree with you about leaving alone for now the two visible tumors on my leg, as they are fairly small at this point and may provide a measureable indication of Zelboraf's ability to shrink tumors. I have yet to discuss the pros/cons with my surgeon, who is normally pretty aggressive about removing what he can, but now that I will be taking Zelboraf he may have a different outlook. In general I believe that surgically removing tumors where possible is the best approach, but of course this is not always easily possible, or even practical when there get to be many. And as you may have experienced, the surgery often involves removing more than just the tumor, as many surgeons like to get margins as wide as possible and will often take out any nearby lymph nodes and sometimes tissue as well. About nine months ago, my ENT surgeon decided he wanted to "pop out" a smallish tumor on the back of my neck, which he felt would be about a 1/2 hour operation. I was a little shocked to find out afterwards that not only did he "pop out" the melanoma mass, he also made an incision clear across the back of my neck and removed a swath of tissue and who knows what else, "as a preventative measure." That one hurt for quite a while afterwards.

The good news, for both of us, is that Zelboraf has a better than average track record of stopping new tumor growth and sometimes shrinking existing ones. The hope is that the reported side effects are not too difficult to handle. If you don't have one already, ask your Doctor for the Zelboraf "Kit", which is a package of literature that comes directly from Roche, the drug's manufacturer. It's fairly informative and includes a little log book to keep track of your daily dosages and reported side effects. Apparently Roche also has a nurse on call to speak with regarding your treatment and side-effects, which could be useful.

I will post updates once I begin taking Zelboraf and let you know how things progress. It is no understatement to say I am counting on this drug to bring a halt to the tumor growth and give me some renewed hope. My fall back plan if Zelboraf doesn't work is to ask my oncologist to prescribe Yervoy/Ipi, which a second-opinion oncologist I spoke with in Seattle informed me was their clinic's first line drug to recommend, sometimes followed by Zelboraf. At my clinic, it seems to be the other way around.

I do wish you success with your treatment and hope you can let us know of your progress.

Jonathan

Denise: thanks for the comments. I tend to agree with you about leaving alone for now the two visible tumors on my leg, as they are fairly small at this point and may provide a measureable indication of Zelboraf's ability to shrink tumors. I have yet to discuss the pros/cons with my surgeon, who is normally pretty aggressive about removing what he can, but now that I will be taking Zelboraf he may have a different outlook. In general I believe that surgically removing tumors where possible is the best approach, but of course this is not always easily possible, or even practical when there get to be many. And as you may have experienced, the surgery often involves removing more than just the tumor, as many surgeons like to get margins as wide as possible and will often take out any nearby lymph nodes and sometimes tissue as well. About nine months ago, my ENT surgeon decided he wanted to "pop out" a smallish tumor on the back of my neck, which he felt would be about a 1/2 hour operation. I was a little shocked to find out afterwards that not only did he "pop out" the melanoma mass, he also made an incision clear across the back of my neck and removed a swath of tissue and who knows what else, "as a preventative measure." That one hurt for quite a while afterwards.

The good news, for both of us, is that Zelboraf has a better than average track record of stopping new tumor growth and sometimes shrinking existing ones. The hope is that the reported side effects are not too difficult to handle. If you don't have one already, ask your Doctor for the Zelboraf "Kit", which is a package of literature that comes directly from Roche, the drug's manufacturer. It's fairly informative and includes a little log book to keep track of your daily dosages and reported side effects. Apparently Roche also has a nurse on call to speak with regarding your treatment and side-effects, which could be useful.

I will post updates once I begin taking Zelboraf and let you know how things progress. It is no understatement to say I am counting on this drug to bring a halt to the tumor growth and give me some renewed hope. My fall back plan if Zelboraf doesn't work is to ask my oncologist to prescribe Yervoy/Ipi, which a second-opinion oncologist I spoke with in Seattle informed me was their clinic's first line drug to recommend, sometimes followed by Zelboraf. At my clinic, it seems to be the other way around.

I do wish you success with your treatment and hope you can let us know of your progress.

Jonathan