Ness7432

Thank you for the information and insight. I gether it would be considered concurrent, since we are meeting with her again immediately following the 10 day radiation and she already started the processing of getting the combo perscriptions approved. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope he tolerates it as well as he did the targeted therapy. I was just hoping that combo would work for longer than a month 🙁 Thank you again.

You make a very good point, the melanoma is worse chances than any medicines I am sure. Its just if it only has a short time left, I don't want it to be spent completely sick and exhausted either. However I can see that no treatment at all means he declines quickly either way. Thank you for your advice and best of luck to you.

Thank you very much I am so happy for your sister that is very promising also! His oncologist is not just a melanoma oncologist but has frequently consulted with one at Boston Mass General and her whole team is afiliated with Mass General, we are only a half hour away. His doctor already started the process of getting the immunotherapy combo and he has a ct scan of his lungs again right after radiation and we meet with her again even if it sounds so scary…not much can be worse than this right?  Thank you, I do know he is a fighter 🙂

She is and works with one of the best hospitals in the world so we haven't felt the need to check elsewhere. Perhaps I got the percentage wrong or it could be due to his age, disease progression, other physcial health aspects that make it dangerous for him to try, but doesn't mean we can't. But I have read about that combo and it seems pretty scary nonetheless. The targeted therapy he was taking cannot be used with radiation and had to be stopped. I have also heard that melanoma is more resistant to radiation. We will see what happens in 10 days but it seems as though anything we do is pallative at this point. Thank you very much for insight and prayers. 

I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I would certainly appreciate hearing your and his experience. If it is not too difficult. As hard as it is to talk about it, I think I need to. I am not his sole caregiver, but I live 5 minutes away and am there daily as well as take him to every drs appt, help manage medications, and help my mom. Back in October when he had pneumonia he was not able to stand without help, I had to lift him to his walker and he was asleep quite often and lost so much weight and muscle mass. Back then we thought the end was near.  Then we started the targeted therapy and he gained weight and strength back and you would almost not know by looking at him, until recently right before ths last MRI. He is starting to see shadows and hear whispers. He struggles finding the words for things and gets frustrated when he can't think of what he is trying to say. He is quite forgetful and starting to zone out. He remembers everyone, he still gets around but he is starting to slow down and lose balance again. He is definitely going backwards from where he was month ago. He is getting more tired and sleeping more. He is not on hospice, as that means no more treatment and I am not sure we are at that point just yet. If I think of anything else, I will get back to you. I appreciate your help and support and may your dad rest in peace I am so sorry.

Amy