thank you for your reply! We met with his oncologist yesterday and unfortunately the news wasn't the best. the cancer has grown in his lungs and my dad also found another lump by his jaw, maybe the size of a small marble. the cancer growing wasn't a surprise, my dad has not been on any treatment since July. I did ask about his BRAF status (won't lie, I had to research what that was) and the oncologist said that is was negative. My stepmom asked about his time frame and we were told that if it kept growing and if there wasn't any treatment options, then 6 months or less. that was a tough one to hear coming directly from the oncologist. However, this time a year ago, they told him he had 6 months to a year and over the sumemr when he was in ICU one doctor mentioned hospice…and he's still fighting!
this was my first time going to an appointment and meeting the oncologist and I didn't feel like he was very encouraging. He just kept saying how the results were really bad, gave a few growth numbers and said he was call the melanoma specialist my dad worked with during his clinical trial. When my dad asked if Moh's surgery for the melanoma on his head was worth it, it almost felt like the oncologist was trying to talk him out of it – "I mean you could, but ultimately the cancer is in your lungs." It just seemed like there was much hope given. Not sure if I'm getting that vibe because of frustration or if others have gotten those vibes from their oncologists? I really feel like he should try getting a second opinion but my parents are very much in the mindset that this is the person they have worked with from the beginning.
