so scans on monday, seen by dr flaherty on tuesday.
the tumors in
my chest, lungs and buttocks have shrunk to scar tissue. no melanoma in
those areas. the tumors on the lower legs are seen as the same shadows
of themselves. the pelvic lymphnodes have shrunk to almost normal size.
all in all, i am now at a lower level of melanoma in my body since the first pics.
zelboraf ( a braf inhibitor) in a powder form works as well as the gel.
mekinhibitor (no name, as it is not fda approved by itself) works to aide
the zelboraf, and the two seem to cancel out or ameliorate the side
effects of each other..
i am euphoric and perhaps over joyed at this
news. i am jumping the gun a bit, but i believe i am 99% cleared of
melanoma…. as long as i take the drugs.
on the flip side the side
effects are not totally inconsequential. fatigue, joint aches n pains,
cough, and light/sun sensitivity in eyes and on skin are constraining in
my line of work. i am a street performer and working in the sun is part
of my day. as i’m only 8 months in, the sides may become less as my
body acclimates and we actually start to think of them over the success
of the drugs.
dr flaherty is a sweet man.