Update From The Pacific Northwest.

Well it’s been a pretty wild ride since I last updated my blog with any news.   The move to Washington has gone great and I absolutely love living here.  I have really enjoyed my time on Mt. Hood this winter.   I am not a great skier by any stretch but I think I have gotten much better this winter.  As the weather gets warmer I look forward to exploring the area on my bike and getting my running shoes back on and hitting the road again.  Unfortunately melanoma has decided to make another appearance in my life so I am in a bit of a holding pattern.   To make a long story short I keep having reoccurrences around my original site and once again have had to have surgery to have them removed.    With the move of course I have all new doctors and they have a different philosophy on how to approach my treatment.  My new surgeon alarmed me when I met with him and he told me that he really doesn’t think I am a surgical candidate any longer.   His opinion is that they can’t keep cutting melanoma out of me.   It grows back as fast as they cut it out and without some sort of alternate response he called surgery futile.   I actually like direct and to the point doctors but I was really alarmed after meeting with him.   What he said made sense but hearing it was a little scary.   In the end my surgeon and oncologist felt that the best solution for me was to start radiation treatments as soon as possible after surgery in hopes that it will prevent it from coming back.   I was actually relieved to hear that we were trying something different.   Finding suspicious lumps and nodules every few months is stressful and I know like playing Russian roulette.  I have been very fortunate that it has never spread beyond my original site but it’s just a matter of time if we can’t stop it from coming back like it is.   This time I ended up having 8 small tumors removed and I assume they are all going to test positive for melanoma.    The other option being considered was to start Zelboraf but I really wasn’t that excited about going that route.   Don’t get me wrong, if it had been their recommendation I would have but after battling interferon I really wasn’t that excited about doing chemo again.   I see it in my future but am not that excited to do it again.   I ended up having surgery this last week on Thursday and start radiation on May 7^th.   Surgery went really well and I feel pretty good for being just two days post op.    The biggest issue I had was how I was going to be back and forth to the hospital considering they wouldn’t let me drive myself home.   I ended up finding a way to make it work and was back at work the next day.   I really don’t know what to expect from radiation treatments but can’t imagine they are worse than chemo.   I just hope they don’t zap all my energy.   I am closing on my new house May 20^th and am really looking forward to getting out of my apartment.   My house back in Kansas City sold so my stuff is all on its way out.  I think getting out of the apartment with all the rental furniture and into a house with my own stuff will finally make me feel settled.  I will update as I get started on radiation to let everybody know how it is going.   I am hoping for a great summer and looking forward to these beautiful Pacific Northwest summers I keep hearing about.

 

 The best part of getting to go back to Kansas City and close on my house when I did was I got to be there for my grand daughters 6th birthday party.   My daughter was good enough to let me crash in her guest room while I was there and we had a great visit.   Cancer affects the entire family and having to share bad news with my kids, siblings, parents and friends is the hardest part.   Thanks you all for you text, email, and phone messages this week.  I may be far away from you all but I never felt alone this week as I was preparing for another surgery.   Your unconditional love and support means everything to me.   Every day is a gift.