So today is our day. Today we learn the fate of medicine we are relegated to. Today we learn whether our life is hugely challenging for a month and then levels out or whether our life just gets harder as the year goes on. Today we were once again told to wait. This holding pattern stinks and is not one of my strengths. Then out of nowhere we were told No treatment, no medicine.
Ok? After talking to his oncologist, it seems Mike was not accepted into the clinical trial because of a pre existing condition called sarcoidosis. The only treatment available to us then is interferon, which can exacerbate the sarcoidosis. Currently, Mike is asymptomatic for his sarcoidosis, and his doctors would like to keep it that way. If you’ve followed our blog thus far then you know that surgery alone can be a cure for melanoma. He’s had two surgeries, one to remove the tumor and one to remove a larger margin of tissue. And given that his lymph node is clear and his scans, CT, and MRI have all come back as clear as well, I think the plan is to be watchfully waiting. Mike already has baselines for scans, and blood work. He has several doctors that he works with and will continue to see.
I think we will also seek out a second opinion, just to be sure that we are headed in the right direction. While alone it’s not always enough, in addition to working with our doctors, acupuncturist, we will continue with a healthy life style. I am not totally at peace with this decision as of yet, but it’s only been a couple of hours to digest.
