pfloyd

The haphazardness is probably me more than the docs LOL … yes I am seeing Dr. Kari Kendra – Melanoma Oncologist at OSU Medical Center/The James Cancer Hospital in Columbus …

10/2010 mole on my right calf biospied

11/2010 port inserted in upper left chest

11/2010 excission of the mole/area on right calf … sentinel node biospy (clear)

12/2010 started immunotherapy – High dose Interferon treatment (20 treatments)

1/2011 finished the Interferon treatments

… good blood tests every 8 weeks thru to November 2011 …

11/2011 CT scan – showed small tumor on my lower left lung and right perotid gland

12/2011 needle biopsies of both lung/perotid gland (lung positive as melanoma/perotid gland negative)

2/3/2012 VATS surgery – wedge resection of spot on lower left lung – all edges were clean …

3/2012 Began self injections in the abdomen of Leukine (immunotherapy) 14 days of one shot per day/14 days off … made it thru 4 rounds (56 shots)

5/2012  CT scan showed cancer on the left lung, between 7th/8th ribs/lower bowel area 2 separate areas of concern

5/2012 PET scan indicated cancer in the pleura around the left lung/2 areas on the lower bowel/ 1 spot in the liver

5/25/2012  Met with the oncology team to discuss options … Biological ( Interleukin 2 or IP) , Targeted therapy (Zelboraf being the oral chemo targeting the proteins that the cancer feeds off of) , Regular Chemotherapy … Reg Chemo acts to slow – ruled out … Z-boraf (quick acting) went with this as a Part I action to stop the growth of the tumors … will be doing Z-boraf for at least 4 1/2 months – evaluate the progress either continue or change to Biological stage … 

6/4/12  began Z-boraf oral chemo … beginning week #3 Tuesday 6/19 … 

6/28/12 scheduled to see Dr. Kendra at the James …

… so really the treatment HAS been a logical progression – removal of the melanoma, immunotherapy 2 times to build up my immune system to fight the disease … when that did not work attacking the disease itself with targeted therapy(Zelboraf) …

Thanks for the response!

Michael

The haphazardness is probably me more than the docs LOL … yes I am seeing Dr. Kari Kendra – Melanoma Oncologist at OSU Medical Center/The James Cancer Hospital in Columbus …

10/2010 mole on my right calf biospied

11/2010 port inserted in upper left chest

11/2010 excission of the mole/area on right calf … sentinel node biospy (clear)

12/2010 started immunotherapy – High dose Interferon treatment (20 treatments)

1/2011 finished the Interferon treatments

… good blood tests every 8 weeks thru to November 2011 …

11/2011 CT scan – showed small tumor on my lower left lung and right perotid gland

12/2011 needle biopsies of both lung/perotid gland (lung positive as melanoma/perotid gland negative)

2/3/2012 VATS surgery – wedge resection of spot on lower left lung – all edges were clean …

3/2012 Began self injections in the abdomen of Leukine (immunotherapy) 14 days of one shot per day/14 days off … made it thru 4 rounds (56 shots)

5/2012  CT scan showed cancer on the left lung, between 7th/8th ribs/lower bowel area 2 separate areas of concern

5/2012 PET scan indicated cancer in the pleura around the left lung/2 areas on the lower bowel/ 1 spot in the liver

5/25/2012  Met with the oncology team to discuss options … Biological ( Interleukin 2 or IP) , Targeted therapy (Zelboraf being the oral chemo targeting the proteins that the cancer feeds off of) , Regular Chemotherapy … Reg Chemo acts to slow – ruled out … Z-boraf (quick acting) went with this as a Part I action to stop the growth of the tumors … will be doing Z-boraf for at least 4 1/2 months – evaluate the progress either continue or change to Biological stage … 

6/4/12  began Z-boraf oral chemo … beginning week #3 Tuesday 6/19 … 

6/28/12 scheduled to see Dr. Kendra at the James …

… so really the treatment HAS been a logical progression – removal of the melanoma, immunotherapy 2 times to build up my immune system to fight the disease … when that did not work attacking the disease itself with targeted therapy(Zelboraf) …

Thanks for the response!

Michael

The haphazardness is probably me more than the docs LOL … yes I am seeing Dr. Kari Kendra – Melanoma Oncologist at OSU Medical Center/The James Cancer Hospital in Columbus …

10/2010 mole on my right calf biospied

11/2010 port inserted in upper left chest

11/2010 excission of the mole/area on right calf … sentinel node biospy (clear)

12/2010 started immunotherapy – High dose Interferon treatment (20 treatments)

1/2011 finished the Interferon treatments

… good blood tests every 8 weeks thru to November 2011 …

11/2011 CT scan – showed small tumor on my lower left lung and right perotid gland

12/2011 needle biopsies of both lung/perotid gland (lung positive as melanoma/perotid gland negative)

2/3/2012 VATS surgery – wedge resection of spot on lower left lung – all edges were clean …

3/2012 Began self injections in the abdomen of Leukine (immunotherapy) 14 days of one shot per day/14 days off … made it thru 4 rounds (56 shots)

5/2012  CT scan showed cancer on the left lung, between 7th/8th ribs/lower bowel area 2 separate areas of concern

5/2012 PET scan indicated cancer in the pleura around the left lung/2 areas on the lower bowel/ 1 spot in the liver

5/25/2012  Met with the oncology team to discuss options … Biological ( Interleukin 2 or IP) , Targeted therapy (Zelboraf being the oral chemo targeting the proteins that the cancer feeds off of) , Regular Chemotherapy … Reg Chemo acts to slow – ruled out … Z-boraf (quick acting) went with this as a Part I action to stop the growth of the tumors … will be doing Z-boraf for at least 4 1/2 months – evaluate the progress either continue or change to Biological stage … 

6/4/12  began Z-boraf oral chemo … beginning week #3 Tuesday 6/19 … 

6/28/12 scheduled to see Dr. Kendra at the James …

… so really the treatment HAS been a logical progression – removal of the melanoma, immunotherapy 2 times to build up my immune system to fight the disease … when that did not work attacking the disease itself with targeted therapy(Zelboraf) …

Thanks for the response!

Michael

Erin, thank you much for the reply … the joint pain is soooooo unpredictable it seems – had horrific pain in my right wrist for the last week then all of the sudden when I woke up this morning the pain in my wrist was totally gone – BUT not to be out done it seems to have moved into my elbows and knees – go figure … I discribed the pain to one of the oncologist PA's from OSU Medical Center/The James Cancer hospital as being as if someone had taken a brush full of "pain" stroked the muscles in my body – instant pain in the muscles BUT then stopped at each of my joints and let the brush drain itself of "pain" into each joint – ankles/knees/elbows/wrists LOL … I see my oncologist June 28th – no scans scheduled on that date only a blood draw …

… thanks again – I will do my best to keep posting … although not the best of circumstances – I feel good about being able to share with others "fighting" the same battle … YOU take care of you Erin!

Thoughts and prayers back atcha …

Michael

Erin, thank you much for the reply … the joint pain is soooooo unpredictable it seems – had horrific pain in my right wrist for the last week then all of the sudden when I woke up this morning the pain in my wrist was totally gone – BUT not to be out done it seems to have moved into my elbows and knees – go figure … I discribed the pain to one of the oncologist PA's from OSU Medical Center/The James Cancer hospital as being as if someone had taken a brush full of "pain" stroked the muscles in my body – instant pain in the muscles BUT then stopped at each of my joints and let the brush drain itself of "pain" into each joint – ankles/knees/elbows/wrists LOL … I see my oncologist June 28th – no scans scheduled on that date only a blood draw …

… thanks again – I will do my best to keep posting … although not the best of circumstances – I feel good about being able to share with others "fighting" the same battle … YOU take care of you Erin!

Thoughts and prayers back atcha …

Michael

Erin, thank you much for the reply … the joint pain is soooooo unpredictable it seems – had horrific pain in my right wrist for the last week then all of the sudden when I woke up this morning the pain in my wrist was totally gone – BUT not to be out done it seems to have moved into my elbows and knees – go figure … I discribed the pain to one of the oncologist PA's from OSU Medical Center/The James Cancer hospital as being as if someone had taken a brush full of "pain" stroked the muscles in my body – instant pain in the muscles BUT then stopped at each of my joints and let the brush drain itself of "pain" into each joint – ankles/knees/elbows/wrists LOL … I see my oncologist June 28th – no scans scheduled on that date only a blood draw …

… thanks again – I will do my best to keep posting … although not the best of circumstances – I feel good about being able to share with others "fighting" the same battle … YOU take care of you Erin!

Thoughts and prayers back atcha …

Michael