Last spring my husband and I spent the day at a spa enjoying mineral and sulfur baths, clay mud and the moisturizing grotto cave. The next day I noticed a beauty mark on the side of my stomach bleeding. I thought it must be dry skin from all the exposure the day before, so I put some ointment on it and went on with my day, then a week, then a month. Two months later after feeling like I could treat myself, I realized I should have it checked out. Went to my primary doctor and she took a picture and sent it to dermatology. Within an hour I was in with a dermatologist, and she thought it best to remove it and send it out for testing. It was a 1-inch diameter mole that I had my whole life. Was it black in color, yes, was it irregularly shaped, yes, was it asymmetrical, yes, had it grown, yes, did it ulcerate, yes, did it look just like the example of melanoma skin cancer on the poster in the dermatologists office, yes. That is when a harsh reality started to set in. That was a Tuesday and Friday at 7 pm my dermatologist called me with the diagnosis of melanoma, only the most invasive type of skin cancer and at 3mm thick of solid melanoma a surgeon would shortly be calling.
A 3-inch diameter section of my stomach was removed to get a clear margin along with 3 lymph nodes. There I was with a 9-inch long scar across my stomach, and no trace of cancer in my lymph nodes. I thought my journey was done, cancer-free, well no. As I met with my oncologist even though I was stage 2B since the site was actively bleeding for 2 months it was basically the same as stage 3 so I was encouraged to start immunotherapy to rule out any loose roaming cancer cells. It was the best for me being 48 and having so much life left to live.
One year of injections with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) every 3 weeks, yes I could do that, what did that mean? I didn’t know but I quickly learned. Well it’s not chemo, I wouldn’t lose my hair, it wouldn’t kill all cells (good & bad) it would teach my immune system to detect cancer cells that it couldn’t see because they are so tricky. However, there’s a possibility the immune system would also go after good cells too. Immunotherapy is a fairly new treatment with not a lot of long-term data to help with all those questions but my best option. I am at the tail end of my treatments having one clear PET scan and my next CT coming up next month. I see my dermatologist every 3 months for a body scan, and I’ve had a few skin cancer spots removed, none being melanoma, thank goodness.
Since treatment began I have experienced some side effects like skin sensitivity, abdominal pain, migraines, fatigue, weight loss, anxiety, and depression. However since treatment I have reached out to organizations for cancer survivors like Imerman Angels and got a mentor, Livestrong at the YMCA and joined a strengthening program, NCCF (North County Cancer Fitness) and joined fitness classes, Kaiser support groups for peer support-mindfulness-nutritional advice, Be Well Therapy Inc. for healing yoga classes, as well as social media sites like War on Cancer and Inspire for social connections based on cancer diagnosis, and downloaded meditation apps like Insight Timer and Soundwise to practice mindfulness. I have learned a great deal about cancer and met a lot of wonderful people along this journey. I have decided to live in the present and have enjoyed more time with my family making really good memories.
My journey isn’t over, but I am not alone and I am strong. Blessed be!