Victoria, British Columbia
In 2006 I was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma at age 29 and in 2018 with stage 4. I was always a candidate for melanoma (strawberry blond, blue eyed, sun burns as a child, more than 50 moles) and was receiving yearly dermatologist checks.
In 2006 a small pink bump started growing on my head. At my annual checkup while 8 months pregnant my dermatologist said it looked fine. I told him it bothered me and asked him to take it off. It turned out to be stage 2 melanoma. I had a 1cm margin removed. After my daughter was born I went in for surgery and had another 1cm margin removed and 7 lymph nodes. The margins and lymph nodes were clear. There was no further treatment required.
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At the beginning of 2018 I just wasn’t feeling well. I would go to bed for a two hour nap after work and was nauseous when I ate. I also had rib pain that I finally went to the doctor about. He told me I had arthritic ribs and my tiredness was seasonal depression. I asked for blood tests and they came back as something was wrong with my kidneys. I was sent for three more blood tests to confirm that yes, something was up and referred for an ultrasound in April. After the ultrasound I was sent immediately to emergency to get a CT scan. The ER doctor told me that I had stage 4 cancer and to go home and get my affairs in order. I had over 14 brain tumours, the largest being 2.2cm, and too many tumours underneath my skin to count, some the size of golf balls. I had bone cancer in my legs, hips, pelvis, spine and ribs. There was a 10cm tumour on my right ovary, a 5cm one on my left kidney, a 2cm one in the middle of my right lung and small ones on my liver. After a biopsy I learned that it was melanoma but they never found a primary mole.
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It didn’t look good, but I believed from the start that I would be cancer free. I had whole brain radiation for a week and then started 4 rounds of immunotherapy (ipilimumab and nivolumab). I had nausea, vomiting, slight rash and extreme fatigue but made it through. I then continued with Nivolumab every two weeks and the only side effect was fatigue. I also had MRI and PET scans every three months. I ended up having a lingering tumour above my right ear and got another week of brain radiation. It has not grown in a year so I believe it is now scar tissue. I had tumours in both femurs that were not responding to immunotherapy and had radiation on those spots.
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I also had a new spot grow on my right foot during this time that my dermatologist said was not melanoma and wouldn’t take off. On my next visit I said I think it is something as it is new and he removed the spot. It was basal cell carcinoma. You must be your own advocate!
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Spring of 2020 my scans showed no active cancer. Fall of 2020 I had completed 56 rounds of Nivolumab and started getting mouth sores. I am taking a break from treatment and will continue scans every six months for another three years. The last few years have been a blur but I am so grateful to be alive thank you to modern medicine and our excellent health care system. Don’t give up hope.
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