A quick update...
Last week I shared the news that my latest CT scan wasn’t great. A lesion on my adrenal gland had grown and there appeared to be activity in my lymph nodes.
It is really difficult to explain the emotions that were triggered by this scan. On one hand, I felt silly that I was so upset by these results because the big picture was not that bad – everything else was stable, which is great! But, this one naughty little lesion had the potential to change the direction of my treatment, a treatment that essentially bought me back from death’s door.
It feels like a lifetime ago that I was given three months to live and being told that my only hope of more time would be gaining access to a clinical trial of the drug Keytruda and hope that it would work.
Read MoreSince writing this blog, I have had many people contact me sharing their story and asking advice. The majority of the people that write to me are Stage 1 melanoma patients, so I have decided to write this post for them. For those of you that don't have Stage 1 melanoma, I hope you still find it useful... and a little entertaining!
Here is my advice for you!
1. Three monthly skin checks
Annual skin checks are recommended for the general population, but once you have been diagnosed with Stage 1 Melanoma this changes. You are strongly recommended to have 3 monthly skin checks for at least 2 years. It is only when you have not had a recurrence that your 3 monthly skin checks can return to 12 monthly.
Three monthly skin checks will aid in early detection and ensure you remain at Stage 1.
Read MoreThis time last year, my life was on track.
I was almost at the end of a year volunteering in Timor. I was looking forward to starting my masters in Occupational Therapy, and I was coming home to an exciting new relationship.
Life was pretty much as good as it gets for a twenty-two year old.
But then came August, and with it my melanoma, and everything came tumbling down.
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