The photo for this post features the Swimming Pigs of the Bahamas. These photos adorn the walls of Elvira's favorite treatment room at Sansum, where I received my infusion of the remarkable immunotherapy drug Opdivo on Wednesday. We consider it a good omen whenever we are assigned to this room, and all went well this week.
It has now been approximately eleven months since I was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, ten months since I started combination immunotherapy at Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, seven months since I completed the combination regimen and went on prednisone, and six months since I stopped prednisone and started the single dose regimen of Opdivo. (These experiences are described in my book, Melanoma without a Cause.) It has been almost a year of upheaval, but I'm feeling good and all indications are that the immunotherapy continues to work. My next CT and PET scans and MRI are scheduled for June.
Of course, there has been an emotional toll for Elvira and me, as well as the physical one that I've experienced. While we are thrilled that the immunotherapy is available and I seem to be improving all the time, the weight of the disease remains with us. What do you do when you wake up every morning knowing you're living with what's considered a terminal disease? I have no good answer to that question. The best and most consistent advice I've received has been to remain positive. It's important to believe you can get better, believe in the drugs and the doctors, and believe that the miracle drugs will actually deliver a miracle.
It's my new reality and I need to accept it. Life can still be good, as Elvira's presence constantly reminds me. But remaining positive can be struggle, even while things are getting better, and it's a struggle I don't always win. But I will keep trying and keep believing, and I will keep writing about it here in this blog.
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