Eleven years ago, this February, I received a diagnosis of metastatic melanoma. Over the years, I have been in and out of the hospital, enduring numerous medications and their side effects. My life has felt like a game of chess. This year, I am still awaiting surgery on my left knee, and now I’m experiencing side effects from the medication I’m currently taking. Additionally, my right hip has started causing problems. I am using a morphine patch for pain management. I began with a 5mg dosage, which proved ineffective, so it was increased to 10mg, and now I’m on 15mg, but it still isn’t enough ..read more

I met an old friend who had been talking with me for ages, I asked him what the best advice he could give me? What he said changed my life. I still have it written in my notes, It’s all about enjoying your life and people around you. If you have a complicated life and you like it, carry on doing it. If you don’t like it, change it (if you want) and If you don’t like it… stop. The post Meeting Friends And Asking Advice – 2022 appeared first on Melanoma Journey ..read more

2022 Arthritis Update January 19th, I was at Nuffield Hospital trying to find the correct department. I saw a person who worked here, and he showed me where to go. So, I went to reception and inquired if I was in the correct location. Yes, but you need to get booked in and she said, “You are a bit early,” so I went for a drink and something to eat. After about 30 minutes I could see the consultant, I went in and sat down. The consultant asked me questions about my meditation. I took all my meditation and showed it to her, she documented it on the computer, Then she discussed what the plan is t ..read more

Update on my last Progress On the 11th of November My consultant calls me and she explained to me about the CT and MRI scans, she said to me she is pleased what she sees. She said that the CT was showing no signs of tumour and the MRI scan was stable. But now having problems with my left knee joint and my right hip and right hand. So, I call the doctor; he put me on tablets to ease the pain. Then said that I’ve booked an appointment at Milton Keynes hospital for a scan. So, I got the appointment for my scan at Milton Keynes hospital. I went there, had the scan. I had to wait over a week to ..read more

Getting Anxious About My CT Scan Results Two weeks later I was feeling a lot better. I could swallow again and I started to eat solid food and hot drinks. I was then waiting for an appointment at Horton General Hospital, for a CT scan. I drove down for my appointment to the hospital, I was trying to find a parking space for 20 minutes until I located one. Then I was trying to find the CT department, I had to ask a nurse to point me in the right direction. She was very helpful and walk with me, to show me where I had to go. I arrived to the Mobile CT Unit and the nurses welcomed me in ..read more

How To Spot Melanoma and What Does It Look Like? In this video it shows you how to spot Melanoma cancer and what to look out for. The post How To Spot Melanoma and What Does It Look Like? appeared first on Melanoma Journey ..read more

Update on my radiotherapy treatment 2021 for melanoma. On Tuesday 16th February 2021 I was booked in at Churchill Hospital Oxford, to start my radiotherapy treatment.  When I arrived at the radiotherapy department I checked-in at the desk, then another nurse showed me to a room, and I had a short wait. The nurse arrived, she was very kind and explained everything to me. She went through a pamphlet that had information about the side-effects and she asked me if I had any questions. I asked a few questions and she answered them all. She took me into the radiotherapy department roo ..read more

Astra Zeneca Vaccination 2021 Saturday 6th February 2021, I was booked in for my Astra Zeneca jab @ Water Eaton Health Centre, Bucks. When I arrived, the staff were showing me where to park. When I got out of the car, I went to the door and a nurse noted my name and asked where my Doctors practice was. I asked her if I could take some pictures for my blog, she said absolutely.  I was then showed to the vaccination room, where there were two other nurses, so I started to chatted to them. They were all very kind and pleasant to speak to. One of the nurses got the needle and placed it into ..read more

Life alongside radiotherapy, living with melanoma.  When I got my PET and CT scan results back from Nov/Dec last year, they found good and bad. My consultant called me to discuss the results, he said the brain tumour was stable but there is an active lymph-node by my spinal cord.  The CT scan had found that the lymph-node had grown. I asked him “is it melanoma, had the cancer come back?” he replied “yes.” I told him I knew it had come back because of all the feelings that I was having; being tired, run down and mood swings.  He discussed with me about radiotherapy, w ..read more

My Journey Though Cancer Is A Game Of Chess On the 3rd September 2020, I had an appointment at Churchill hospital, Oxford, for a PET scan.  On the 8th October 2020, I went back to Churchill hospital to get my results. As I went into the hospital, I had a body temperature check. I was then told to wait for twenty minutes, my stomach was going over. I was thinking that the MELANOMA had returned. After being in the waiting room for over an hour and a half, the doctor called me in. As I sat down, I started to worry again that something was not right. I had a list prepared to discuss with the ..read more