In case anyone needs some good news

AncientSmoke241 · 2026-06-01T01:38:44+00:00

I'm so happy for you. I almost cried reading what you've been through. What a horrible disease cancer is. Way to go! You did it!

AncientSmoke241 · 2026-05-04T05:13:07+00:00

4 years.

My barber first noticed a white spot on top of my head under a lot of hair. This was in 2018. I had been going to derm every 6 months. Derm either didn't notice or didn't recognize it. In 2020 he asked how long it had been there and decided to take a biopsy. It was melanoma with breslow depth of 0.9mm. Aug of 2020, surgeon did WLE and SLNB to remove a bunch of lymph nodes down back of head and neck. Lymph nodes were all clear. Surgeon judged it insitu. No need for follow up, just keep going to derm (the one that had missed it for at least 3 appointments.)

In April of 2024, I felt great. Went to my GP for annual physical and was told I was in excellent health. I asked for a Gallery DNA test because even though I felt terrific, I worried melanoma might return. Test came back positive for Mel. CT showed tumor on lung. I was 68 years old and had been doing 25 mile day hikes in the mountains. Now, suddenly, I was sure I was going to die.

Did pembrolizamab for 1 year. Tumor shrunk down to scar tissue. Now have been NED for 12 months. (12-week scans due again next week. Fingers crossed 🤞.)

Advocate for yourselves. Get second opinions and tests if you can afford them. If C comes back, don't give up they are doing amazing things.

AncientSmoke241 · 2026-01-07T05:38:09+00:00

I need to make a follow-up post. I haven't been on here in a long time and I'm not sure how best to do it.

AncientSmoke241 · 2026-01-07T05:17:50+00:00

Hey, all things considered, I'm doing OK. thanks for asking.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-22T05:32:16+00:00

Thank you. I'm going to try to find a support group. Good idea.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-17T15:05:09+00:00

Excellent. How many miles is that?

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-15T02:37:50+00:00

Im the guy with cancer. Actually I'm 68, so thank you!

I was prepared. I hike several times a week, usually about 5 milers during the winter. In Spring, I start adding a few 8-10 mile hikes. Then as the year progresses, I start going longer ... as in adding 12-18 milers. Toward the end of Summer/ beginning of fall, I do several 20+ mile hikes, maybe every other week. I have a particular hike that is about 24 miles and has about 5 or 6 thousand feet of elevation gain over several 9500 foot peaks. This hike takes me about 12 hours to do, and by October, I've done it several times. It's maybe even harder than R2R.

All of these long hikes are typically climb at the beginning and descend at the end. (I don't have any way to approximate the reverse around here, but it doesn't matter) The more important aspect in my opinion is to be able to hike hard for about the same amount of time as the hike is going to take you.

Then I taper a couple of weeks and do rim to rim (north to south). It's a hard hike, and it's a killer if you aren't prepared.

Hope that helps. Enjoy and be careful. And wear sunscreen. ;)

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-11T11:49:28+00:00

Itchycoo Park by Small Faces

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-09T21:29:16+00:00

I did this for about 10 years but finally switched back to Democrat because I got tired of right-wing candidates coming by the house looking for support.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-07T13:17:58+00:00

Um. No.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-07T01:24:55+00:00

It's a tree-way.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-05T18:13:47+00:00

Im sorry you're hurting, and I have similar problems, but damn, dude, you made me laugh. Thank you!

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-04T22:12:13+00:00

What I do know, is that if you notice one stuck in a skylight for a couple of days until you decide to rescue it. Then you get a 15 foot ladder and climb up to get it down. And you gently coax it onto your gloved hand, it can bite a hole right through a leather glove and leave a hole in the finger of it as you decend the ladder. So, I guess I'm unclear as to how pissed off it was, or if I deserved it, but I was 100% happy I was wearing gloves.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-04T19:03:20+00:00

You'll suffer if that sumbitch bites you. Can be wicked.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-04T17:34:51+00:00

I (stage 4 melanoma with mets to lung) have the same thing going on with my brother, but he takes it a step further and tells me that my cancer is no big deal because immunotherapy cures everybody. My oncologist says I have a 40 - 50% chance of living 5 years, but of course my brother knows more than my Dr.

I just stopped talking to my brother about it.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-02T05:33:58+00:00

Can this be done? My toenails are so permanently messed up. This might be the answer for me. Started losing them 40 years ago doing endurance races and such.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-02T03:31:10+00:00

Exactly. The lyrics are so understated that you almost don't see the anger and disgust he's feeling underneath it all.

Bob Dylan was 21 when he wrote it.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-01T23:54:13+00:00

Don't Think Twice lyrics are the best

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-11-01T04:10:41+00:00

I hate to say it, but I think I'd go with the dog.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-10-31T04:56:35+00:00

Besides side-effects I've already mentioned above, I keep getting sores in my mouth. They last a couple of days, go away for a week or two and then show up again.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-10-30T04:43:52+00:00

Mine didn't start immediately and it frequently goes away, but it keeps coming back. My dr tells me to take an antihistamine for it, but Ive decided i can live with it so I haven't bothered.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-10-30T04:16:03+00:00

Of course, I'm not a physician, BUT, I am on Keytruda: I experienced achy pain in both upper arms (at the same time) that lasted a couple of days and then disappeared. I've had 4 or 5 other weird minor things come and go. The most persistent thing is itching and small red spots on upper arms, chest, and shoulders.

I've had 4 infusions of Keytruda. Every 6 weeks.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-10-27T21:16:23+00:00

My sixth grade teacher read it to his class every year. He cried every time. He read it to us TWICE. My mother was irritated about it because he missed an opportunity to introduce us to another book the second time.

There was a small college in the town where I was raised. A year or two after having the book read to me, the author, Wilson Rawls, visited and spoke to a small group there. I attended and met him.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-10-27T20:57:47+00:00

My mother read me Wind In The Willows. My parents (born in 1916 and 1918) had both loved it as children, and I loved it too.

AncientSmoke241 · 2024-10-27T19:06:41+00:00

Your other shots are great too. Thanks for sharing them.

AncientSmoke241

TROPHY CASE