My nine-month post-surgery update

Hello dear ones, I hope this post finds you well.

I know many of you have been wondering how my melanoma treatment is going, so this update is well overdue. I do apologise. I have no excuse, other than that I was enjoying a lovely, long, summer vacation with my whanau. 

It has been nine months since surgery and everything is going as well as could possibly be hoped for. 

My scars are healing well, and not giving me too much trouble. I'm continuing to have physiotherapy every three weeks on them, where I receive massage and laser therapy. The scar is a bit lumpy bumpy and tight still, but I'm sure it will come right in time. 

I've had three CT scans since surgery, and they have all been clear. Of course, there's always the chance that tumours are growing which are too small to see on the scans, but I'm hoping for the best. 

I've had twelve rounds of Keytruda/pembrolizumab (pictured above - with my personal details erased for privacy reasons), and have five more rounds to go. It's really starting to feel like the end is in sight and I'm hopeful the melanoma is gone from my body for good. 

Issues with my thyroid and liver have completely resolved. In fact, my last few blood test results have all come back in the normal range. 

It's unexpectedly good news that my thyroid has returned to normal. Typically when the thyroid is impacted by Keytruda, those impacts last for life. I think that two things have contributed to my recovering thyroid. One is the enormous amount of prayer coverage I've been enveloped in, and the other is that I take Lugol's Solution iodine every day, which has both helped my thyroid to recover from the Keytruda and has also helped to protect my thyroid from CT scan radiation damage.

My oncologist is really pleased with how everything is going. The fact that I did have initial inflammation of the liver and thyroid shows that the Keytruda has activated in my body, which is a hopeful sign if there were indeed any melanoma cells still lingering. Hopefully my body will have targeted and eliminated them by now. 

My iron levels are still lower than I would like, even though I've been eating meat again since October 2020, but I'm not overly tired anymore. In fact, I feel pretty much normal. Woohoo!

I continue to trust in God for my future, knowing that whatever happens, he's got me.

Love and blessings to you all.

Emma xx