Yesterday were baseline scans to see what my body is like pre-cancer drugs. That included an MRI, a CT, blood labs, and an echocardiogram.

The good news is I have a brain and a heart. Sometimes I'm not sure, but now I have photographic evidence of both. Additionally, as of this moment, I have no visible tumors. Of course, I'm still shot through with melanoma "seeds", so that could change any day.

In mid-January, I'll start a new drug combo called Taf/Mek. The side effects, as expected, are impressive. But, the side effects of melanoma include death. I choose Taf/Mek for now. Taf/Mek is not an immunotherapy. It's a BRAF and Mek mutation inhibitor. The BRAF mutation is what caused my melanoma. At some point in my life, the sun's radiation scrambled key receptors in my genes. These genes eventually replicated in cells that lost the ability to die (ergo, melanoma). 

The funny thing about radiation and individual genetic mutations is that it's not a causal response from quantity. Some people's genes scramble with less exposure to the sun, and others bake their entire lives without developing any cancers. Randomness is quite the bitch.

Anyway, the combo will target the BRAF and Mek proteins and hopefully cleanse my body of these seeds. Unfortunately,  because of how melanoma changes the genetic structure of my cells, it is likely that melanoma may mutate again in my body and render taf/mek ineffective, much like it did opdivo. The hopes is that this will happen far enough in the future that alternative drugs will exist.

I continue healing from my pelvic dissection. The scar is about 5-6 inches long from stomach, and down across my pelvis. Combined with my groin dissection I have a jagged line a foot long on the mid and lower halves of my body.

To sum, don't bake in the sun if you can. A tan isn't worth all this shit.