Mell and Homer is going down!

Key CT Scan tomorrow after 6 weeks on Trial!

2010-08-03T14:08:33Z

Well it's my 6 week check up tomorrow and the first view of a comparison scan that will show that we have shrunk these bastards down. I'm feeling like I have a lot more energy and have just come off all my pain relief which must be showing that we're winning.

Had a great family gathering at Norfolk at the weekend and it was wonderful to have so much support and encouragement.

I'll let you know the full outcome of tomorrow's visit! Keep fighting.....xx

It's been the ultimate trial to get on the TRIAL!

2010-07-18T12:06:08Z

What a rollercoaster...I have held on for a Phase 3 trial that is taking place at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge and it's been the ultimate heartache and despair just getting on to start with. To give it the official title "BRIM 3: A Randomized, Open-Label, Controlled, Multicenter, Phase III Study in previously untreated patients with unresectable Stage IIIC or Stage IV Melanoma with V600E BRAF Mutation Receiving RO5185426 or Decarbazine"

Once I found out that I had the BRAF Mutated gene we were all delighted that I had actually jumped the first hurdle for the trial. I am currently the only one at Addenbrookes who's on this so that's equally as exciting for them.

Why can't you just give me the drug now? The two arms of the trial are either the drug or decarbazine chemo and I was just wishing for the drug as the chemo didn't look pretty with very poor odds. They gave me a blood test 24 hrs before we were due to start and this showed that I had a very high reading on a liver enzyme which was above the trial protocol. Aaargh..what was causing this. They thought it was probably the pain relief drugs I was taking so I decided to stop them for 24 hrs and switch solely to the TENS machine to hold the pain. I came in the next day and low and behold the reading had halved.

They confirmed the reading and then carried out the randomisation. When they told me I had the drug arm we just cried, punched the air and just could not believe it!

We were on it at last! Unbelievable....

What a body shocker...

2010-05-19T17:20:05Z

On April 19 2010 I was diagnosed with Melanoma secondaries, 10 years after a malignant melanoma was removed from my shoulder. When my wife and I were hearing the news my body went into a complete shock state, with the muscles on my back seizing up with unbelievable agony.

We were expecting chemo and radio therapies but have been informed that they are really not effective on secondaries in the bone, lungs and liver. We are now putting all our hopes on the very latest drugs trials from Rosch, Scancell and BioVex. Results should be back next week to see whether I have the mutated gene that will allow me to start the Rosch Trial. The waiting around is so tough as every day seems a wasted day.

I have undergone some radical dietary changes and have started Meditation classes with my wife to give us some time out!

Keeping strong and I'm going to fight this for as long as possible!

Positive thoughts and love to all fellow sufferers of this cancer.