My 42 year old daughter has melanoma. It was 1st diagnosed in Jan. as a stage I, and now 9 mo. later is in stage IV. Her 1st PET scan after surgery to remove a lymph node showed nothing, now 4 mo. later she has upwards of 20 tumors throughout her body, several of them we can feel. She is getting weaker by the day, has lost her appetite, and is in a fair amount of pain already.
We are following every lead we can find to secure a cure for her and are getting a quick education on what is available out there. We have not given up hope that she'll be in that small group that can beat this insidious disease. However, the speed w/ which it is spreading has me thinking about what the end will look like.
Can someone tell me what we might expect? I know it sounds a little maudlin, but I find that the more prepared I am in the face of an upcoming trauma, the better I am able to cope. I want to be a strong support for her, and I think I will be stronger if I know what to expect.
Thank you for any help you can give.
Janet