Can somebody please help me? All I did was go into the doctor's office for something and ended up talking about a mole that was 'weird' looking to me....not even remotely thinking anything about it.
I received news 3 days later, (day after Christmas) that it is melanoma. I don't know anything else cept that I have to see a surgeon.
2 years ago I noticed a strange looking mole growing on my left knee. I talked about with my doctor during my physical, and she removed it and sent it out for a biopsy. News came back that it was melanoma. And guess what? It's been 2 years, and I'm still here and I plan on being around for a lot longer!
Okay, first things first...take a deep breath and truly resist the urge to start doing research on the internet. You truly will scare the pants off yourself. Yes, you will need to talk to a surgeon, and the surgeon will give you a lot of information - take some paper with you if you like, or a close friend/spouse to hear the stuff you will miss.
The first visit with the surgeon is likely to be for information and answering questions and to set up a date for WLE, which is a wide excision. In this procedure, the surgeon removes a large area of skin and tissue surrounding where the melanoma was located. The hope is that if the melanoma was not very deep, the surgeon can remove all traces of cancereous cells in the area. Whatever tissue is removed is biopsied so the surgeon will get clear margins. If this all the farther it goes, you will be left with quite an impressive scar, and frequent skin checks with a dermatologist. This is typically a stage IA or IB (depending on ulceration).
If it is determined the melanoma has a depth of 1 millimeter or greater, then the surgeon will do a Sentinal Node Biopsy. In this procedure, s/he will trace the lymph from the site of the melanoma to the nearest lymph node(s), and remove a couple. Those lymph nodes will be biopsied to determine if the cancer has spread. If the lymph nodes come back clear, you will be staged at II, either A, B, or C - depending on the depth of the melanoma and ulceration.
If the lymph nodes come back positive for melanoma, you are staged at III and this requires more intensive treatment.
You will not be staged on your first visit to the surgeon. You will probably be staged after the WLE, and you might have to ask, but this is important to know. Those individuals staged at IA or IB have a 5 year survival rate in the high 90%, and a 10 year survival rate in the upper 80% to 90%. If melanoma is caught in its earliest stages it is highly treatable and the prognosis is highly favorable.
I know hearing the word "melanoma" is frightening. Melanoma can be frightening. However, I remember I threw myself into a complete panic before I even met with the surgeon, and that wasn't good. It's easy to find horror stories. My advice? Get your own information and facts first. Don't be afraid to talk to your sugeon. Don't be afraid to ask questions, no matter how seemingly stupid. Bring some one with you - there will be things you miss, and you need support. The surgeon will understand.
If there is anything I can help you with, just let me know.
2 years ago I noticed a strange looking mole growing on my left knee. I talked about with my doctor during my physical, and she removed it and sent it out for a biopsy. News came back that it was melanoma. And guess what? It's been 2 years, and I'm still here and I plan on being around for a lot longer!
Okay, first things first...take a deep breath and truly resist the urge to start doing research on the internet. You truly will scare the pants off yourself. Yes, you will need to talk to a surgeon, and the surgeon will give you a lot of information - take some paper with you if you like, or a close friend/spouse to hear the stuff you will miss.
The first visit with the surgeon is likely to be for information and answering questions and to set up a date for WLE, which is a wide excision. In this procedure, the surgeon removes a large area of skin and tissue surrounding where the melanoma was located. The hope is that if the melanoma was not very deep, the surgeon can remove all traces of cancereous cells in the area. Whatever tissue is removed is biopsied so the surgeon will get clear margins. If this all the farther it goes, you will be left with quite an impressive scar, and frequent skin checks with a dermatologist. This is typically a stage IA or IB (depending on ulceration).
If it is determined the melanoma has a depth of 1 millimeter or greater, then the surgeon will do a Sentinal Node Biopsy. In this procedure, s/he will trace the lymph from the site of the melanoma to the nearest lymph node(s), and remove a couple. Those lymph nodes will be biopsied to determine if the cancer has spread. If the lymph nodes come back clear, you will be staged at II, either A, B, or C - depending on the depth of the melanoma and ulceration.
If the lymph nodes come back positive for melanoma, you are staged at III and this requires more intensive treatment.
You will not be staged on your first visit to the surgeon. You will probably be staged after the WLE, and you might have to ask, but this is important to know. Those individuals staged at IA or IB have a 5 year survival rate in the high 90%, and a 10 year survival rate in the upper 80% to 90%. If melanoma is caught in its earliest stages it is highly treatable and the prognosis is highly favorable.
I know hearing the word "melanoma" is frightening. Melanoma can be frightening. However, I remember I threw myself into a complete panic before I even met with the surgeon, and that wasn't good. It's easy to find horror stories. My advice? Get your own information and facts first. Don't be afraid to talk to your sugeon. Don't be afraid to ask questions, no matter how seemingly stupid. Bring some one with you - there will be things you miss, and you need support. The surgeon will understand.
If there is anything I can help you with, just let me know.
You WILL get through this.
thank you, thank you, thank you......for answering everything. My doctor said (not the surgeon) that it 'looks superficial' so is that good news??
The odds are actually with you that you've probably caught this early. The surgeon will give you far more information than your primary physician, though the surgeon will probably not be very forthcoming with your exact condition until after the WLE. The wide excision - and knowing the exact depth of the melanoma is what is prime information in this. Anything under 1 millimeter is terrific news! (The biopsy that was already taken might have this news, depending on the method your physician used to remove it: punch or shave) The surgeon will also be able to tell you if the melanoma was fast or slow growing and whether it had started growing down. (Most melanomas grow along the surface first for a time, and then begin growing down into the skin.)
Your 1st appointment with the surgeon should be made fairly quickly, and the WLE should happen fairly soon after that. (It might be an office procedure or it may be outpatient procedure - mine was an outpatient procedure) It will seem whirlwind, but really, once it is done your physician and the surgeon will have all the information they (and YOU!) need to move foward.
Go with your doctor's words - there is no reason to think otherwise at this point! And positive thoughts are your body's best friend right now!
New to this... Need Help 
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