very anxious..... - Cancer: Skin Message Board

napamom · 02-02-2009, 01:12 PM

Ok, so heres my story.......

Last Tuesday I got the call, Melanoma. It took 4 weeks and three labs, including SF Med. Center, to come to a conclusion, Im very confused why it took so long to be able to tell if it was Melanoma or not. The pathology results said it was 2.7mm deep, my doc. says this is very concerning. I have to be honest, i think this "mole" had been there at least 7-8 years. It was on my back, right where women get that spot we call "back fat". Im 32 years old. My husband says as long as hes been looking at my back, it been there. We've been married 7 1/2 yrs. I have surgery on Wed. for a wide excision and sent. lymph. biopsy. My doctors seem very worried, and in big rush to get this figured out. Ive had my chest x-rays and blood work, and they look good. But if the cancer has spread to my lymph nodes, wouldnt my blood have indicated something was up? Does anyone know how crucial time is with melanoma? Im worried that 7-8 yrs. is more than enough time for it to do its damage. In the last 2 yrs I would say it doubled in size, it was never ulcerated, just a slightly raised almost black spot, kidney bean-ish in shape, but with irregular edges. Can anyone relate? Any info, opinions, or personal accounts would help....thanks!

Chele60 · 02-02-2009, 04:51 PM

Hi! Two years ago I had a melanoma removed from my left knee. Mine was .7 mm, so I was stage I, but the darn thing sure left a good sized scar to remind me of its presence in my life! So you might say I can relate somewhat to what you might be going through. It certainly isn't fun, that's for certain.

What caught my attention - and I'm sure your doctors as well - is the thickness of the melanoma. I'm not going to lie: a melanoma that 2.7 mm is something to take seriously. If this has not spread to the lymph nodes, you are probably staged at II, if this has spread to the lymph nodes, you will be staged at III. That is why the docs want to do a sentental node biopsy, and yeah, it needs to be done ASAP.

News about melanoma is grim. Simply said, there is no cure, only treatment. Believe me, I KNOW how frightening those words read!! But there is a HUGE difference in the way melanoma is treated between stage II and stage III. If your lymph nodes are involved, it does not mean this would have been picked up in blood tests, unfortunately. The only way the docs can know is to do a SNB.

I realize I am probably scaring the bejeebees out of you, and that really isn't my intent. After your surgery on Wednesday, and the SNB, the doctors will have all the information they need to proceed and know which direction to take. That's when you and your husband can sit down with your doctors and start talking about what to do next. But time is of the essence.

As far as how long it might have been there? Who really knows? I doubt that it's been there for 7 years or more. You stated it started changing about 2 years ago? That's more likely when melanoma began developing, but again, who knows? It doesn't really do any good to start wondering about that, does it? In my opinion, it helps more to look forward and concentrate on what tomorrow is going to bring.

I know this post has seemed dire and grim, but I want to leave you with this: I've talked to people who had melanomas that were much thicker than yours, and were staged at II and are continuing live many years. I've talked to many people who were staged at III, underwent treatment, and are NED (No Evidence of Disease) several years after diagnosis. While your situation is serious, your outlook depends on you.

I'll be thinking of you and hope you can find the time to let us know how you are faring.