› Forums › General Melanoma Community › A pregnant mum with melanoma
- This topic has 13 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 7 months ago by
Charlotte Barker.
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- April 24, 2022 at 3:49 pm
Hi, everyoneI’m a 25 weeks pregnant mum with another 5 years old boy. I just got my biopsy result two days ago. It’s melanoma. I’m so shocked and scary. I can’t eat and sleep. I don’t know what to do. About the family, about the kids, about the treatment. Now, I’m waiting for the specialist appointment, If possible, please share your similar experience. I really need some encouragement. Thanks!
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- April 24, 2022 at 6:25 pm
Could you post a copy of biopsy report or write out what it stated, hard to help without any information as to depth of tumor etc.-
- April 24, 2022 at 9:46 pm
Thanks for your reply.
Here is my report. I have to type it for short.
Thick:at least 1.2mm
Ulceration: no
Mitotic index: 1/mm2
margins,peripheral and deep: both involved
vascular invasion:absent
perineural invasion:absent
regression:absent
stage:at least pT2aI have this mole in my stomach over 5 years. Never changed and feel nothing. I don’t know if it is spreading or something else. I can’t imagine to leave my kids alone.So scared…
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- April 24, 2022 at 10:29 pm
I’m sorry. I had my original 2B melanoma removed when my youngest was two. There were no real treatments at the time. Stage four was a death sentence. I was utterly terrified. But it is no longer a death sentence. There are so many treatments and more than likely it won’t progress. If it does lots of good advice in those boards.Get your skin regularly checked. Guard the skin of your children.
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- April 24, 2022 at 10:46 pm
So early staging process is filled with unknown situations, but until the process is completed there is no sense in jumping the gun with worrying. aim at melanoma has a really good explanation of staging that I will give you. next step usually is wide excision and sentinel node biopsy of local draining lymph nodes to see if there has been any spread.The surgeon usually does this and the information from nodes along with earlier biopsy report are used to determine stage. good luck with the process and ask any questions that come to mind. where are you located? https://www.aimatmelanoma.org/stages-of-melanoma/ -
- April 24, 2022 at 11:49 pm
Thanks for your reply. I’m so anxiety to think about spreading…I’m in Houston, so I will go to MD Anderson for a specialist. Waiting time is so hard. A lot of bad thoughts in my head that I can’t control it. Can I have another question, does insurance company will cover the fee of exam, surgery and medication, I think it should be very expensive journey…
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- April 25, 2022 at 8:05 am
Hi Luckymm,
I can understand how the waiting is hard; there is a lot to learn about melanoma and what your treatment plan will be. From what I read, pT2a is Pathologic staging, which = clinical Stage 1B, so best case scenario is you stay at 1B after the wide excision https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572149/.Insurance covered all of my exams, surgeries, and treatments.
Please post as you have questions or concerns, there are knowledgeable people on the forum and others who had melanoma while pregnant.
Wishing you the best outcome! Cindy-
- April 25, 2022 at 12:21 pm
Thanks so much for your reply, Cindy. I also pray for my stage is I. I don’t know if my report result now can predict a little bit good sign.( no invasion and no ulceration, not very high mitotic rate) And I’m worry about if it will spread very quickly during the waiting time. Particularly I’m pregnant,everything is unknown. I told myself I should be a brave mom, but it’s hard to control the bad thoughts. So sad…
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- April 26, 2022 at 1:34 pm
Hi luckymm,I replied to your response on my original post but also wanted to reach out here. First let me say I’m so sorry you’re going though this. I have a 5 year old too and a new baby when I was diagnosed last month. Like you, I was absolutely sick with fear and couldn’t eat or sleep either. I can only imagine how even more distressing it is being currently pregnant. I hope reading the replies to your post has helped. Posting here back in March was one of the best things I did as it immediately helped me to see melanoma is a treatable disease which when I had originally Googled I got lots of scary information that is outdated. As I mentioned to you in the other post I found AIM at Melanoma to be extremely helpful and supportive. You can Google them and they have someone on staff there who can walk you through your pathology report to help you best understand it. I had no idea what I was reading when I got mine and couldn’t see the surgeon for a few days so knowing that was available really helped. I hope you’ll continue to post and update the forum on how you’re doing. I got so many kind responses here and one of the best pieces of advice I received was to try( as hard as it can be) to just enjoy those moments with your little one. I hope you have a healthy rest of your pregnancy. Please reach out anytime!
Hugs,
Amanda-
- April 26, 2022 at 2:37 pm
Hi, Amanda
Thanks for your reply. Your words make me feel better. I’m still trying my best to overcome this darkest moment in my life. I’m glad you are in the very early stage and hope my situation is not bad too. I know I should focus on the life and my family now but it’s hard not to think about the future. Read all the posts here gives me some courage. I will pray for everyone will win this fight in the last.Thanks again!
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- December 5, 2022 at 5:02 pm
Hi,
I know this post was from April and we’re now in December, but I have a very similar situation to yours and I was wondering how you’re doing now. I’m 25 weeks pregnant and just found out today that the punch biopsy taken by my family doctor of a mole on the back side of my left shoulder came back showing melanoma. I don’t have any information about the stage yet because it was just a punch biopsy so it only took part of the mole and didn’t have clear margins. I am being referred to a skin cancer centre in my area for further testing. My doctor said I will likely get in within a week or two.I have 5 children (17, 15, 12, 5, and 22 months) and I’m pregnant as well. Obviously my mind is going to all of the worst case scenarios, but I am trying to stay calm because I know there’s nothing to do but wait until further testing can determine the stage of the cancer.
I hope that you were able to carry your baby to term and that your melanoma hasn’t progressed. If you have any time, I would love to hear what doctors were able to do during your pregnancy and how you are doing now.
Take care.
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- April 18, 2023 at 4:14 am
ed williams:
So early staging process is filled with unknown situations, but until the process is completed there is no sense in jumping the gun with worrying. aim at melanoma has a really good explanation of staging that I will give you. next step usually is wide excision and sentinel node biopsy of local draining lymph nodes to see if there has been any spread.The surgeon usually does this and the information from nodes along with earlier biopsy report are used to determine stage. good luck with the process and ask any questions that come to mind. where are you located? https://www.aimatmelanoma.org/stages-of-melanoma/too dangerous, very good article
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