› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Another new diagnosis with questions
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- January 8, 2017 at 12:11 am
Hello all,
I too am another new member to your group. I'm fortunate to be coming in as a 1A but I have questions. I grew up in the sun – former swimmer and lifeguard. I'm 46 and Ive already had about 4 basal cells and about 3 atypical moles (all that required additional excision). My dad has had melanoma twice so I'm always checking my skin out and I keep a close eye on whatever I can see.
In November, I self-identified what ended up being a basal cell on my face. The dermatologist fought me about biopsying it but I nearly demanded her to do it and ended up needing Mohs. Her Moh's surgeon couldnt do it for a couple months so I found another who was willing to remove it sooner. He had to do a consultation before removing, so I asked him to do a full body scan while I was there. He looked at my entire body and I put extra focus on those moles I am most concerned about. There was one in particular on my bicep he studied for a bit but decided everything looked ok and nothing was removed.
The moles continued to bother me so while doing the Mohs, I asked if he would cut off some moles when I got my stitiches out (mainly because I didnt like them) and he agreed. We removed three – one came back as the melanoma, one severe atypical needing futher excision and the other was fine. The melanoma is .21 mm, no ulceration and class III.
I am fortunate it was found early and it was partially due to diligence but I also feel like it was really due to luck. I knew he wouldnt remove 10 – so I had to pick my top 3 and that happened to be one of them.
What concerns me is how do I know I dont have others that are melanoma (I read on here its rare to have multiple primaries – but doesnt seem unheard of)? That mole was pretty unusual but it wasnt a classic nasty like you see photos of. I've had multiple dermatoligist in the last year look at those moles and all said everything seemed fine. I know this isnt an exact science and that is what scares me the most.
I dont have a ton of moles…. maybe 20-25 total and part of me wants them all removed (or at least the 10 most concerning ones). Now that I have melanoma, he has said that he would be willing to remove anything I request (he said I have a good eye for detecting bad ones!). Does anyone have any thoughts on that? Also… I found a mole-mapping app… does anyone use that?
My WLE is Friday for the atypical and melanoma. I'm also seeing a new dermatologist on Monday just to get a 2nd opinion.
Sorry this post is so long…. I just have a lot of thoughts on my mind. I am impressed with the kindness and bravery I have seen on here. Any input would be welcomed.
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- January 8, 2017 at 4:53 am
Hi Mark,
From my experience it is all about "changes." My one-and-only primary was not even a mole. It just appeared as a streak of brown (below the epidermis) on my heel…seemingly overnight. That brown streak turned out to be stage a stage 2A Acral Lentiginous Melanoma. Then recently, six years after my MM, I was getting my bi-annual check-up and my new doctor said he saw two moles that he wanted to remove and biopsy (each about 3 mm diameter). I told him about another tiny mole (less than 1 mm) that had appear within the last few years…since my MM. When the results came back…the tiny one was moderately atypical…requiring a WLE with a 2 mm margin. The moles that my doctor "didn't like the looks of" turned out to be just fine.
My advice is to watch for "changes." With more than 20 moles…that is easier said than done. But photos help. Looking back on photos of my foot that had the MM helped me to realize that the new spot appeared following my MM. Of course any new mark or spot is something that should be evaluated ASAP.
Remember the ABCDE rule:
-Asymmetry
-Border (irregularity)
-Color (not uniform)
-Diameter (greater than 6 mm)
-Evolving (size, shape, or color)Also, since you seem to have the knack for finding the bad one's…perhaps you could pick the most troubling one and have it removed at each of your check-up visits.
Best of luck!
Mark -
- January 8, 2017 at 4:53 am
Hi Mark,
From my experience it is all about "changes." My one-and-only primary was not even a mole. It just appeared as a streak of brown (below the epidermis) on my heel…seemingly overnight. That brown streak turned out to be stage a stage 2A Acral Lentiginous Melanoma. Then recently, six years after my MM, I was getting my bi-annual check-up and my new doctor said he saw two moles that he wanted to remove and biopsy (each about 3 mm diameter). I told him about another tiny mole (less than 1 mm) that had appear within the last few years…since my MM. When the results came back…the tiny one was moderately atypical…requiring a WLE with a 2 mm margin. The moles that my doctor "didn't like the looks of" turned out to be just fine.
My advice is to watch for "changes." With more than 20 moles…that is easier said than done. But photos help. Looking back on photos of my foot that had the MM helped me to realize that the new spot appeared following my MM. Of course any new mark or spot is something that should be evaluated ASAP.
Remember the ABCDE rule:
-Asymmetry
-Border (irregularity)
-Color (not uniform)
-Diameter (greater than 6 mm)
-Evolving (size, shape, or color)Also, since you seem to have the knack for finding the bad one's…perhaps you could pick the most troubling one and have it removed at each of your check-up visits.
Best of luck!
Mark -
- January 8, 2017 at 4:53 am
Hi Mark,
From my experience it is all about "changes." My one-and-only primary was not even a mole. It just appeared as a streak of brown (below the epidermis) on my heel…seemingly overnight. That brown streak turned out to be stage a stage 2A Acral Lentiginous Melanoma. Then recently, six years after my MM, I was getting my bi-annual check-up and my new doctor said he saw two moles that he wanted to remove and biopsy (each about 3 mm diameter). I told him about another tiny mole (less than 1 mm) that had appear within the last few years…since my MM. When the results came back…the tiny one was moderately atypical…requiring a WLE with a 2 mm margin. The moles that my doctor "didn't like the looks of" turned out to be just fine.
My advice is to watch for "changes." With more than 20 moles…that is easier said than done. But photos help. Looking back on photos of my foot that had the MM helped me to realize that the new spot appeared following my MM. Of course any new mark or spot is something that should be evaluated ASAP.
Remember the ABCDE rule:
-Asymmetry
-Border (irregularity)
-Color (not uniform)
-Diameter (greater than 6 mm)
-Evolving (size, shape, or color)Also, since you seem to have the knack for finding the bad one's…perhaps you could pick the most troubling one and have it removed at each of your check-up visits.
Best of luck!
Mark -
- January 8, 2017 at 9:02 am
I hear first time about the mole mapping app mentioned. I am new to this and still learning.
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- January 8, 2017 at 9:02 am
I hear first time about the mole mapping app mentioned. I am new to this and still learning.
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- January 8, 2017 at 9:02 am
I hear first time about the mole mapping app mentioned. I am new to this and still learning.
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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