› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Had SNB and WLE today and support/info. I received here sure helped
- This topic has 45 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 10 months ago by
Kelli100299.
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- January 20, 2012 at 4:06 am
Thank you to the very kind people here who helped me understand what was going to happen next.
My surgery went well, and I am at home now.
After learning (thanks Janner) that doing a frozen section on the sentinel wasn't the norm, I found I was up against a brick wall. Apparently in Minnesota, that's how it's done, period. I envy those of you who have melanoma specialists where you live, or the means and type of insurance that allows you to see one.
Thank you to the very kind people here who helped me understand what was going to happen next.
My surgery went well, and I am at home now.
After learning (thanks Janner) that doing a frozen section on the sentinel wasn't the norm, I found I was up against a brick wall. Apparently in Minnesota, that's how it's done, period. I envy those of you who have melanoma specialists where you live, or the means and type of insurance that allows you to see one.
I had radioactive dye with gamma photos to locate the sentinel (and a probe in surgery), and the frozen section looked good (yay!). Only that lymph node was removed, I will receive the rest of the pathology on it in a week. I will always have the nagging thought that the biopsy should have been done differently, but I will move forward and do everything I can to do to keep on top of this with what I have available here.
The radiologist scared me because he said the sentinel could light up in my neck or the middle of my chest based on the location of my tumor, but thankfully it was in my armpit. I'm glad I didn't know there were other posibilities prior to the surgery.
Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with those here dealing with so much more; to take the time to write to new people like me is beyond incredible and you have my sincere appreciation and gratitude.
For J3K (Kellie) who received melanoma news the same day as me, I will be with you in spirit during your upcoming surgery.
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- January 20, 2012 at 12:45 pm
I am very satisfied to hear about any of patients here, who are doing well and on positive note. So I am very happy about your successful surgery!
Take care and all the best wishes for a great recovery goes to you!
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- January 21, 2012 at 12:52 am
Hi Paula, my (J3P),
You made my day with your post and your great news! Today was the day all the nurses were calling me at work with the 50 million questions, and I was told to bring a copy of my will with me. I say back and thought about the seriousness of even going to surgery (I have never been). I am going in @12p, they expect me to get my mapping, locate the node (s) and wheeled into OR @3p….all was very scary for a minute, so your positive post makes me feel a whole lot better! And, what wonderful news too! Thanks for giving me a shout out and thinking about me. And since we seemed to be on the same path here….I hope to be able to give you the same great results after Tuesday. Be strong – Stay positive…you are awesome!
Kelli
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- January 21, 2012 at 12:52 am
Hi Paula, my (J3P),
You made my day with your post and your great news! Today was the day all the nurses were calling me at work with the 50 million questions, and I was told to bring a copy of my will with me. I say back and thought about the seriousness of even going to surgery (I have never been). I am going in @12p, they expect me to get my mapping, locate the node (s) and wheeled into OR @3p….all was very scary for a minute, so your positive post makes me feel a whole lot better! And, what wonderful news too! Thanks for giving me a shout out and thinking about me. And since we seemed to be on the same path here….I hope to be able to give you the same great results after Tuesday. Be strong – Stay positive…you are awesome!
Kelli
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- January 21, 2012 at 12:52 am
Hi Paula, my (J3P),
You made my day with your post and your great news! Today was the day all the nurses were calling me at work with the 50 million questions, and I was told to bring a copy of my will with me. I say back and thought about the seriousness of even going to surgery (I have never been). I am going in @12p, they expect me to get my mapping, locate the node (s) and wheeled into OR @3p….all was very scary for a minute, so your positive post makes me feel a whole lot better! And, what wonderful news too! Thanks for giving me a shout out and thinking about me. And since we seemed to be on the same path here….I hope to be able to give you the same great results after Tuesday. Be strong – Stay positive…you are awesome!
Kelli
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- January 21, 2012 at 8:26 pm
You're going to do great Kelli!
The questioning about heath-care directives and living wills is standard. I know it's unsettling to be asked – but they do it even if you go to the ER with a broken toe.
One thing that you might find is that they allow 3 hours for mapping the sentinel node, but it's probably not going to take more than an hour or so. They inject the stuff around where your mole was, and then they wait about 20 minutes. Then they take photos and you have to hold still for 10 minutes for each. They keep taking them until the sentinel lights up on the photo – it took 4 pictures for me. Since they are looking for it to show up in your groin, it will just be boring while that's going on – I had to have a very large panel about 1" from my nose because they were looking in my armpit/neck/chest. It was very claustrophobic to have that in my face, but I was more irritated than anything.
You will have me, my friends and family, and unknown people here praying for you and sending you positive thoughts, as well as everyone you have near you. Try to keep busy over the next few days – make lists of what needs to be done for the kids the rest of next week and what you need for food, etc., and let anyone who is willing to help do it. Also plan out where you are going to rest – if you have a high bed, its going to be hard to get in and out, so you might want to set up camp around a recliner if you have one. The day after surgery was the hardest for me (yesterday), today I am feeling much better.
Hugs from me!
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- January 21, 2012 at 8:26 pm
You're going to do great Kelli!
The questioning about heath-care directives and living wills is standard. I know it's unsettling to be asked – but they do it even if you go to the ER with a broken toe.
One thing that you might find is that they allow 3 hours for mapping the sentinel node, but it's probably not going to take more than an hour or so. They inject the stuff around where your mole was, and then they wait about 20 minutes. Then they take photos and you have to hold still for 10 minutes for each. They keep taking them until the sentinel lights up on the photo – it took 4 pictures for me. Since they are looking for it to show up in your groin, it will just be boring while that's going on – I had to have a very large panel about 1" from my nose because they were looking in my armpit/neck/chest. It was very claustrophobic to have that in my face, but I was more irritated than anything.
You will have me, my friends and family, and unknown people here praying for you and sending you positive thoughts, as well as everyone you have near you. Try to keep busy over the next few days – make lists of what needs to be done for the kids the rest of next week and what you need for food, etc., and let anyone who is willing to help do it. Also plan out where you are going to rest – if you have a high bed, its going to be hard to get in and out, so you might want to set up camp around a recliner if you have one. The day after surgery was the hardest for me (yesterday), today I am feeling much better.
Hugs from me!
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- January 22, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Thanks Paula. You sound like you are positive and upbeat, thanks for sending that my way. I will let you know how I make out. I am a little nervous, can't wait for this to be over. This forum is the best and I can't believe how much I rely on the positivity here. So, I thank you and everyone else on here. We will ALL get through this…..
Kelli
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- January 22, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Thanks Paula. You sound like you are positive and upbeat, thanks for sending that my way. I will let you know how I make out. I am a little nervous, can't wait for this to be over. This forum is the best and I can't believe how much I rely on the positivity here. So, I thank you and everyone else on here. We will ALL get through this…..
Kelli
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- January 22, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Thanks Paula. You sound like you are positive and upbeat, thanks for sending that my way. I will let you know how I make out. I am a little nervous, can't wait for this to be over. This forum is the best and I can't believe how much I rely on the positivity here. So, I thank you and everyone else on here. We will ALL get through this…..
Kelli
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- January 25, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Hi Paula – How are you feeling?
I am home safe and sound, just praying that the results come back in my favor. Two nodes ‘lit’ up one in the groin, the other up in my pelvic area. I met with the surgeon prior to going in to surgery and he said, we are only taking the one, the other in your pelvic region would be the next one. My thought after all was said and done, was, he was going in anyway, why not just take both. But I hope it’s a good sign that he is not concerned, thinks I will be ok. I have no pain in the groin area, but the excision area hurts. I should hear something in the next 4/5 days. I will call his office Friday and then we will go from there. I have also scheduled an appointment with Sloan Kettering in Basking Ridge, more so for a second opinion. I want to be sure that whatever comes back from the SNB and next steps, is backed by Sloan. Hope all is well with you and the family…talk to you soon!
Kelli XO
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- January 25, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Hi Paula – How are you feeling?
I am home safe and sound, just praying that the results come back in my favor. Two nodes ‘lit’ up one in the groin, the other up in my pelvic area. I met with the surgeon prior to going in to surgery and he said, we are only taking the one, the other in your pelvic region would be the next one. My thought after all was said and done, was, he was going in anyway, why not just take both. But I hope it’s a good sign that he is not concerned, thinks I will be ok. I have no pain in the groin area, but the excision area hurts. I should hear something in the next 4/5 days. I will call his office Friday and then we will go from there. I have also scheduled an appointment with Sloan Kettering in Basking Ridge, more so for a second opinion. I want to be sure that whatever comes back from the SNB and next steps, is backed by Sloan. Hope all is well with you and the family…talk to you soon!
Kelli XO
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- January 25, 2012 at 10:09 pm
So happy to hear from you Kelli! I'm glad you had them take both too, and even better that he wasn't concerned – it makes sense to me that two areas could light up, I'm sure different lymph areas take care of more than one section of a body. That's great about not having pain in the groin – I know your leg must really hurt because my arm does and it has a lot more "cushion" than a leg. I can't wait to get my stitches out, but I have to wait until Monday.
I am going a little crazy today, my husband said that they surgeon told him that she might have pathology results back on Monday – nobody told me that :/ So, I called the surgeon's office today and a nurse got my file and started reading through it. She said that the reason no one has called me is because they decided to send my excision tissue and the lymph node to Mayo Clinic pathology because they wanted another opinion from them, and the margins weren't wide enough on one side of my wide excision. Plus, since Mayo did the pathology on my original excision, they wanted them to compare the edge of the first with the edge of the second. Now, supposedly I had clear margins from the excision (first biopsy of the mole), but they weren't wide enough and that's why I needed the wide local excision surgery – now that isn't wide enough? That means to me that they must have found cancer cells in the newly removed tissue.
To top that off, the dermatologist did a full body check yesterday and found a mole on the sole of my foot. He's going to watch that, but I guess its uncommon. So, of course when I got home, I started looking at it and today it looks darker. Might be my imagination, but what isn't my imagination is that a mole literally appeared on the palm of my hand overnight (same arm as the melanoma site). I have been waiting for a call back from the dermatologist to see if he thinks I should come back in.
I hope you are taking it very easy. It will be reassuring to have the second opinion from Sloan Kettering, I wish I could go there too.
XO to you, hopefully I am being mental today for no good reason. Paula
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- January 25, 2012 at 10:09 pm
So happy to hear from you Kelli! I'm glad you had them take both too, and even better that he wasn't concerned – it makes sense to me that two areas could light up, I'm sure different lymph areas take care of more than one section of a body. That's great about not having pain in the groin – I know your leg must really hurt because my arm does and it has a lot more "cushion" than a leg. I can't wait to get my stitches out, but I have to wait until Monday.
I am going a little crazy today, my husband said that they surgeon told him that she might have pathology results back on Monday – nobody told me that :/ So, I called the surgeon's office today and a nurse got my file and started reading through it. She said that the reason no one has called me is because they decided to send my excision tissue and the lymph node to Mayo Clinic pathology because they wanted another opinion from them, and the margins weren't wide enough on one side of my wide excision. Plus, since Mayo did the pathology on my original excision, they wanted them to compare the edge of the first with the edge of the second. Now, supposedly I had clear margins from the excision (first biopsy of the mole), but they weren't wide enough and that's why I needed the wide local excision surgery – now that isn't wide enough? That means to me that they must have found cancer cells in the newly removed tissue.
To top that off, the dermatologist did a full body check yesterday and found a mole on the sole of my foot. He's going to watch that, but I guess its uncommon. So, of course when I got home, I started looking at it and today it looks darker. Might be my imagination, but what isn't my imagination is that a mole literally appeared on the palm of my hand overnight (same arm as the melanoma site). I have been waiting for a call back from the dermatologist to see if he thinks I should come back in.
I hope you are taking it very easy. It will be reassuring to have the second opinion from Sloan Kettering, I wish I could go there too.
XO to you, hopefully I am being mental today for no good reason. Paula
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- January 26, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Hi there….Just to clarify, the surgeon did not take both Lymph’s, just the one. He said if the one in the groin comes back positive, then he would take the next. I know I am new to all this, as are you, but I wouldn’t automatically assume that just because they are sending out the WLE out for comparison means that the tissue was found to be cancerous. I think they are just being certain and precise, they wouldn’t want to be remiss in not fully looking at the tissue. If the dermatologist found something suspicious on the sole of your foot, why didn’t he do a biopsy of that? Did you ever notice it, maybe it was always there? I think it is your imagination that it darkened in a day. I think now that we are going through this our mind does tend to play tricks on us. I am questioning ever mark, mole, spot, freckle etc on my body. The mole on your palm, that seems odd that it wasn’t there yesterday and today it is? Have you questioned that, how big is it? Would a mole just appear overnight? I know this is all scary, but, just hang in there and try not to panic. It’s all new, and we don’t know what to expect. I was at the eye doctor today because I wanted to ensure nothing was in my eyes….that’s how wacked out and neurotic I am. It doesn’t make matters any better, just drive ourselves nuts! Keep me posted on what the derm. tells you and try not to worry about things. The Mayo is just as precise at Sloan, so you are doing the right thing!
Kelli
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- January 26, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Hi there….Just to clarify, the surgeon did not take both Lymph’s, just the one. He said if the one in the groin comes back positive, then he would take the next. I know I am new to all this, as are you, but I wouldn’t automatically assume that just because they are sending out the WLE out for comparison means that the tissue was found to be cancerous. I think they are just being certain and precise, they wouldn’t want to be remiss in not fully looking at the tissue. If the dermatologist found something suspicious on the sole of your foot, why didn’t he do a biopsy of that? Did you ever notice it, maybe it was always there? I think it is your imagination that it darkened in a day. I think now that we are going through this our mind does tend to play tricks on us. I am questioning ever mark, mole, spot, freckle etc on my body. The mole on your palm, that seems odd that it wasn’t there yesterday and today it is? Have you questioned that, how big is it? Would a mole just appear overnight? I know this is all scary, but, just hang in there and try not to panic. It’s all new, and we don’t know what to expect. I was at the eye doctor today because I wanted to ensure nothing was in my eyes….that’s how wacked out and neurotic I am. It doesn’t make matters any better, just drive ourselves nuts! Keep me posted on what the derm. tells you and try not to worry about things. The Mayo is just as precise at Sloan, so you are doing the right thing!
Kelli
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- January 26, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Hi there….Just to clarify, the surgeon did not take both Lymph’s, just the one. He said if the one in the groin comes back positive, then he would take the next. I know I am new to all this, as are you, but I wouldn’t automatically assume that just because they are sending out the WLE out for comparison means that the tissue was found to be cancerous. I think they are just being certain and precise, they wouldn’t want to be remiss in not fully looking at the tissue. If the dermatologist found something suspicious on the sole of your foot, why didn’t he do a biopsy of that? Did you ever notice it, maybe it was always there? I think it is your imagination that it darkened in a day. I think now that we are going through this our mind does tend to play tricks on us. I am questioning ever mark, mole, spot, freckle etc on my body. The mole on your palm, that seems odd that it wasn’t there yesterday and today it is? Have you questioned that, how big is it? Would a mole just appear overnight? I know this is all scary, but, just hang in there and try not to panic. It’s all new, and we don’t know what to expect. I was at the eye doctor today because I wanted to ensure nothing was in my eyes….that’s how wacked out and neurotic I am. It doesn’t make matters any better, just drive ourselves nuts! Keep me posted on what the derm. tells you and try not to worry about things. The Mayo is just as precise at Sloan, so you are doing the right thing!
Kelli
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- January 26, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Hi – I'm sorry I read it wrong, I got hung up on the why not take both. I sure hope you get your results tomorrow! I also hope your leg is feeling better today – some of the swelling at each end of my arm scar went down and it looks better, but there sure is a big dip in the middle. Is your leg super tender? Is it on your shin? I'm sorry if you've told me before, I can barely remember my name today. Did you get pain meds? They gave me vicodin, but even half a pill makes me nauseous. I can't take NSAIDs anymore, but I have this feeling that they would work the best.
The dermatologist had me come back in today to look at my palm. He said yes, a mole can appear overnight like that. He was going to biopsy it, and then changed his mind and said he wants to get my pathology sorted out first and then take it next week. He wants to watch the one on my foot because it (and the palm one) aren't looking like melanoma, but because they are in such odd places, he is concerned about them.
He doesn't know what is going on with my pathology. Worst case is that I have melanoma in-transit. He was going to be talking to Mayo as soon as I left the office, but said its going to take until next week before he has enough information to get back to me.
The way he explained it is that I had clear margins from the initial excision, and no satellites. Nothing should have shown up in the wide excision. He doesn't know why they were questioning the margins, but it's possible that because it was sent to "surgical" pathology here in Mpls./St. Paul (because of the lymph node), there could be adjacent mole tissue on the incision line or something they weren't as familiar with and sent it to Mayo for another opinion.
He said that Mayo has two pathology departments; one surgical and one dermopath. He wants to make sure that dermopathology is looking at it.
I'm glad you went to the eye doctor, I was told I need to do that too, and also get some kind of special dental exam. I had blistering from my autoimmune skin disease on the white part of my eye once and saw a very good specialist, so I am going to see if I can see her again for this.
I am waiting along with you for your news, I hope we are celebrating here by this time tomorrow!
Your J3P friend {{hugs}}
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- January 26, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Hi – I'm sorry I read it wrong, I got hung up on the why not take both. I sure hope you get your results tomorrow! I also hope your leg is feeling better today – some of the swelling at each end of my arm scar went down and it looks better, but there sure is a big dip in the middle. Is your leg super tender? Is it on your shin? I'm sorry if you've told me before, I can barely remember my name today. Did you get pain meds? They gave me vicodin, but even half a pill makes me nauseous. I can't take NSAIDs anymore, but I have this feeling that they would work the best.
The dermatologist had me come back in today to look at my palm. He said yes, a mole can appear overnight like that. He was going to biopsy it, and then changed his mind and said he wants to get my pathology sorted out first and then take it next week. He wants to watch the one on my foot because it (and the palm one) aren't looking like melanoma, but because they are in such odd places, he is concerned about them.
He doesn't know what is going on with my pathology. Worst case is that I have melanoma in-transit. He was going to be talking to Mayo as soon as I left the office, but said its going to take until next week before he has enough information to get back to me.
The way he explained it is that I had clear margins from the initial excision, and no satellites. Nothing should have shown up in the wide excision. He doesn't know why they were questioning the margins, but it's possible that because it was sent to "surgical" pathology here in Mpls./St. Paul (because of the lymph node), there could be adjacent mole tissue on the incision line or something they weren't as familiar with and sent it to Mayo for another opinion.
He said that Mayo has two pathology departments; one surgical and one dermopath. He wants to make sure that dermopathology is looking at it.
I'm glad you went to the eye doctor, I was told I need to do that too, and also get some kind of special dental exam. I had blistering from my autoimmune skin disease on the white part of my eye once and saw a very good specialist, so I am going to see if I can see her again for this.
I am waiting along with you for your news, I hope we are celebrating here by this time tomorrow!
Your J3P friend {{hugs}}
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- January 26, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Hi – I'm sorry I read it wrong, I got hung up on the why not take both. I sure hope you get your results tomorrow! I also hope your leg is feeling better today – some of the swelling at each end of my arm scar went down and it looks better, but there sure is a big dip in the middle. Is your leg super tender? Is it on your shin? I'm sorry if you've told me before, I can barely remember my name today. Did you get pain meds? They gave me vicodin, but even half a pill makes me nauseous. I can't take NSAIDs anymore, but I have this feeling that they would work the best.
The dermatologist had me come back in today to look at my palm. He said yes, a mole can appear overnight like that. He was going to biopsy it, and then changed his mind and said he wants to get my pathology sorted out first and then take it next week. He wants to watch the one on my foot because it (and the palm one) aren't looking like melanoma, but because they are in such odd places, he is concerned about them.
He doesn't know what is going on with my pathology. Worst case is that I have melanoma in-transit. He was going to be talking to Mayo as soon as I left the office, but said its going to take until next week before he has enough information to get back to me.
The way he explained it is that I had clear margins from the initial excision, and no satellites. Nothing should have shown up in the wide excision. He doesn't know why they were questioning the margins, but it's possible that because it was sent to "surgical" pathology here in Mpls./St. Paul (because of the lymph node), there could be adjacent mole tissue on the incision line or something they weren't as familiar with and sent it to Mayo for another opinion.
He said that Mayo has two pathology departments; one surgical and one dermopath. He wants to make sure that dermopathology is looking at it.
I'm glad you went to the eye doctor, I was told I need to do that too, and also get some kind of special dental exam. I had blistering from my autoimmune skin disease on the white part of my eye once and saw a very good specialist, so I am going to see if I can see her again for this.
I am waiting along with you for your news, I hope we are celebrating here by this time tomorrow!
Your J3P friend {{hugs}}
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- January 27, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Hi Paula –
Glad you made it to the dermatologist, and glad to hear he doesn't feel it's MEL. Also happy to hear your arm is feeling better. My leg, it's my inner thigh. It's in an annoying place, not quite on the back, not on the front, but I have to be careful when I sit….from what I saw, it is similar to yours I guess, like a dip in the middle. My surgeon did make a joke to get it in a more convenient place next time….hopefully, there is no next time. Where he took the Lymph looks great. Doesn't even look like there was an incision. I have the stiches that just vanish, which is nice. They gave me percocet, but, I really don't need it, except maybe for my nerves. I just got off the phone with the nurse about my FMLA form to go back to work. No mention of results, so my thought is I probably won't hear anything until Monday….unless something happens later today…..I will just try to keep busy, as I am sure you are too.
Talk soon
Kelli
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- January 27, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Ouch, that isn't a good spot, but hopefully once it's healed it won't bother you, can you sleep? I kind of have the opposite going on as my arm incision, although long, looks good, but it has stitches. They say my lymph nodes were in my arm pit, but they are really on the side of the breast and I can tell she had to go fishing as I'm bruised all over, and the incision doesn't look very good and I don't know how I'm going to wear a bra for a long time because the edge cuts right into the incision area. I get the stitches out of my arm on Monday, they drive me crazy because they poke through clothes and then it pulls.
I guess we have a few more hours for you to get good news today, and I will be hoping for that to happen. I am still nervous/upset about the margin questions from my bigger excision, I hope Mayo has their opinion sent to the surgeon by Monday.
I am going to try to keep busy too, shouldn't we be on vacation somewhere instead of hobbling around our houses? Hope your weekend is good Kelli! Love, Paula
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- January 27, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Ouch, that isn't a good spot, but hopefully once it's healed it won't bother you, can you sleep? I kind of have the opposite going on as my arm incision, although long, looks good, but it has stitches. They say my lymph nodes were in my arm pit, but they are really on the side of the breast and I can tell she had to go fishing as I'm bruised all over, and the incision doesn't look very good and I don't know how I'm going to wear a bra for a long time because the edge cuts right into the incision area. I get the stitches out of my arm on Monday, they drive me crazy because they poke through clothes and then it pulls.
I guess we have a few more hours for you to get good news today, and I will be hoping for that to happen. I am still nervous/upset about the margin questions from my bigger excision, I hope Mayo has their opinion sent to the surgeon by Monday.
I am going to try to keep busy too, shouldn't we be on vacation somewhere instead of hobbling around our houses? Hope your weekend is good Kelli! Love, Paula
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- January 27, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Ouch, that isn't a good spot, but hopefully once it's healed it won't bother you, can you sleep? I kind of have the opposite going on as my arm incision, although long, looks good, but it has stitches. They say my lymph nodes were in my arm pit, but they are really on the side of the breast and I can tell she had to go fishing as I'm bruised all over, and the incision doesn't look very good and I don't know how I'm going to wear a bra for a long time because the edge cuts right into the incision area. I get the stitches out of my arm on Monday, they drive me crazy because they poke through clothes and then it pulls.
I guess we have a few more hours for you to get good news today, and I will be hoping for that to happen. I am still nervous/upset about the margin questions from my bigger excision, I hope Mayo has their opinion sent to the surgeon by Monday.
I am going to try to keep busy too, shouldn't we be on vacation somewhere instead of hobbling around our houses? Hope your weekend is good Kelli! Love, Paula
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- January 28, 2012 at 2:25 am
I got great news, my dermatologist heard back from dermatopathology at Mayo late this afternoon and the questionable margin turned out to be the edge of a benign mole that got in the way of the scalpel. My wide excision tissue and lymph node are clear. I am so relieved! I will spend the weekend sending all my happy energy your way.
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- January 28, 2012 at 2:25 am
I got great news, my dermatologist heard back from dermatopathology at Mayo late this afternoon and the questionable margin turned out to be the edge of a benign mole that got in the way of the scalpel. My wide excision tissue and lymph node are clear. I am so relieved! I will spend the weekend sending all my happy energy your way.
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- January 31, 2012 at 1:04 am
Yeah!! That is good news J3P!! I got the call today as well, node is CLEAR!! Yeah!! I went to work today, waited until about 10a and then I called the office for two reasons, one to get my FMLA paperwork and two, did the results come in? I got voicemail, left a message and went to the gym (light workout…I mean, I have been plopped on my ass for a week). The nurse practitioner called back and left me a voicemail, "Kelli, was just going to call you….everything came back good, you are in the clear" Did she think I wouldn't call back? But as I posted somewhere else on here….she acted like it was no big deal, like normal standard….I don't know, I know they do a bunch of these cases, and many more serious, but I just feel like they brushed over it. I hope one day this disease doesn't take over my day like it does now. I was feeling good, and then I come here and read stories of people being Stage 1, clear nodes and then 5 years later MEL comes back with a vengance. I feel stupid for thinking like this, because I know there is nothing I can do if that's going to happen, but we have to make it a point not to dwell on the what if's……right? So we move on. You are good, I am good and we will just go with that! Thanks for all your support and let's make sure we keep in touch! XO Kelli
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- January 31, 2012 at 3:04 am
I am so happy to read this!!!
Such great news for both of us, it was the best news we could have received.
I have the same feelings as you about recurrance, but what can we do? We just need to be hyper-aware of any changes in our health and watch our original melanoma site very closely, as that is the most predictable place for it to come back.
There are so many things I wish I could change about how this all went down for me on the medical end, and I totally agree that your call should have been handled better. Sometimes I think that if a person is not in front of them, they don't exist and phone calling is just a PITA that takes time – I was also thinking that maybe they'd get info. out to us quicker if they could text it.
I am so happy I met you through this Kelli – I have an email that doesn't matter to me if it gets picked up by spam, so if you want to write anytime, send an email to paulapebl@gmail.com.
I will celebrate your news by going to the gym tonight. I was enjoying using surgery as an excuse not to go – that's great you went today! XO to you too J3K
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- January 31, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Hi There….thanks for the email and it has been utilized! Check your spam…..: )
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- January 31, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Hi There….thanks for the email and it has been utilized! Check your spam…..: )
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- January 31, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Hi There….thanks for the email and it has been utilized! Check your spam…..: )
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- January 31, 2012 at 3:04 am
I am so happy to read this!!!
Such great news for both of us, it was the best news we could have received.
I have the same feelings as you about recurrance, but what can we do? We just need to be hyper-aware of any changes in our health and watch our original melanoma site very closely, as that is the most predictable place for it to come back.
There are so many things I wish I could change about how this all went down for me on the medical end, and I totally agree that your call should have been handled better. Sometimes I think that if a person is not in front of them, they don't exist and phone calling is just a PITA that takes time – I was also thinking that maybe they'd get info. out to us quicker if they could text it.
I am so happy I met you through this Kelli – I have an email that doesn't matter to me if it gets picked up by spam, so if you want to write anytime, send an email to paulapebl@gmail.com.
I will celebrate your news by going to the gym tonight. I was enjoying using surgery as an excuse not to go – that's great you went today! XO to you too J3K
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- January 31, 2012 at 3:04 am
I am so happy to read this!!!
Such great news for both of us, it was the best news we could have received.
I have the same feelings as you about recurrance, but what can we do? We just need to be hyper-aware of any changes in our health and watch our original melanoma site very closely, as that is the most predictable place for it to come back.
There are so many things I wish I could change about how this all went down for me on the medical end, and I totally agree that your call should have been handled better. Sometimes I think that if a person is not in front of them, they don't exist and phone calling is just a PITA that takes time – I was also thinking that maybe they'd get info. out to us quicker if they could text it.
I am so happy I met you through this Kelli – I have an email that doesn't matter to me if it gets picked up by spam, so if you want to write anytime, send an email to paulapebl@gmail.com.
I will celebrate your news by going to the gym tonight. I was enjoying using surgery as an excuse not to go – that's great you went today! XO to you too J3K
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- January 31, 2012 at 1:04 am
Yeah!! That is good news J3P!! I got the call today as well, node is CLEAR!! Yeah!! I went to work today, waited until about 10a and then I called the office for two reasons, one to get my FMLA paperwork and two, did the results come in? I got voicemail, left a message and went to the gym (light workout…I mean, I have been plopped on my ass for a week). The nurse practitioner called back and left me a voicemail, "Kelli, was just going to call you….everything came back good, you are in the clear" Did she think I wouldn't call back? But as I posted somewhere else on here….she acted like it was no big deal, like normal standard….I don't know, I know they do a bunch of these cases, and many more serious, but I just feel like they brushed over it. I hope one day this disease doesn't take over my day like it does now. I was feeling good, and then I come here and read stories of people being Stage 1, clear nodes and then 5 years later MEL comes back with a vengance. I feel stupid for thinking like this, because I know there is nothing I can do if that's going to happen, but we have to make it a point not to dwell on the what if's……right? So we move on. You are good, I am good and we will just go with that! Thanks for all your support and let's make sure we keep in touch! XO Kelli
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- January 31, 2012 at 1:04 am
Yeah!! That is good news J3P!! I got the call today as well, node is CLEAR!! Yeah!! I went to work today, waited until about 10a and then I called the office for two reasons, one to get my FMLA paperwork and two, did the results come in? I got voicemail, left a message and went to the gym (light workout…I mean, I have been plopped on my ass for a week). The nurse practitioner called back and left me a voicemail, "Kelli, was just going to call you….everything came back good, you are in the clear" Did she think I wouldn't call back? But as I posted somewhere else on here….she acted like it was no big deal, like normal standard….I don't know, I know they do a bunch of these cases, and many more serious, but I just feel like they brushed over it. I hope one day this disease doesn't take over my day like it does now. I was feeling good, and then I come here and read stories of people being Stage 1, clear nodes and then 5 years later MEL comes back with a vengance. I feel stupid for thinking like this, because I know there is nothing I can do if that's going to happen, but we have to make it a point not to dwell on the what if's……right? So we move on. You are good, I am good and we will just go with that! Thanks for all your support and let's make sure we keep in touch! XO Kelli
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- January 28, 2012 at 2:25 am
I got great news, my dermatologist heard back from dermatopathology at Mayo late this afternoon and the questionable margin turned out to be the edge of a benign mole that got in the way of the scalpel. My wide excision tissue and lymph node are clear. I am so relieved! I will spend the weekend sending all my happy energy your way.
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- January 27, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Hi Paula –
Glad you made it to the dermatologist, and glad to hear he doesn't feel it's MEL. Also happy to hear your arm is feeling better. My leg, it's my inner thigh. It's in an annoying place, not quite on the back, not on the front, but I have to be careful when I sit….from what I saw, it is similar to yours I guess, like a dip in the middle. My surgeon did make a joke to get it in a more convenient place next time….hopefully, there is no next time. Where he took the Lymph looks great. Doesn't even look like there was an incision. I have the stiches that just vanish, which is nice. They gave me percocet, but, I really don't need it, except maybe for my nerves. I just got off the phone with the nurse about my FMLA form to go back to work. No mention of results, so my thought is I probably won't hear anything until Monday….unless something happens later today…..I will just try to keep busy, as I am sure you are too.
Talk soon
Kelli
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- January 27, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Hi Paula –
Glad you made it to the dermatologist, and glad to hear he doesn't feel it's MEL. Also happy to hear your arm is feeling better. My leg, it's my inner thigh. It's in an annoying place, not quite on the back, not on the front, but I have to be careful when I sit….from what I saw, it is similar to yours I guess, like a dip in the middle. My surgeon did make a joke to get it in a more convenient place next time….hopefully, there is no next time. Where he took the Lymph looks great. Doesn't even look like there was an incision. I have the stiches that just vanish, which is nice. They gave me percocet, but, I really don't need it, except maybe for my nerves. I just got off the phone with the nurse about my FMLA form to go back to work. No mention of results, so my thought is I probably won't hear anything until Monday….unless something happens later today…..I will just try to keep busy, as I am sure you are too.
Talk soon
Kelli
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- January 25, 2012 at 10:09 pm
So happy to hear from you Kelli! I'm glad you had them take both too, and even better that he wasn't concerned – it makes sense to me that two areas could light up, I'm sure different lymph areas take care of more than one section of a body. That's great about not having pain in the groin – I know your leg must really hurt because my arm does and it has a lot more "cushion" than a leg. I can't wait to get my stitches out, but I have to wait until Monday.
I am going a little crazy today, my husband said that they surgeon told him that she might have pathology results back on Monday – nobody told me that :/ So, I called the surgeon's office today and a nurse got my file and started reading through it. She said that the reason no one has called me is because they decided to send my excision tissue and the lymph node to Mayo Clinic pathology because they wanted another opinion from them, and the margins weren't wide enough on one side of my wide excision. Plus, since Mayo did the pathology on my original excision, they wanted them to compare the edge of the first with the edge of the second. Now, supposedly I had clear margins from the excision (first biopsy of the mole), but they weren't wide enough and that's why I needed the wide local excision surgery – now that isn't wide enough? That means to me that they must have found cancer cells in the newly removed tissue.
To top that off, the dermatologist did a full body check yesterday and found a mole on the sole of my foot. He's going to watch that, but I guess its uncommon. So, of course when I got home, I started looking at it and today it looks darker. Might be my imagination, but what isn't my imagination is that a mole literally appeared on the palm of my hand overnight (same arm as the melanoma site). I have been waiting for a call back from the dermatologist to see if he thinks I should come back in.
I hope you are taking it very easy. It will be reassuring to have the second opinion from Sloan Kettering, I wish I could go there too.
XO to you, hopefully I am being mental today for no good reason. Paula
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- January 25, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Hi Paula – How are you feeling?
I am home safe and sound, just praying that the results come back in my favor. Two nodes ‘lit’ up one in the groin, the other up in my pelvic area. I met with the surgeon prior to going in to surgery and he said, we are only taking the one, the other in your pelvic region would be the next one. My thought after all was said and done, was, he was going in anyway, why not just take both. But I hope it’s a good sign that he is not concerned, thinks I will be ok. I have no pain in the groin area, but the excision area hurts. I should hear something in the next 4/5 days. I will call his office Friday and then we will go from there. I have also scheduled an appointment with Sloan Kettering in Basking Ridge, more so for a second opinion. I want to be sure that whatever comes back from the SNB and next steps, is backed by Sloan. Hope all is well with you and the family…talk to you soon!
Kelli XO
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- January 21, 2012 at 8:26 pm
You're going to do great Kelli!
The questioning about heath-care directives and living wills is standard. I know it's unsettling to be asked – but they do it even if you go to the ER with a broken toe.
One thing that you might find is that they allow 3 hours for mapping the sentinel node, but it's probably not going to take more than an hour or so. They inject the stuff around where your mole was, and then they wait about 20 minutes. Then they take photos and you have to hold still for 10 minutes for each. They keep taking them until the sentinel lights up on the photo – it took 4 pictures for me. Since they are looking for it to show up in your groin, it will just be boring while that's going on – I had to have a very large panel about 1" from my nose because they were looking in my armpit/neck/chest. It was very claustrophobic to have that in my face, but I was more irritated than anything.
You will have me, my friends and family, and unknown people here praying for you and sending you positive thoughts, as well as everyone you have near you. Try to keep busy over the next few days – make lists of what needs to be done for the kids the rest of next week and what you need for food, etc., and let anyone who is willing to help do it. Also plan out where you are going to rest – if you have a high bed, its going to be hard to get in and out, so you might want to set up camp around a recliner if you have one. The day after surgery was the hardest for me (yesterday), today I am feeling much better.
Hugs from me!
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