› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Just Diagnosed and Not Sure What To Do
- This topic has 18 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 3 months ago by killmel.
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- August 9, 2013 at 4:11 am
I was just diagnosed this week with possible Stage 1a melanoma. It might be in situ, but they could not rule out invasion due to nests and a bunch of inflammatory cells. Whatever that means, I have no idea. I have a surgery scheduled next week to remove surrounding tissue from the site and then they say that I will have skin checks at 3 months. I cannot help but think that there is something else that I should be doing or looking into. They mentioned an eye exam, which I will do.
I was just diagnosed this week with possible Stage 1a melanoma. It might be in situ, but they could not rule out invasion due to nests and a bunch of inflammatory cells. Whatever that means, I have no idea. I have a surgery scheduled next week to remove surrounding tissue from the site and then they say that I will have skin checks at 3 months. I cannot help but think that there is something else that I should be doing or looking into. They mentioned an eye exam, which I will do. I also plan to see my naturopathic doctor to help make sure my immune system is in top shape and any deficiencies in nutrients can be corrected. I just do not want this to come back. I am thankful it is still early, but I also have a 6, 4, and a 2 year old that I want to stay healthy for.
Anything else that I should be doing or requesting at this point? I do not want to always be worrying that this cancer is heading somewhere in my body to rear its ugly head in a few years. The doctors seem to think that getting this cut out will solve it and I will not have future problems. Should I get a second opinion on the lab results?
Please help!
- Replies
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- August 9, 2013 at 5:06 am
Hi!
In Situ carries a 95% cure rate so lets hope that is the case. Either way the advice is the same:
1. find a melanoma specialist, not just an oncologist, all cancers aren't the same.
2. Be vilagent in protecting your skin from sun damage going forward and do'nt skip any of your 3 month checkups.
I wish you the best!
Jeff
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- August 9, 2013 at 5:06 am
Hi!
In Situ carries a 95% cure rate so lets hope that is the case. Either way the advice is the same:
1. find a melanoma specialist, not just an oncologist, all cancers aren't the same.
2. Be vilagent in protecting your skin from sun damage going forward and do'nt skip any of your 3 month checkups.
I wish you the best!
Jeff
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- August 9, 2013 at 5:06 am
Hi!
In Situ carries a 95% cure rate so lets hope that is the case. Either way the advice is the same:
1. find a melanoma specialist, not just an oncologist, all cancers aren't the same.
2. Be vilagent in protecting your skin from sun damage going forward and do'nt skip any of your 3 month checkups.
I wish you the best!
Jeff
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- August 9, 2013 at 11:49 am
A Wide Local Excision (WLE) is all you need and you are already scheduled for that. You do not need a sentinal node biopsy or an oncologist. If you want to be super cautious, you could ask that a dermatopahtologist read your slides and give you a second opinion on the path report.
Be thankful that you found this early. Don't obsess about it– just consider it a wake-up call. Protect your skin from the sun, be vigilant to check for new or changing moles, and enjoy your life.
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- August 9, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Hello,
You found it early and that is good. The only thing I wanted to say above what POW said is check all moles vigilantly for changes in color or shape because melanoma can show up where the sun does not shine.
The greatest number of people on this site are stage III or stage IV and some of the things you read here might scare you when you read them but they are very informative and up on the latest drugs, tests or whatever and can help you a lot with answers should you need this type of information.
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- August 9, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Hello,
You found it early and that is good. The only thing I wanted to say above what POW said is check all moles vigilantly for changes in color or shape because melanoma can show up where the sun does not shine.
The greatest number of people on this site are stage III or stage IV and some of the things you read here might scare you when you read them but they are very informative and up on the latest drugs, tests or whatever and can help you a lot with answers should you need this type of information.
-
- August 9, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Hello,
You found it early and that is good. The only thing I wanted to say above what POW said is check all moles vigilantly for changes in color or shape because melanoma can show up where the sun does not shine.
The greatest number of people on this site are stage III or stage IV and some of the things you read here might scare you when you read them but they are very informative and up on the latest drugs, tests or whatever and can help you a lot with answers should you need this type of information.
-
- August 9, 2013 at 11:49 am
A Wide Local Excision (WLE) is all you need and you are already scheduled for that. You do not need a sentinal node biopsy or an oncologist. If you want to be super cautious, you could ask that a dermatopahtologist read your slides and give you a second opinion on the path report.
Be thankful that you found this early. Don't obsess about it– just consider it a wake-up call. Protect your skin from the sun, be vigilant to check for new or changing moles, and enjoy your life.
-
- August 9, 2013 at 11:49 am
A Wide Local Excision (WLE) is all you need and you are already scheduled for that. You do not need a sentinal node biopsy or an oncologist. If you want to be super cautious, you could ask that a dermatopahtologist read your slides and give you a second opinion on the path report.
Be thankful that you found this early. Don't obsess about it– just consider it a wake-up call. Protect your skin from the sun, be vigilant to check for new or changing moles, and enjoy your life.
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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