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“lit up ” inguinal nodes with sentinel node bx
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“lit up ” inguinal nodes with sentinel node bx

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › “lit up ” inguinal nodes with sentinel node bx

  • Post
    • January 16, 2018 at 3:05 am
    dessie
    Participant

      Hello,

      Im new to all this and was dx on a Friday Jan 5,2018 with a phone call at noon whlie at work with spreading melanoma.  I never expected this dx, it was only Breslow1.4 mm deep with miotic rate 5/mm2  .nonulcerated but bled.

       i am not derm savy but know when i need to send patients to a derm.  I am a nurse practitioner who consoles, refers patients to derm, surgeon, or oncologist as i am in primary care.  I am now on the receiving  end of GETTING any diseases much less melanoma.  Shocked felt totally taken off guard, and totally dumbfounded.  Number one, ,i never give news such as cancer over the phone much less on a Friday afternoon.  I ask patients to come in so they can get as many questions answered referrals made and options provided to them face to face,but this i think is just style not wrong nor right just how each provider approaches the disease state of a patient, but i digress…

      Today again i was on the "other end" of going to nuclear medicine for lymphatic mapping and then onto surgery for sentinel biopsy,  So keeping the faith, i awoke with optimism of the outcome.  I was disappointed to discover that he also took the right inguinal nodes. (something he told e he would bx any "lit up or hot nodes")  This of course does not mean that the melanoma had spread ( i tell myself intellectually) but knowing what this could indicate.

      My surgeon will call me the results probably Thursday Jan 18 with what i hope is good news.  I am scared but hopeful and finding this forum will be a great sharing experience and inspiration for me.

      Thx for all being here….

      Dessie

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    • Replies
        • January 16, 2018 at 3:31 am
        MichelleRHG
        Participant
          Everybody here will tell you to see a melanoma specialist, not a general oncologist. One who only treats melanoma. Some patients here travel quite a distance to do this. Good luck to you.
            • January 17, 2018 at 11:20 am
            dessie
            Participant

              thank you MichelleRHG,  I plan to get a melanoma specialist for sure.  And thanks for the words of encouragement.

              D

            • January 16, 2018 at 3:48 am
            Janner
            Participant

              Over the phone is common, and in most cases welcome.  If it means getting the news on the phone NOW versus having to wait a few more days to get an appointment, give it to me NOW.  And a Friday is much better than having to wait until Monday or later when an appointment is available.  Waiting is by far the hardest part of this whole business.

              Good luck on the SLNB – hopefully that is negative!

               

                • January 17, 2018 at 11:24 am
                dessie
                Participant

                  Yes I don understand the urgency of "getting the results", especially now, being on the "other end".  I guess I was taken back that it would be done on a Friday afternoon when nothing could be set up as the weekend was upon us.  I will however, re visit giving messages of a cancer earlier and if over the phone is warrented , I will definitely re think this. 

                  And yes waiting is def the hardest !!  My prayers and hopes are that this will al be negative.  I will keep you posted .

                  Thanks for the encouragement and looking at this from another angle.

                  D 

                  • January 20, 2018 at 5:28 am
                  CancerSpouse
                  Participant

                    Hi Dessie,

                    My husband found out when his surgeon called him to tell him that the lipoma he removed from the back of his neck was not a lipoma — but melanoma. He told my husband that he normally doesn't like giving information like that over the phone, but that he didn't want to wait to set up an appointment, since nothing was scheduled post-op. The message to us was that melanoma is serious and you need to jump on it immediately. Nothing since that day has contradicted that observation. I wish you the best of luck, Carol

                    • January 20, 2018 at 11:54 am
                    dessie
                    Participant

                      Hey Carol,

                       I guess I need to clarify my comments… I do not withhold any treatment consults etc because of not being able to reach the patient by phone or not normally "telling " patient s over the phone.   Treatment and further consults are never delayed.  I just don't like giving such devastating news over the phone but in this situaltion , it was imperative  to relay the message to me. I should not have been initially so hard on her decision as in retrospect , she was right in telling me over the phone..  

                       In my 17 years of medicine, I have never  had to give out a positive melanoma diagnosis (but i dont bx patients) so maybe the "news" to me personally, was so unexpected, my first gut reaction was "how could she give me this news over the phone".  and worse my first respone  was "do I have coverage to take that time off".  

                      I will continue to expedite any news  and maybe "over the phone" isnt as insensitive as I had always thought. 

                      Thank you for your information and much luck to your husband.  

                      ps

                      My bx report now won't be ready till Mond or Tues as I just heard from the surgeon that they had to send the specimen out … so … I wait and  should  hear next week.   and yes, Im sure over the phone…..

                      D

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