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Pregnant and Concerned
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Pregnant and Concerned

› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Pregnant and Concerned

  • Post
    • February 27, 2019 at 1:28 pm
    worriedwendi
    Participant
      Hello all. I hope I’m posting this in the correct place. Last week I went to the dermatologist to get some moles checked – one in particular was concerning to me because I seem to have developed it last March after I got a bad sunburn, and I noticed it was becoming dry. She said it didn’t look concerning but would biopsy it anyway for my peace of mind. She ended up doing a shave biopsy and sent it off to the lab.

      Yesterday I got a call with the results. They said (I hope I’m saying this correctly) that it is severely atypical with high melanoma potential,and it is a compound nevus. She said they want to take more out of the area after my baby is born (I’m 27 weeks). She did ensure me that it’s not cancerous yet.

      Here are my questions…
      1. I understand they have to wait until after I give birth because the numbing stuff they use has epinephrine and that’s not good for the baby. But, I kind of feel like a ticking time bomb because I’m letting the potentially dangerous area sit for 13 weeks. Has anybody been in this situation and are there any alternatives for me to get the area cleared out sooner? Im worried it will turn into melanoma if I wait.

      2. She did a shave biopsy on me and I know that’s not the best option. Could it actually be worse than they think but didn’t catch it because they just shaved it?

      3. She did a full body check on me but seemed pretty nonchalant about it all and I had to insist she do a biopsy on my mole. I have a few other areas I’m concerned about that she said were fine. Should I get a 2nd opinion?

      Thank you for your time and I’m so sorry for the ridiculously long post!

    Viewing 3 reply threads
    • Replies
        • February 27, 2019 at 5:50 pm
        aldrichdesigner
        Participant
          Wendi,

          I’ve been stage 4 for almost 2 years now and dealing with Mel for 10, and let me tell you what. This Bitch don’t play, so if you have any chances of getting out in front of this then you should. The shave biopsy should have been enough to detect Mel. If not then they need to just go in and do a WLE on the thing.

          Please believe me when I say this is bad bad idea to ignore. Get a second opinion, they should be able to WLE with only local anastetic. You do not want to give a malignant mole 9 full months to spread further throughout your body and cause irreparable damage. My melanoma has spread past the point of return and modern treatment so now I just sit back and wait knowing it could be any day.

          Good luck in whatever you decide.

          • February 27, 2019 at 8:54 pm
          Edwin
          Participant

            Since your tissue was not cancer, you can wait.   To be sure you could ask to have your tissue sent for a second opinion.   In 2008 my mole was sent to the Mayo Clinic for a second option.   I have stage 4 melanoma; I waited too long to have that mole checked.   However, I don’t worry when my dermatologist finds skin cancers that are not melanoma.

            • February 28, 2019 at 2:03 am
            AshleyS
            Participant

              Hi Wendi,

              Congrats on your pregnancy! I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Let me share my story with you (as quickly as possible.)

              Six months after my first child’s birth, I had a mole removed. I had watched it for way too long and it ended up being Stage 1b Melanoma. After getting varying opinions, we decided to try for a second child. (It took 3 years for our first.)  I was 20 weeks pregnant when I found a lump in my groin. It was advanced staged melanoma. After my son was born, we found out the cancer had metastasized to my liver, spine, lungs, and lots of subcutaneous spots throughout my body. Luckily, a (then) immunotherapy trial, Opdivo/Yervoy, saved my life. My son is now four years, three months old and my daughter is six.

              I’m not telling you my story to scare you – my journey is probably the far end of the spectrum. However, I would get a second opinion. Melanoma spreads fast and my doctors at MD Anderson believe pregnancy speeds up the spreading of it. In addition, it’s relatively safe to have surgery during pregnancy. I had a complete lymph node dissection with my son. 

              Please feel free to reach out if you have further questions or want to talk. In addition, Hope for Two is an incredible resource for those who are pregnant and find out they have cancer. 

              Sincerely,

              Ashley

              • March 6, 2019 at 1:22 am
              worriedwendi
              Participant
                Thank you all so much for your comments and advice. Just an update: I went back to the doctor today and she went ahead and scheduled an excision of the area in 2 weeks, as long as they get my obgyn’s approval beforehand. I also had her remove two other suspicious looking moles and I should get the biopsy results back in a few days. She actually said she was glad I bugged her about the first mole she removed because she didn’t think much of it and it turned out to be severely atypical.

                I just wanted to thank you all again for your time and I’m sorry you have to deal with this horrible disease. I’ve read around on this board and you all are some of the strongest, most inspiring people! If I do end up being diagnosed with melanoma, at least I know there is a kind online community that I can turn to.

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