I had a stage 2A (Acral Lentiginous) Melanoma 7 years ago. It was pretty serious…involving a SLNB and WLE with a 2 cm margin that required reconstruction of my heel with a vascularized full-thickness skin graft.
After my initial treatment, I had check ups every 3 months for the first 3 years, and have since had twice per year check-ups. At all of these visits, my doctor has checked my lymph nodes by palpating and feeling for swelling. They also look me over very thoroughly and ask if I have noticed anything new pop-up. I am told that I will need to continue these check-ups twice per year for the rest of my life. When I have asked them…"what would a recurrence look like?…they usually say…"a hard lump under the skin."
Fortunately, my skin graft outcome was fantastic. Very few people ever notice that there is anything unusual about my foot, and I have no restrictions of limitations. I am able to do everything that I could do before my diagnosis.
Many Stage 2 patients ask if they can receive proactive CT or PET scans, but doctors generally will not order them for you routinely. However, if you ever present with symptoms they will authorize them for you. In my case, I actually began having a persistent headache a couple of years after my initial treatment, which lasted more than a month. At my next 3-month appointment, I told them about it and they ordered a CT scan of my brain. Thankfully the results were negative…meaning they found everything to be normal. The final diagnosis was that my eyesight was slipping (due to normal aging) and I needed to get prescription eye glasses. The headaches were believed to be due to eye fatigue.
At this point, the best thing you can do is to be vigilant in looking for any signs of new or spreading melanoma, along with avoiding all of the risk factors for skin cancer (limit sun exposure and no tanning beds, use sunscreen, take Vitamin D supplements, etc.).
In addition to the above, I occasionally take an herbal supplement called Turmeric (500 mg capsule). Turmeric is widely believed to be a way to fight cancer by supporting a healthy inflammatory response and providing a powerful antioxidant. I also prepare a daily breakfast smoothie that is loaded with antioxidants from all-natural foods that promote good health (blueberries, bananas, flax seed oil, avocado, & yogurt).
I hope this helps!
Best regards,
Mark 2A
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