› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Thin melanoma on very thin skin, increase chance of spreading?
- This topic has 12 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 11 months ago by
KnowThyself.
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- May 14, 2013 at 4:30 pm
Had the original biopsy, full excision, wide excision with 'margins' is scheduled for the end of this month…..It was on the rim of my ear…that skin is so thin anyway, (and not much left since they keep cutting and stretching!) is there a chance it could have gotten into my cartilage?…. also, they havent mentioned SLNB… should I ask? It is diagnosed at level 2 stage t1A, but they dont have details like exact thickness, or mitotic rate, which I understand are important factors…
Had the original biopsy, full excision, wide excision with 'margins' is scheduled for the end of this month…..It was on the rim of my ear…that skin is so thin anyway, (and not much left since they keep cutting and stretching!) is there a chance it could have gotten into my cartilage?…. also, they havent mentioned SLNB… should I ask? It is diagnosed at level 2 stage t1A, but they dont have details like exact thickness, or mitotic rate, which I understand are important factors… My doc is only an ear/nose/throat doc upstairs from my primary physician, and he hasnt refered me elsewhere, even with this upcoming surgery with margins… He insists on doing it… I dont want to question his knowledge, but I am worried that he's either not going to get all of it this time either, OR that it has already spread to nodes in my neck (one of my nodes was swollen, he felt it, said it wasnt swollen ENOUGH to be worried.. I dont know what to do 🙁 🙁 🙁
- Replies
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- May 14, 2013 at 5:04 pm
It sounds to me like you know exactly what you should do; you're only looking for validation, right?
1. "…but they don't have details like exact thickness, or mitotic rate…" So you know that you need to ask for a copy of the pathology report, right? Good. Do that immediately.
2. "My doc is only an ear/nose/throat doc upstairs…" So you know that with a diagnosis of melanoma, you should switch from an ENT to a dermatologist very experienced with melanoma, right? So do that immediately.
Stop worrying about hurting anyone's feelilngs. When you're dealing with melanoma, you MUST be your own best health advocate. Clearly, you are researching and thinking things through. Excellent! From now on, get copies of ALL reports and images to keep for yourself and TRUST yourself when your gut reaction is "something's not quite right here". If you do those 2 things, you will probably be just fine.
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- May 14, 2013 at 5:04 pm
It sounds to me like you know exactly what you should do; you're only looking for validation, right?
1. "…but they don't have details like exact thickness, or mitotic rate…" So you know that you need to ask for a copy of the pathology report, right? Good. Do that immediately.
2. "My doc is only an ear/nose/throat doc upstairs…" So you know that with a diagnosis of melanoma, you should switch from an ENT to a dermatologist very experienced with melanoma, right? So do that immediately.
Stop worrying about hurting anyone's feelilngs. When you're dealing with melanoma, you MUST be your own best health advocate. Clearly, you are researching and thinking things through. Excellent! From now on, get copies of ALL reports and images to keep for yourself and TRUST yourself when your gut reaction is "something's not quite right here". If you do those 2 things, you will probably be just fine.
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- May 14, 2013 at 5:04 pm
It sounds to me like you know exactly what you should do; you're only looking for validation, right?
1. "…but they don't have details like exact thickness, or mitotic rate…" So you know that you need to ask for a copy of the pathology report, right? Good. Do that immediately.
2. "My doc is only an ear/nose/throat doc upstairs…" So you know that with a diagnosis of melanoma, you should switch from an ENT to a dermatologist very experienced with melanoma, right? So do that immediately.
Stop worrying about hurting anyone's feelilngs. When you're dealing with melanoma, you MUST be your own best health advocate. Clearly, you are researching and thinking things through. Excellent! From now on, get copies of ALL reports and images to keep for yourself and TRUST yourself when your gut reaction is "something's not quite right here". If you do those 2 things, you will probably be just fine.
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- May 14, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Stage IA doesn't require a SLNB, and your swollen lymph node is probably the result of the biopsy. Any trauma can easily do that including a biopsy. THis is LOW RISK. Just ask for a copy of your pathology report to get the depth. Mitosis has to be < 1 to be stage IA by definition so all you are missing is the depth. Just call and ask for the depth and get a copy of the report when convenient. Truthfully, the ENT probably knows ears best and if he's a surgeon, will likely give you the best result. ASK how many reconstructive surgeries he does so you feel good about it!!! But despite your worries, it sounds like things are being handled according to the standard of care for a stage IA lesion.
Best wishes,
Janner
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- May 14, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Stage IA doesn't require a SLNB, and your swollen lymph node is probably the result of the biopsy. Any trauma can easily do that including a biopsy. THis is LOW RISK. Just ask for a copy of your pathology report to get the depth. Mitosis has to be < 1 to be stage IA by definition so all you are missing is the depth. Just call and ask for the depth and get a copy of the report when convenient. Truthfully, the ENT probably knows ears best and if he's a surgeon, will likely give you the best result. ASK how many reconstructive surgeries he does so you feel good about it!!! But despite your worries, it sounds like things are being handled according to the standard of care for a stage IA lesion.
Best wishes,
Janner
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- May 14, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Stage IA doesn't require a SLNB, and your swollen lymph node is probably the result of the biopsy. Any trauma can easily do that including a biopsy. THis is LOW RISK. Just ask for a copy of your pathology report to get the depth. Mitosis has to be < 1 to be stage IA by definition so all you are missing is the depth. Just call and ask for the depth and get a copy of the report when convenient. Truthfully, the ENT probably knows ears best and if he's a surgeon, will likely give you the best result. ASK how many reconstructive surgeries he does so you feel good about it!!! But despite your worries, it sounds like things are being handled according to the standard of care for a stage IA lesion.
Best wishes,
Janner
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- May 14, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Wow, thank you all for your excellent advice and reassurance!! Yes, I will definitely be getting a copy of my report, and where this is such a low risk thing, I'll probably just go ahead and let him do this surgery and if there are any problems going forward, I'll definitely switch to a melanoma specialist. Good to know that I shouldn't be worried about a SLNB, it doesnt sound pleasant anyway, but the more I can rule out, the better… I suppose now it's just a wait and see thing…. Thank you all so much, I do appreciate your kind words, and I wish you all the best in your own journeys as well… Take care.
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- May 14, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Wow, thank you all for your excellent advice and reassurance!! Yes, I will definitely be getting a copy of my report, and where this is such a low risk thing, I'll probably just go ahead and let him do this surgery and if there are any problems going forward, I'll definitely switch to a melanoma specialist. Good to know that I shouldn't be worried about a SLNB, it doesnt sound pleasant anyway, but the more I can rule out, the better… I suppose now it's just a wait and see thing…. Thank you all so much, I do appreciate your kind words, and I wish you all the best in your own journeys as well… Take care.
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- May 14, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Wow, thank you all for your excellent advice and reassurance!! Yes, I will definitely be getting a copy of my report, and where this is such a low risk thing, I'll probably just go ahead and let him do this surgery and if there are any problems going forward, I'll definitely switch to a melanoma specialist. Good to know that I shouldn't be worried about a SLNB, it doesnt sound pleasant anyway, but the more I can rule out, the better… I suppose now it's just a wait and see thing…. Thank you all so much, I do appreciate your kind words, and I wish you all the best in your own journeys as well… Take care.
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