2atlascedars

I believe your doctor’s plan does not follow the latest standard of care.
1) the biopsy must only remove the lesion (critical for later procedures needed if malignancy is found in order to determine stage of cancer)
2) If the biopsy comes back positive for melanoma, more tissue will need to be excised (larger margins for deeper lesions) but only after SNB is complete
3) SNB (Sentinel Node Biopsy) is needed if lesion is deeper than 1 mm (as indicated on initial biopsy results)

If your doctor is allowed to do the excision as you describe and the biopsy comes back positive for melanoma more than 1 mm deep, the SNB that is needed next won’t be accurate, and this could throw off your staging…possibly leading to a mis-diagnosis…which could put your life in jeopardy.

I strongly recommend getting a second opinion. Find another doctor who can see you immediately and stress to the person making the appointment that you will need an excisional biopsy performed in THIS visit.

Best regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

I believe your doctor’s plan does not follow the latest standard of care.
1) the biopsy must only remove the lesion (critical for later procedures needed if malignancy is found in order to determine stage of cancer)
2) If the biopsy comes back positive for melanoma, more tissue will need to be excised (larger margins for deeper lesions) but only after SNB is complete
3) SNB (Sentinel Node Biopsy) is needed if lesion is deeper than 1 mm (as indicated on initial biopsy results)

If your doctor is allowed to do the excision as you describe and the biopsy comes back positive for melanoma more than 1 mm deep, the SNB that is needed next won’t be accurate, and this could throw off your staging…possibly leading to a mis-diagnosis…which could put your life in jeopardy.

I strongly recommend getting a second opinion. Find another doctor who can see you immediately and stress to the person making the appointment that you will need an excisional biopsy performed in THIS visit.

Best regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

Congrats!! That is such a promising start. I am so glad you were able to get to your appointment so you could get this fantastic news.

I loved the original “triple smile”…it is certainly justified right now.

BTW…be sure to keep some earplugs with you when traveiing. I travel a lot and have found PA systems and cleaning crews can cause an airport to be very noisy throughout the night. They can help you get the sleep needed to keep your immune system up and running.

Best regards,
Mark from California

Congrats!! That is such a promising start. I am so glad you were able to get to your appointment so you could get this fantastic news.

I loved the original “triple smile”…it is certainly justified right now.

BTW…be sure to keep some earplugs with you when traveiing. I travel a lot and have found PA systems and cleaning crews can cause an airport to be very noisy throughout the night. They can help you get the sleep needed to keep your immune system up and running.

Best regards,
Mark from California

Damn Chet…I am so sorry this dreaded disease has gotten a hold of you. I hope your treatments are successful at ridding it from your body and you can get on with having a long, happy, healthy, and productive life.

Keep us posted on your progress, and stay positive. I will be hoping and praying for you.

YOU WILL BEAT THIS!

Regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

Damn Chet…I am so sorry this dreaded disease has gotten a hold of you. I hope your treatments are successful at ridding it from your body and you can get on with having a long, happy, healthy, and productive life.

Keep us posted on your progress, and stay positive. I will be hoping and praying for you.

YOU WILL BEAT THIS!

Regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

Hi Jerry,

I am so very happy to hear your good news. I hope this is a trend that will continue for you all year long.

I want to thank you again for your advice and support in the depths my darkest hours.

I wish you all the best of health and happiness in this new year and onward indefinitely.

Regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

Hi Jerry,

I am so very happy to hear your good news. I hope this is a trend that will continue for you all year long.

I want to thank you again for your advice and support in the depths my darkest hours.

I wish you all the best of health and happiness in this new year and onward indefinitely.

Regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

Hi Vivian,

I went through a WLE and SNB over the same time-period as your recent event and have been the recipient of over 24 inches of brand new scars. These scars have all itches while healing, and many are itching as I am writing this…including my skin graft donor site which had no melanoma involvement what-so-ever. Further, I have been told by doctors and nurses that itching is a normal part of the healing process, and as such is actually a GOOD sign. I have even been asked by a physical therapist if a scar was itching, as a measure of whether it was healing or not.

I can’t comment on the appendix, but that does seem like an odd coincidence.

Best regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

Hi Vivian,

I went through a WLE and SNB over the same time-period as your recent event and have been the recipient of over 24 inches of brand new scars. These scars have all itches while healing, and many are itching as I am writing this…including my skin graft donor site which had no melanoma involvement what-so-ever. Further, I have been told by doctors and nurses that itching is a normal part of the healing process, and as such is actually a GOOD sign. I have even been asked by a physical therapist if a scar was itching, as a measure of whether it was healing or not.

I can’t comment on the appendix, but that does seem like an odd coincidence.

Best regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

Hi Lynnluc,

I had never heard that melanoma cell slough off millions of cells per day. Could you indicate the source of this fact, or do you recall where you heard this? It seems like a rather alarming fact, but let’s be sure it is true. It is vital that we on this board be tranferring fact-based information to each other and the world.

Thank you

Hi Lynnluc,

I had never heard that melanoma cell slough off millions of cells per day. Could you indicate the source of this fact, or do you recall where you heard this? It seems like a rather alarming fact, but let’s be sure it is true. It is vital that we on this board be tranferring fact-based information to each other and the world.

Thank you

Dian,

CONGRATULATIONS! This is such great news. I couldn’t be happier for you.

Thank you setting such a strong and inspirational example for all of us dealing with this dreaded disease. Your chronicle is one of legend. You are the model of how we must advocate for our own care and remain vigilant in looking for signs of trouble.

VIVA DIAN…may you experience immeasurable joy and satisfaction as you celebrate this victory!

Regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

Dian,

CONGRATULATIONS! This is such great news. I couldn’t be happier for you.

Thank you setting such a strong and inspirational example for all of us dealing with this dreaded disease. Your chronicle is one of legend. You are the model of how we must advocate for our own care and remain vigilant in looking for signs of trouble.

VIVA DIAN…may you experience immeasurable joy and satisfaction as you celebrate this victory!

Regards,
Mark (Stage 2A) from California

Hi Solodad,

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but you are doing the right thing seeking out others to help you through these difficult times. Like you, I didn’t have much support from my initial dianosis until my SNB results came back. They were negative (thank God)…but those days of waiting were 33 of the worst days I have ever endured. I made the personal decision not to tell friends or family until I knew what I was dealing with, to avoid having them suffer as i was suffering…fearing the worst. I got thru it with the help of this site. Here you will be able to ask questions and get very helpful and insightful answers. Also, you can see all that people have been through and are still fighting like hell. The stories don’t always end well, but that just serves to put what you personally are dealing with in perspective. 

Best of all, you can read the profiles, and even search for key terms to find people who are in similar circumstances. Seeing their profile, posts, and comments is as comforting as it is educational. At this point, the best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to educate yourself. Aside from early detection, education is the single most critical thing we can do to advocate for our own care…for our very lives. 

It can also be very therapeutic to give back something to this site by sharing your personal knowledge or experience with others. For instance, your diet regimen is quite impressive. Perhaps you could begin by offering tips on how to get this started. For me, I am a young, single guy whose idea of cooking doesn’t extend too far beyond a microwave oven. I know I should make major changes to my diet and food preparation, but the challenge of this just seems quite insurmountable to me. I don’t even know where to begin to find all of these new exotic ingredients, let alone figure out how to prepare them.
 
By the way…you are not alone. Over 60,000 Americans receive this diagnosis every year. Thankfully, most turn out to be stage 1 or 2, but that still leave a lot of people for whom you have something in common, and who could potentially learn something helpful from you.

Best regards, 
Mark (Stage 2A) from California