Amanda

Hi luckymm,

I completely understand. I was honestly an absolute mess waiting to talk to the surgeon. Once I met with him and had a plan for the WLE I felt better and hope it will be the same for you. My pathology report for the shave biopsy showed .6 Breslow thickness, Clark level 111, no ulceration and vascular invasion not identified. Please keep us updated as I know many of us will be thinking of you and sending prayers and good thoughts your way.

Amanda

Hi, I’m so sorry you’re going through this! I know how unbelievably scary it is and especially while being pregnant. I’m so glad you reached out to this forum as when I did that last month it truly made the biggest difference in how I felt. I have learned so much in this short time and most importantly that melanoma is highly treatable even at later stages. If you haven’t already I highly recommend looking at AIM Melanoma’s website as they have a wonderful peer support network and can match you with another mother who has been through the same experience. That has also helped me tremendously. I also saw you asked about the stages and how it relates to the thickness of the melanoma. I’m still learning more about this but in my case my surgeon said I have stage 1a because it had clear margins and they don’t believe it went to the lymph nodes. I actually was thinking it would be good to do the sentinel node biopsy but the surgeon said there was a 1% chance of it having spread but a 15% chance of infection if I had that done. I’m not sure if that’s what the standard practice is though. I just want you to know I’m thinking of you and praying all goes well as you navigate the next steps. Someone on this forum told me to try to stay in the moment and enjoy your little one and your pregnancy as much as possible. I know the fear makes it super hard and it’s been quite a challenge but just reading that was what I needed. Please let us know how you’re doing.

Hugs to you,
Amanda

Hi Ted,

I wanted to say hi and thank you again for giving me so much encouragement and hope when I first made my forum post what feels like a lifetime ago. I really held on to your kind words these past months and again just wanted to say a very big thank you. I had a WLE and just got the results this week and am stage 1a so very thankful. I greatly appreciate you and this whole forum. Hope you’re doing well!

Sincerely,
Amanda

Hi Ted,

Thank you so much for letting me know and for your kind encouragement. I went to get a second opinion this morning and this dermatologist said I should not be waiting for this CASTLE testing to come back and need to get it out now so hopefully that will happen soon. I’m trying to stay in the moment but it’s certainly the most challenging time of my life. Thank you again for your support!

Amanda

Thank you so much for sharing this with me! I hope your husband is doing well. I am feeling so thankful as I got my results back from my WLE and am stage 1a. It has definitely been a scary couple months as I know you know first hand from your cancer scare and what your husband has experienced. I’m still trying so hard to stay in each moment with my little ones and not worry about the future. I do want to learn all I can about this disease and be vigilant as I go forward with suncare and 3 month checks. I’m going to attend a melanoma clinic that is close to where I live just to be as educated and informed as possible. Thank you so much for responding to my post. It helps so much to hear from people who understand.

Sincerely,
Amanda

Hi Jess,

Thank you so much for responding and for sharing your story. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to respond. I had my WLE last week and am anxiously awaiting the results. I’m so sorry you’re going through this especially as a mommy to little ones. I hope your treatment is successful with minimal side effects. One thing I’ve been so encouraged by is hearing the stories of moms who have gone through treatment and are NED (I think that’s the term used). I know how terrifying it is to face this while looking at your precious babies. I’m so sorry to hear what happened to your son. No one should ever have to experience that. I’m so glad you’re able to have them home with you now but I know that comes with challenges as you need to take care of you too. I hope you have lots of support to help in this time. Please keep me updated on how you’re doing if you don’t mind. I’ll do the same. It’s so comforting knowing there’s someone who gets it and to be able to cry together at times. I’m sending you lots of good thoughts and will pray your treatment goes very well. I hope to hear from you soon!

Sending hugs,
Amanda

Hi Johanna,

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. It provides me with such hope. I’m so happy to learn about how far you’ve come from that initial time of what must have been such immense fear especially as a mommy to two little ones. I feel so overwhelmed at moments that I just don’t know how I can manage but going back to messages like yours gives me strength. Thank you again!

Amanda

Hi Lindsay,

Thank you so much for your response. It sounds like you’re doing well and I’d be so grateful to know how you handle the anxiety and stress while staying present for your children. I just feel sick with anxiety constantly and I know this is just the beginning as I haven’t even had surgery yet. Thank you so very much for your prayers!

Amanda

Hi Ashley,

Thank you so much for reaching out to me and sharing your story. I am so thankful to learn how well you’re doing and greatly appreciate your encouragement to stay in the moment. Your story reminds me of mine in that my baby is 9 months old and I’m just starting this new journey. I went to get a second opinion today and was scared to learn that this dermatologist didn’t agree with the first one in waiting for a genetic risk assessment. I wish I had gone to this dermatologist first and wasn’t waiting for the WLE. Hopefully this new referral will be quick and I’ll get scheduled. I’m also waiting to hear back from MD Anderson as I saw there is an oncologist there who specializes in how pregnancy may affect melanoma. I’m just an emotional mess overall but when I read your story I felt such support and want to thank you again for sharing this with me. I hope to talk with you more soon.

Amanda

Hi Ted,

Thank you so much for your response. The dermatologist said I would likely have a WLE but not yet sure if it will include lymph nodes. She ordered a CASTLE genetic test to see what my risk class is so she’s going to wait to schedule the WLE and maybe lymph nodes removal until those come back. That’s making me very nervous to wait so I did reach out to MD Anderson which is not close by but I’ve read they have good specialists. I should have gotten a copy of my report but didn’t think to ask in my shock. I would be so grateful to hear about others WLE in the shoulder area. I don’t imagine I’ll be able to hold my baby which breaks my heart. Thank you again for responding as I’m feeling so alone right now.