CynthiaLee

I had a Stage 1a melanoma removed six years ago from the area near crease where your ear and head meet behind the ear. I had a sentinel node biopsy, actually I think they took 3. The risk for lymphodema is very, very small when just removing the sentinel nodes but very beneficial. I would not be concerned about it, I would rather know if I had progressed to another stage. Six weeks seems like forever while we wait but the time frame should be fine. Best of luck.

My advice is I’d keep your appointment. We all look for a way to convince ourselves that there is nothing wrong. The dry patch sounds alot like my first basal cell removal. The growth… my squamous cell. I am lucky enough to have had the skin cancer trifecta…I have melanoma also. To confirm either way is not a waste of your time and money nor the doctor’s. Best wishes all is well.

Oh Kerri….

I read both your posts and I am so sad for the news and for your family and Jake. I remember your posts and had always hoped the lack of seeing new posts was good news.

You have been such a fighter along side Jake, allowing him choices and standing by him.

I will keep you all in my prayers for a peaceful transition. Also, for you all to know how much your strength has affected not just your own family and friends but those of us on the other side of a computer screen.

Truly, no words could ever be worthy of the twisting road of melanoma you all have had to endure.

Peace be with you all and may the caring and love from strangers be felt.

Cindy

Sometimes no matter how hard we try we can’t fix things as we would like to. At this point, if I was the patient or the caregiver. I would look at quality over quantity of life.
Hospice can be a wonderful resource, my mother had dementia, heart failure and kidney failure. She was with hospice about a year. The resources are endless, the support much needed and the help appreciated. My mother passed away in her own home as she always wanted (even if she probably didn’t know it).
I also think, you need to ask what the patient really wants if able to tell you. I know its hard, losing both my parents I saw my dad also suffer congestive heart failure and be on dialysis. He told the doctors no more dialysis and they told him he would die without it….he repeated no more dialysis.
He knew what he wanted and we took it to heart. This is just my take on it, if you both want to pursue more aggressive treatment and feel that is right then that is what you should do. It’s hard for sure.

I had Stage1 superficial spreading melanoma behind my right ear just about in crease where ear meets head. I also had surgery by a plastic surgeon with a WLE and skin graft along with a sentinel node biopsy. You will not lose any ear as long as it goes well and as planned. My skin graft two years later still feels odd alot but it is fine and not noticeable but to where it is. Good luck!

I think you should call about the pain, my WLE was behind my ear and in the fold between ear and scull. I only had excruciating pain when it became infected even though we were following all the cleaning and caring for instructions.

Sorry, I see size now in lines abive and can’t delete

Previously 4mm with SUV max 5.3 ….this is what was seen prior to this scan. This scan it is resolved. The SUV max isn’t a size determination.
The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) is widely used for measuring the uptake of FDG by malignant tissue (Gambhir 2002). Increased FDG uptake values reflect the viability of cancer cells, and can be imaged and quantified using PET.
So previous scan showed 5.3 uptake in 4 mm area. That now shows as resolved.

If you are on Facebook, there is a group Mucosal Melanoma Warriors, with alot of information on treatments and support. My sister had Mucosal melanoma, she passed away but from a brain aneurysm not the melanoma.

So glad you bit the bullet and created the go fund me! Hoping my push for it in my reply post helped you realize how much you mean to all of us and how much we want to help. I will be donating as soon as I get off work and to my laptop. Good luck and safe travels.

That was so full of typos and I can’t figure out how to edit.

Dr. Hamid at Angels clinic for PEACE of mind not leave. And you bring a smile to all of us with your witty and supportive posts.

Thinking of you.

I rarely post, I read daily and always look for your posts Mike. I’m happy you’re visiting your brothers enjoy that time and relax a little if you can. Now….for what’s next…truly I think you absolutely have to go to the Dr. Hamid at the Angela clinic just once to have leave of mind. If it has to be self pay, then so be it. Start a go fund me if necessary, your family here will be more than happy to donate to get you at least an opinion from the best possible place to get it. You being a smile to all of us with your worry and supportive posts, let us help you if we can.

I have insurance that does not disagree with paying my visit costs except for my $20 copay so I don't lose anything. I wish that I was as confident as you in judging what other places do with their patients.  I was just saying that I do have a medical oncologist and I am stage 1A, also the need to bash where I was treated was not necessary at all. I have followed these boards since I was diagnosed and just joined to say what I said but I see that different opinions must not be alright with some of you. I will go back to just being a lurker. Perhaps you should not be so judgemental and if you have not been treated by anyone in particular not bash them either. Your opinion is just that, not fact.

I have insurance that does not disagree with paying my visit costs except for my $20 copay so I don't lose anything. I wish that I was as confident as you in judging what other places do with their patients.  I was just saying that I do have a medical oncologist and I am stage 1A, also the need to bash where I was treated was not necessary at all. I have followed these boards since I was diagnosed and just joined to say what I said but I see that different opinions must not be alright with some of you. I will go back to just being a lurker. Perhaps you should not be so judgemental and if you have not been treated by anyone in particular not bash them either. Your opinion is just that, not fact.

I have insurance that does not disagree with paying my visit costs except for my $20 copay so I don't lose anything. I wish that I was as confident as you in judging what other places do with their patients.  I was just saying that I do have a medical oncologist and I am stage 1A, also the need to bash where I was treated was not necessary at all. I have followed these boards since I was diagnosed and just joined to say what I said but I see that different opinions must not be alright with some of you. I will go back to just being a lurker. Perhaps you should not be so judgemental and if you have not been treated by anyone in particular not bash them either. Your opinion is just that, not fact.