Jenjen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi ,

I am pretty sure it is possible for melanoma to spread to the eyelid but it could be a chalazian. I am stage 3 a and last month i devloped a painless nodule in my right eyelid. I was scared it was melanoma , was referred to an eye doctor who speicalized in chalazians. He looked at my eye and said he was 90 percent sure it was this. He said antibiotics do not help. Chalazions go away by themselves but can take up to a year. He gave me steroid eye drops that he said to only use for 2 weeks or so adn this could make it go away. He also scheduled a mini surgery for a month from now to cut it out if it doesnt go away. He schedules it a month out because usually they go away on their own. I've been using the drops now for a week and it is getting smaller. I still freak out that it coudl be melanoma but he said chalazions are pretty common and melanoma wouldnt get smaller. I am about 2.5 years out from my original stage 3 melanoma diagnosis. Keep us posted!

Jenjen

Hi ,

I am pretty sure it is possible for melanoma to spread to the eyelid but it could be a chalazian. I am stage 3 a and last month i devloped a painless nodule in my right eyelid. I was scared it was melanoma , was referred to an eye doctor who speicalized in chalazians. He looked at my eye and said he was 90 percent sure it was this. He said antibiotics do not help. Chalazions go away by themselves but can take up to a year. He gave me steroid eye drops that he said to only use for 2 weeks or so adn this could make it go away. He also scheduled a mini surgery for a month from now to cut it out if it doesnt go away. He schedules it a month out because usually they go away on their own. I've been using the drops now for a week and it is getting smaller. I still freak out that it coudl be melanoma but he said chalazions are pretty common and melanoma wouldnt get smaller. I am about 2.5 years out from my original stage 3 melanoma diagnosis. Keep us posted!

Jenjen

Hi ,

I am pretty sure it is possible for melanoma to spread to the eyelid but it could be a chalazian. I am stage 3 a and last month i devloped a painless nodule in my right eyelid. I was scared it was melanoma , was referred to an eye doctor who speicalized in chalazians. He looked at my eye and said he was 90 percent sure it was this. He said antibiotics do not help. Chalazions go away by themselves but can take up to a year. He gave me steroid eye drops that he said to only use for 2 weeks or so adn this could make it go away. He also scheduled a mini surgery for a month from now to cut it out if it doesnt go away. He schedules it a month out because usually they go away on their own. I've been using the drops now for a week and it is getting smaller. I still freak out that it coudl be melanoma but he said chalazions are pretty common and melanoma wouldnt get smaller. I am about 2.5 years out from my original stage 3 melanoma diagnosis. Keep us posted!

Jenjen

I might be a little old but I replied just in case they couldn't find anyone in a time crunch. I was diagnosed at 26 stage 3a but had my melanoma for about 6 months, while i was still 25. I just turned 29 a couple weeks ago. I am about 2.5 years out from my original diagnosis. let me know if i can do anything to help.

Jenjen 3a

I might be a little old but I replied just in case they couldn't find anyone in a time crunch. I was diagnosed at 26 stage 3a but had my melanoma for about 6 months, while i was still 25. I just turned 29 a couple weeks ago. I am about 2.5 years out from my original diagnosis. let me know if i can do anything to help.

Jenjen 3a

I might be a little old but I replied just in case they couldn't find anyone in a time crunch. I was diagnosed at 26 stage 3a but had my melanoma for about 6 months, while i was still 25. I just turned 29 a couple weeks ago. I am about 2.5 years out from my original diagnosis. let me know if i can do anything to help.

Jenjen 3a

Hi! I'm praying yours truly is a dermatofibroma but please go have it biopsied as soon as you can. I am a 28 year old female with no history of melanoma. I had what they first diagnosed as a bug bite, then as a wart and then after 4 months a dermatofibroma. The fourth doctor told me it was cosmetic and that I would have to pay to remove it because my insurance didn't cover "cosmetic surgery". Turns out that it was nodular melanoma. By the time they took it off it was 2.5 mm and i was already stage 3a. I had it for 6 months total and it came "out of nowhere".  It was on my left foot by my toes but on top. It was perfectly symmetrical and the exact same color  as my skin (light tan). I always wish i could have gone back 4 months earlier and demanded they take it off, even though they made me feel stupid for making such a big deal about it. Please do yourself a favor and have them biopsy it soon. That way..you can sleep soundly again if it is nothing and catch it early if it is something.

Best wishes.

Jenjen 3a NED almost 2 years

Hi! I'm praying yours truly is a dermatofibroma but please go have it biopsied as soon as you can. I am a 28 year old female with no history of melanoma. I had what they first diagnosed as a bug bite, then as a wart and then after 4 months a dermatofibroma. The fourth doctor told me it was cosmetic and that I would have to pay to remove it because my insurance didn't cover "cosmetic surgery". Turns out that it was nodular melanoma. By the time they took it off it was 2.5 mm and i was already stage 3a. I had it for 6 months total and it came "out of nowhere".  It was on my left foot by my toes but on top. It was perfectly symmetrical and the exact same color  as my skin (light tan). I always wish i could have gone back 4 months earlier and demanded they take it off, even though they made me feel stupid for making such a big deal about it. Please do yourself a favor and have them biopsy it soon. That way..you can sleep soundly again if it is nothing and catch it early if it is something.

Best wishes.

Jenjen 3a NED almost 2 years

Hi Peter,

Mine was on my foot and was the EXACT same color as my skin, perfectly symmetrical and about the size of a pencil eraser. Was told it was a dermatofibroma and a bug bite by 4 different doctors over 4 months…turned out to be stage 2 melanoma. Your wife's could be nothing but i would get it checked out……I wish i would have known that melanoma could not follow the abcs…

would have saved myself from being stage 3 at 26 years old..

Jen