JudiAU

I am sorry. Whatever it is, I am sorry. Your doctor has probably already explained this but it may or may not be melanoma. There are plenty or people in this board who have had multiple major health conditions, even multiple cancers. If the MRI seems to suggest metastasis then a careful doctor and frankly, likely required by insurance, will probably be a biopsy next to confirm the type of cancer. At various points I have lung and breast cultures biopsies done and each time they were not presumed to be melanoma without a clinical diagnosis, even with a giant brain met in my head. Than you can get a treatment plan together or get transferred to the appropriate care.

Thank you a lot for sharing. I hope the TIL continues to keep you strong. Weirdly enough I shared many of these experience through my prior brain tumor journey, prior to melanoma. Dry eye and mouth from nerve damage and terrible shaking from sepsis once and immunotherapy fevers another time. You have my utmost sympathy.

Thanks for updating. Great to see people doing well.

If you are indeed 1B it is entirely possible that you will not require more treatment at all! I believe there are some trials for immunotherapy for 2b which I wish I had access to but 1B involves careful sun care.

Depending on the depth of the melanoma, more tissue is taken at the surgical site and the lymph nodes. This helps in determining stage and treatment. If fairly superficial, no further treatment. If more advanced, scans and immunotherapy are likely next steps.

The surgical process seems awful in the moment but. You’d be surprised how well things often scar .

It happens. People here and other melanoma forums report multiple independent primaries sometimes. One user here reports 20+ It doesn’t seem to indicate an increased risk of metastasis. It does seem to increase stress so I am sorry about that.

Sorry I was unclear. Point of reference I live in CA. Stage IV and went through immunotherapy, resection, radiation. I get asked at every appointment if I use and they list off a long list of forms and reminded that I should not use.

And I get drug screened up the wazoo whenever I am in the hospital too. I have no idea why.

I don’t use but I am regularly asked about usage at my oncologist, both before, during, and after immunotherapy. Very opposed. I am also regularly offered services for mental health support etc.

Otherwise my doc is very live and let live although prefers I avoid stress. Doesn’t care if I have wine and cheese or a strict vegan diet if either makes me happy, reduces stress, and gives some agency, and control.

After my first two treatments I was hospitalized for two weeks with raging fevers, took a break for brain surgery and radiation, and was treated with steroids. I returned to immunotherapy and used low dose steroids to complete my two years. I had other side effects that came and went but got through it. The steroids helped. Good luck. NED now.

At stage 4 with a brain met and NED since immunotherapy, I was still getting brain MRI and and CT scans every four months until I just hit four years. Then I switched to six months. Occasionally the doctor switched to PET from CT.

There is really nothing to be done other than to biopsy and wait for results. I too have a lot of moles and unless there is some magical way to remove them practically they are never going to be able to do that. So dermatologists do their best. So watch our skin and then wait. Mostly they come back as nothing. And when they come back as something, we take action.

Yes. I had a rash pop up for about six months. Mild. Also similar for steroids and anti seizure medicine. They would rotate. They seemed to make me prone to minor staph infections, not MRSA, not horrible big staph, little staph that looked like a rash but eventual would be treated with antibiotics.

Angeles Clinic is great. Dr. Hamid is wonderful.

Well, sometimes new unrelated melanomas show up. (Very rare) And sometimes melanoma does metastasize to skin, although usually to primary site. Usually scalp melanoma metastasizes to the brain. So it would be pretty unlikely it would just pop up somewhere else. More likely to be a snagged cyst or something. But with a history of melanoma, you should be a seeing a derm regularly anyway. Go in. Get checked out. And if you aren’t seeing a derm. Go in.

If I recall correctly it was the suspected rate of change but it does not hold a lot of weight. The overall staging is much more important. Assuming your melanoma was removed, you are continuing to seek derm visits as advised, and you are avoiding sun exposure you are doing everything you should be. Do not be surprised if you have more mole removals in your future.