Meg1414

Monica,

Hi! I see you've gotten a ton of feedback, but I just wanted to comment fast. My diagnosis came after they removed a mole from the top of my foot. It had spread to 1 lymph node in my groin and they took 16 or 17 more out. It was stage IV and I did one year of interferon. That was 8 years ago in May. I'm 30 now and I just do my yearly visits to the dermatologist. So don't worry; people definitely beat this! It seriously sucks sometimes, but I figure, you do what you have to do and get it done. But  never look at it as something that can't be beat, because I'm still here 8 years later! And this site is amazing. There are so many people that have gone through the same experiences and they are all so nice. Feel free to email me if you ever want to. [email protected] Good luck and stay positive!

Monica,

Hi! I see you've gotten a ton of feedback, but I just wanted to comment fast. My diagnosis came after they removed a mole from the top of my foot. It had spread to 1 lymph node in my groin and they took 16 or 17 more out. It was stage IV and I did one year of interferon. That was 8 years ago in May. I'm 30 now and I just do my yearly visits to the dermatologist. So don't worry; people definitely beat this! It seriously sucks sometimes, but I figure, you do what you have to do and get it done. But  never look at it as something that can't be beat, because I'm still here 8 years later! And this site is amazing. There are so many people that have gone through the same experiences and they are all so nice. Feel free to email me if you ever want to. [email protected] Good luck and stay positive!

Hi, Tracy. My info is similar to what the others have said. I was stage IV and had 17 lymph nodes removed 8 years ago. Also had skin for grafts taken from the outside of that thigh. It took a little while before I felt like I was walking "normally" and I had most of the top of my leg that was numb. (I thought that would maybe be a good spot to give myself an interferon shot, but that was a bad idea – it hurt so much worse!) It got better though. Now, I just have a little section over the top of my knee, but I don't really notice it at all. I deal with lymphedema some, but they have a lot to help with that. (I sleep in a magical boot thing that I couldn't live without.) Wishing you guys the best!

Hi, Tracy. My info is similar to what the others have said. I was stage IV and had 17 lymph nodes removed 8 years ago. Also had skin for grafts taken from the outside of that thigh. It took a little while before I felt like I was walking "normally" and I had most of the top of my leg that was numb. (I thought that would maybe be a good spot to give myself an interferon shot, but that was a bad idea – it hurt so much worse!) It got better though. Now, I just have a little section over the top of my knee, but I don't really notice it at all. I deal with lymphedema some, but they have a lot to help with that. (I sleep in a magical boot thing that I couldn't live without.) Wishing you guys the best!

I loved it! It's a comedy, so of course it won't get too heavy, but I thought it was great. I was diagnosed 8 years ago and I can't tell you how many people said it was "just skin cancer." I'm glad that it's out there in the media more now, so people understand how serious it is. Plus, I'm already watching Weeds anyway, so it's at the perfect time. 🙂