MissJenn

Had not felt right, tired after work each day and just felt something was wrong…went in for a physical and all tests came back normal…frustrated…my doctor though referred me to a dermatologist for yet another mole to be checked…I’ve had so many I didn’t take it seriously enough…put off going for about 3 weeks until it was itching and thought I better just to be safe…got the call 5 days later…Dr sounded serious and said the results came back positive for malignant melanoma…I wasn’t even that concerned…just thought, ok, it’s skin, they will cut it out…couldn’t understand why he seemed so serious and he scheduled me to meet with a surgeon…then went home and did research on the web…OMG…HAD NO IDEA…if I had known more, been more educated, I would have never ever ever let a day pass with yet another strange mole… oh what a new world this is… a whole different world of doctors, oncologists, tests, tests and more tests, decisions, fears, reality… so, went in for surgery and they found multiple areas that my primary could have traveled on the “lymph highway” in my right groin and three places at the left axilla… surgeon and oncologist said that is rare…to cross two sides… my research told me that in the middle of your back it is actually not rare…(do your own research) … below is what was found in pathology before and after surgery…

PRIMARY LOCATED MIDLINE OF BACK SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT BRESLOW DEPTH .92mm CLARKS LEVEL III

MITOTIC RATE OF PRIMARY 4 PER SQUARE MILLIMETER ;( NO BUENO

WIDE EXCISION SURGERY PERFORMED ALONG WITH REMOVAL OF 4 LYMPH NODES IN RIGHT SIDE GROIN AND 9 LYMPH NODES IN THREE SENTINAL NODE AREAS ALONG LEFT SIDE AXILLA

1 POSITIVE LYMPH NODE AT LOWEST POINT OF LEFT SIDE AXILLA TWO AREAS IN THAT POSITIVE LYMPH NODE SHOWING MICROMETASIS… ONE AREA .2mm and ONE AREA .1 mm

STAGED AT 3A

CHOOSING NOT TO DO INTERFERON …

SURGEON SAID SHE DOESN’T FEEL SHE NEEDS TO DO COMPLETE LYMPH NODE DISSECTION AS ENOUGH WAS REMOVED IN THE POSITIVE AREA THAT WAS CLEAR… DON’T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THAT TO THIS DAY YET