Paulajane

I hope everything turns out fine for you. I’m sure there are other things it could be rather than melanoma.try to take a breath and not jump to the worst conclusion.  But just so you understand – Most people do not have a professional curtesy card to pull. I was diagnosed with large ulcerated nodular metastatic melanoma and was told there was a 2-3 wk wait to get into the oncologist at  the nearest large hospital that has a melanoma clinic. Imagine what that is like then use that to educate yourself and others you can influence in your profession.  I was told that up to 12 weeks between path report and WLE does not effect survival. This was supposed to make me feel better. Wishing you the best. 

So happy for your family in all regards. Congrats!!

paula

My oncologist ordered an mri of the brain with the pet scan. He said the pet scan does not show the brain clearly. I do get head aches. Wishing the best for you and your husband   

Paula 

I recently had a severely atypical spitzoid tumor removed by LWE and sentinel lymph nodes removed. They couldn’t definitively say it wasn’t melanoma so it was treated as stage 2 melanoma Breslow 2.2 no further treatment 3 month follow ups with melanoma clinic. 

I had a thing on my hiney showed up one day   Looked like a bug bite got larger and developed a tan halo around it got it checked after a year. Was told it was nothing to worry about a year or so  later my husband warned me it started to grow larger then  maybe another year went by and my husband said that I should get it checked it looked funny. By this time it turned dark and the halo was no longer even but had started to spread like little fingers unevenly on two sides. I got it checked a pinch biopsy was done that day. The biopsy done by Fleming dermapathology came back metastatic melanoma no known primary. The size and ulceration made this a grave diagnosis. After all scans came back Ned the original dermapathologist decided he was mistaken-the original slides were sent to UCSF which took 6 wks for tests results in the mean time every doctor I saw basically thought I was going to die. It came back a malignancy of uncertain potential or an atypical spitzoid tumor. I was treated for Breslow depth 2.2 mm stage II melignant melanoma. I had a huge wle surgery called a flap graft and sentinel lymph nodes removed done at UW with the surgeon from their cancer clinic and am being followed ever 3 months for the first year by the melanoma clinic. The  nodes were clear. I’ve read about the misdiagnosis of spitzoid when it really melanoma and how bad that turns out. I’m glad I’m being followed closely. I hope things turned out well for you but stay vigilant.

paula

I had a new spot that was checked but went through changes over about a 3 year period. The biopsy was diagnosed as nodular ulcerated metastic melanoma. Was sent to UCSF for second opinion which took the longest 5-6 wks of my life. The final diagnosis was “ a severely atypical spitzoid tumor as a posed to a definitive melanoma” the other term they used was a malignancy of unknown potentia and UW classified it and treated me for stage 2 malignant melanoma Breslow 2.2. I’m be8ng followed up every 3 months at th3 UW melanoma clinic, but I was told I don’t have melanoma. I had a WLE and sentinel lymph nodes removed. But I didn’t have melanoma. Pay close attention to your skin, don’t rely on the doctors to know, I had my mole checked 2 years prior by a nurse practitioner in a local dermatologist office because where I live dermatologist are too hard to get into and was told it was nothing to worry about and when i asked to have the actual doctor look at it she said oh the doctor won’t even look at something like that. 

I know this original post was from 2015 but I’ll reply Incase it’s useful to someone. I had a thing on my hiney showed up one day   Looked like a bug bite got larger and developed a tan halo around it got it checked after a year. Was told it was nothing to worry about a year or so  later my husband warned me it started to grow larger then  maybe another year went by and my husband said that I should get it checked it looked funny. By this time it turned dark and the halo was no longer even but had started to spread like little fingers unevenly on two sides. I got it checked a pinch biopsy was done that day. The biopsy done by Fleming dermapathology came back metastatic melanoma no known primary. The size and ulceration made this a grave diagnosis. After all scans came back Ned the original dermapathologist decided he was mistaken-the original slides were sent to UCSF which took 6 wks for tests results in the mean time every doctor I saw basically thought I was going to die. It came back a malignancy of uncertain potential or an atypical spitzoid tumor. I was treated for Breslow depth 2.2 mm stage II melignant melanoma. I had a huge wle surgery called a flap graft and sentinel lymph nodes removed done at UW with the surgeon from their cancer clinic and am being followed ever 3 months for the first year by the melanoma clinic. The  nodes were clear. I’ve read about the misdiagnosis of spitzoid when it really melanoma and how bad that turns out. I’m glad I’m being followed closely. I hope things turned out well for you but stay vigilant.