Toby0987

Hang in there. I was diagnosed in Feb 2013 with stage 3b mel and opted for surgery and nothing else. I had a 1 year old and my wife was pregnant-I was crushed. There were not a ton of treatment options and my natural tilt is towards worst case scenarios. I found this forum and it was a life saver. People in similar situations sharing stories and knowledge-it’s an outstanding place to be! By the way, I am cancer free and only look in the rear view mirror on my diagnosis anniversary-9 years ago! Heck-I’ve even forgot about mitosis rates and waking up at 3am to google some treatment that may be coming on the market. You will get through this!

Hey-I was 3b in 2013 and nothing since then .i had the surgery and that was it-nothing else. What I found was most people cared more about their headache than my initial cancer diagnosis. Others cared because they wanted to know how they could avoid it. Others cared because they wanted to know what I did to cause it and others truly cared for me. Mixed bag I guess.

Hey Roxanne-I appreciate the concern on the radiation-I has the same thought/it can’t be good for you. However after talking to the radiologist-I found a good amount is excreted in iurine as well as the amount we get is fairly small. Bottom line it beats the alternative. The PET scan is the single best way to find melanoma-hands down-you gotta do it. Try concentrating on things you have control over -great diet, exercise and being a vampire-ha!

Why do I feel the need to click on something that I know is clearly a scam like the anonymous link above? Same reason I answer my phone when I see a call from somewhere that I know will have “Veronica” from card services on the other line.  Folks-please take a look at what these people are selling. Melanoma is hard enough without having people trying to sell snake oil to cancer patients that are desperate for anything that might help. I’m sorry this is on here. Please persevere and know the real strength of this forum are the friendships and support that we get from each other.  

Dr Markovic-Mayo in Rochester recommended Dr Roxana Dronca as the go to person for melanoma at the Mayo Jacksonville location. I was seen at the Mayo Rochester location since 2013-I’m also 3B (I moved from Minnesota to Florida this year). I haven’t been up there as I’ve been melanoma free since early 2013 and they told me after my 2018 NED appt to not come back unless I have a problem. 

A derm can look at the mole and make an educated guess. However if you have a question about a mole get it biopsied. My derm at Mayo Clinic said if you go to a derm and say you are nervous about a mole they should biopsy the thing immediately-they will have the biopsy done in the same amount of time it takes you to read this post. When I’m doubt cut it out. As a side note my derm looked at my mole that I thought was suspicious and she told me not to worry about it-that her son had the exact same mole-2 years later, i insisted it get biopsied and guess what to her and my surprise it was melanoma-stage 3B. Bottom line get it biopsied

My Mayo derm said “when in doubt, cut it out”. The only way to tell for sure that something is or isn’t melanoma is by a pathology report-cutting a mole is simple and painless. I didn’t even look at your picture -don’t need to-cut it and have it biopsied-I wish I would have done that with mine instead of going to “expert” local derms 

I started 3B in feb 2013-had surgery and that’s it-no other treatments and I haven’t had any other problems and my doc officially released me forever feb 2018-no more scans!

Hey Karina-I’m stage 3b -had a macronode (nice and fat with melanoma. At the time, I had a 2year old and my wife was pregnant with our 2nd. Doc said interferon was only option (this was 2013). I was devastated-I was 39. Cut to the scene 2018-took my final PET and doctor said I am completely clear and I don’t ever have to come back. There is hope-I’m living proof. I just did surgery and nothing else. I ate healthy, drank kombucha, worked out daily and prayed. You will get through this!

If you’ve had any tattoos the black ink will migrate and stay in the lymph nodes according to my surgeon at mayo. He said that was one of his test questions that he gave to his students. So the answer to your question is it melanoma when the lymph nodes are black? The only person that knows is pathology-no one else including the surgeon knows

Hey-I’m stage 3B from 2013-just did surgeries and that’s it and I was officially released from observation in 2018. No more PET scans/hospitals etc! I’m NED! There are tons of stories out there. In fact most people get their NED and never post on this forum again so reading this forum puts a somewhat negative tilt to the total number of melanoma survivors. I keep posting because I know exactly what you are feeling and want you to know that it is possible to beat it!

Papa Chris-I was in your exact position 6 years ago-mela-what? Bad news-it’s scary and confusing. The good news-we have you on this. First things first-where do you live?-let us know what city you are near-odds are someone on here goes to that melanoma doctor. Not all oncologists are melanoma specialists and some that say they are-are not-the hospital gives them that title because the onc  read a paper about melanoma ten years ago. You are about to go headlong into a wrestling match with a killer cancer and you don’t want to go to the “jiffy lube” docs.  Key things to listen for when choosing your doctor if they say “interferon”-run. I would recommend the big three I know of-mayo clinic, Sloan Kettering, md Anderson. There are others and I’m sure fellow mels will chime in once we find out where you are at.  I had Mel on my forearm-bled-mitosis was 4-macromet to my right armpit lymph node-3b. Surgery and then NED for last 6 years. keep the questions coming and research. The best thing you can do is find a good doc-that takes all the pressure off you. Godspeed fellow warrior!

I don’t need to see the picture.   Have the mole cut and biopsied.

I meant the dash to be a pause in the last post

My doc said ok as long as cold not in lungs, but he added-pet scans suck enough when you are healthy just wait till your healthy to get it

I’ve used coolibar and am happy with the quality of the product. I’ve also used the cheaper Walmart stuff. Bottom line, cover up-long sleeve all the time (I live in south Florida and it is tempting to go with less). You also may want to try a short sleeve shirt and pull on sleeves that cover your arms that are popular for athletes. It’s nice to be able to put the on and take them off while indoors