malignant melanoma
hi guys just wondering if there is anyone to talk to about melanoma's. i just had one removed from my cheek 3 weeks ago today. it was a clark v 5.5mm deep. it was a lump under the skin that appeared last year but because i was pregnant (i lost) i had to delay getting it removed. when i did get it removed in december results didnt show melanoma but it needed to be removed further. at this stage it was february and i was pregnant again( i lost again sadly). it had started to grow back also. i was to get it removed further at the end of april but i miscarried in march so first week in april i got a cancelation to get it removed. it came back malignant a week later and i was in surgery the following morning which was good friday. i had a pet and ct scan done and they are clear and they have decided to treat me with interferon. i am so scared it will come back to the same place or somewhere else and i dont spot it in time.
Comments
thanks moderator!
i am seeing my oncologist this tuesday. i am starting to feel positive again and am so glad it was caught in time. i am now constantly looking at my skin. one day i know i will ease off and i will just get on with things and forget this bad time. my husbands dad had a melanoma of the eye and was cured but sadly 5 years later it came back and hit his liver. he only lasted 6 weeks after being diagnosed. my mam is now a year over her operation for lung cancer. thankfully she never needed chemo or radio. my aunt died of liver cancer and my husbands aunt died of ovarian cancer so you can see a lot of people close to me in the last 6 years have had cancer and it scares me i might not be lucky in keeping this away forever! positive thinking brings positive outcomes so heres hoping! either way i think of all the cancers to get i got the easiest one. at least with melanoma its very curable once caught.
thanks again for posting to me xx
[quote="moderator1"]Hi,
Thank you for your post and hopefully you will get a response from someone in the forum
First of all sorry to learn about your miscarriages and I hope things will go well for you in the future.
You will be checked regularly by your doctor. In the beginning these may be quite often. Visits may include seeing your doctor and having your skin examined.
You may also have tests such as X-rays, scans and blood tests carried out at intervals. These will continue a number of years but will become less frequent as time goes by.
Interferon is used to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells and you may need to stay on the treatment for a year or more. Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma.
If you are between check-ups and you are concerned about an existing mole or new mark on your skin make an appointment t see your doctor sooner.
If you have any further queries or concerns contact the freeone helpline at the Irish Cancer Society and you can speak to a specialist nurse at 1800-200700[/quote]
Hi,
Thank you for your post and hopefully you will get a response from someone in the forum
First of all sorry to learn about your miscarriages and I hope things will go well for you in the future.
You will be checked regularly by your doctor. In the beginning these may be quite often. Visits may include seeing your doctor and having your skin examined.
You may also have tests such as X-rays, scans and blood tests carried out at intervals. These will continue a number of years but will become less frequent as time goes by.
Interferon is used to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells and you may need to stay on the treatment for a year or more. Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma.
If you are between check-ups and you are concerned about an existing mole or new mark on your skin make an appointment t see your doctor sooner.
If you have any further queries or concerns contact the freeone helpline at the Irish Cancer Society and you can speak to a specialist nurse at 1800-200700