Melanoma

[DocAbsurd]

Seems like the only time I ever start a thread, it's to announce bad news.

No exception here.

Three weeks ago, I finally dragged my arse to the doctor. It's been a good dozen years since I went to get really checked out, and I've got a severe apprehension to going when I'm not really sick. Like now: there's nothing visibly wrong with me, just a mole on my arm that's been giving me grief for a while. Around Thanksgiving I started noticing blood on my shirt left sleeves; when I examined the area I saw a mole I've had since birth was enlarged and fairly nasty-looking.

My finacee convinced me to make an appointment.

My doctor took one look and suspected melanoma. I went in for a round of tests at the hospital and made another appointment at the Dermatological Clinic at the Roswell Cancer Institute.

Last Friday was the initial consultation. Surgery was immediately scheduled. Monday I had this removed.

There's a great big chunk missing outta my left arm. I mean, you can see an indentation where they took it out. It hurts like all feck and I have trouble lifting anything. The bleeding stopped by Tuesday morning so that wasn't an issue.

But the news I got today is.

I've definitely got skin cancer. Possible stage 1 melanoma. I have to go for an internal biopsy to trace if any got into the nearby lymph nodes; most likely I'm gonna lose one or 2 on my left side. After this heals a bit more I'm gonna need another operation to completely clean out the area, just to make sure it's all gone.

Looks like my left arm is gonna be outta commission for another 4 to 6 months, with skin cancer screenings every 3 months for the next couple years. My prognosis looks pretty good; it's just the immediate surgeries that have me worried.

What has me really pissed off is how I'm being treated as another number, like I should know exactly what's being done without any questions or doubts. I was told at first it was probably sun-related, except this happened during winter when sunburn is pretty much not an issue. Not to mention that I haven't had a sunburn in at least a decade.

The only things in my favor is my chest x-rays came back clear; there's no sign of swelling in my lymph nodes (which only negates an immediate problem); and there's no signs of discoloration on any other moles anywhere else on my body.

I just can't seem to catch a break.

[section 8]

I'm sorry to hear this, I do hope all turns out well.
My thoughts and prayers are with you, hang in there.

[Bo Bo]

Aww man. My thoughts and prayers are with you Doc.

[Cam63]

I'm sorry, Doc.

My best to you for a speedy recovery.

[Charles RB]

Oh fucking hell. :frown:

Hope you get out of this alright.

[Spike-X]

Jeebus Cripes, Doc, whose dog did you run over in a past life?

I really hope they can get this sorted for you. As for the sunburn thing, it can sometimes take decades for these things to develop; apparently even one really bad burn as a kid can set you up for something like this later in life. That's what they tell us down here in this part of the world, anyway.

[Darediva]

I'm glad that you got some good news in all of that. Your prognosis sounds like a reasonable recovery, which doesn't make you feel any better right NOW, I know. The Things will keep you strong, I'm sure. Meanwhile, your friends at YABS will be thinking good things for you, Doc.

[Village Idiot]

Best wishes to you, Doc.

[Arrogantcur]

I'm sorry, Doc. I'm glad that at least the prognosis is good.

My dad needed to have some tissue removed from his scalp after they found a mole there, so I have an idea of what your arm looks like. They were able to stretch the remaining skin more taut over the depression in the flesh afterwards, so it looks fairly normal now. Hopefully your arm will also not look too bad after you make it through the upcoming difficult times, with which I wish you all the luck in the world.

As for me, I broke my arm years ago at the elbow, so first I had to wait for it to heal and then I needed to go through physiotherapy to get the range of motion back. So I know what it's like to not have the use of one arm, and how much you take having two hands for granted until you find yourself without one of them. It's frustrating as hell, and you've got my sympathy about that too.

[Sarah Beach]

Dang, Doc! I'm sorry you've had to go through this.

But I'm also glad that they caught it (cheers to Mama for making you go!). My prayers for you during the process from here on out.

By the way... even if they do treat you like a number and as if you should know, if there is ANYTHING you want explained more or better, MAKE. THEM. DO. IT. Do NOT let them rush you forward until you're comfortable that you understand everything. Make sure you convey that it's not that you are being resistant to their recommended treatments or such, but just that it helps you, makes you feel more comfortable, when you actually UNDERSTAND what's going on.

[sk716]

Shit! Sorry to hear it, Tim.

A little advice though, if you feel like your Doc isn't communicating well enough with you, find another Doc. It's very important that you feel both informed and at ease with your Doctor.

[hellokittykat]

Seems like the only time I ever start a thread, it's to announce bad news.

No exception here.

Three weeks ago, I finally dragged my arse to the doctor. It's been a good dozen years since I went to get really checked out, and I've got a severe apprehension to going when I'm not really sick. Like now: there's nothing visibly wrong with me, just a mole on my arm that's been giving me grief for a while. Around Thanksgiving I started noticing blood on my shirt left sleeves; when I examined the area I saw a mole I've had since birth was enlarged and fairly nasty-looking.

My finacee convinced me to make an appointment.

My doctor took one look and suspected melanoma. I went in for a round of tests at the hospital and made another appointment at the Dermatological Clinic at the Roswell Cancer Institute.

Last Friday was the initial consultation. Surgery was immediately scheduled. Monday I had this removed.

There's a great big chunk missing outta my left arm. I mean, you can see an indentation where they took it out. It hurts like all feck and I have trouble lifting anything. The bleeding stopped by Tuesday morning so that wasn't an issue.

But the news I got today is.

I've definitely got skin cancer. Possible stage 1 melanoma. I have to go for an internal biopsy to trace if any got into the nearby lymph nodes; most likely I'm gonna lose one or 2 on my left side. After this heals a bit more I'm gonna need another operation to completely clean out the area, just to make sure it's all gone.

Looks like my left arm is gonna be outta commission for another 4 to 6 months, with skin cancer screenings every 3 months for the next couple years. My prognosis looks pretty good; it's just the immediate surgeries that have me worried.

What has me really pissed off is how I'm being treated as another number, like I should know exactly what's being done without any questions or doubts. I was told at first it was probably sun-related, except this happened during winter when sunburn is pretty much not an issue. Not to mention that I haven't had a sunburn in at least a decade.

The only things in my favor is my chest x-rays came back clear; there's no sign of swelling in my lymph nodes (which only negates an immediate problem); and there's no signs of discoloration on any other moles anywhere else on my body.

I just can't seem to catch a break.

God, Doc, I'm so sorry. :frown:

I'll say a prayer for a quick recovery. One thing that has you ahead of the curve, though, is the clear chest x-ray. That is a very good thing.

[CutterMike]

Are you one of us pale-skinned Northern Yurpeen types, Doc? Because, as has been mentioned, getting sunburned as a kid -- likelier if you're light-skinned to begin with -- is one of the causes of melanomas later in life. and it takes time for the damage to show up. They tell me that I'm at risk because I was one of those kids who went from paper-pale to lobster and back to paper -- couldn't tan at all. One warm April day in college, I got (mildly) sunburned walking between classes! If any of that sounds familiar, then there it is.

Which doesn't make it suck any less, of course -- but it DOES sound like it was caught early enough that the long-term prognosis is good. It's just the short-term suckiness that needs to be got through.

We're all pulling for you, Doc. Fortunately, some of us are just too damned ornery to give up, and I think that you're one of us!

[Larime]

May your results be much more benign than your ex.

We'll be sending good thoughts your way.

[the4thpip]

Best of luck, Doc.

Not to sound cynical, but if you have to have cancer, this is pretty much the one to pick. It's among the the most successfully treatable kinds. Have a speedy recovery, and don't let the bureaucrats get you down.

[DocAbsurd]

Jeebus Cripes, Doc, whose dog did you run over in a past life?

I really hope they can get this sorted for you. As for the sunburn thing, it can sometimes take decades for these things to develop; apparently even one really bad burn as a kid can set you up for something like this later in life. That's what they tell us down here in this part of the world, anyway.

Yeah, seriously, I feel like I'm some sort of bad karma lightning rod.

Problem here is that I'm going to Roswell, and while I do feel like an alien, this place is supposed to be the leading cancer institute not only in the area but in the country. It's not like there's another one nearby that I can just pop in to for a consultation. Every doctor sends you here if they even suspect cancer.

And Roswell knows it. I think that's why I get such a damned attitude when I ask questions. After they sewed me back up, the attending surgeon ran down a list of checks I needed to do, and when he inquired whether i was told about this or that, he got an exasperated look on his face: a 'Oh, jeez, why didn't someone else give you the rundown?' sorta thing.

I'm going for the internal biopsy. When I get the results back, I'll see if I can get another opinion if it looks bad. I don't think I have much of a choice as to re-opening the initial incision to clean it up.

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone.

[cedardryad]

Seems like the only time I ever start a thread, it's to announce bad news.

No exception here.

Three weeks ago, I finally dragged my arse to the doctor. It's been a good dozen years since I went to get really checked out, and I've got a severe apprehension to going when I'm not really sick. Like now: there's nothing visibly wrong with me, just a mole on my arm that's been giving me grief for a while. Around Thanksgiving I started noticing blood on my shirt left sleeves; when I examined the area I saw a mole I've had since birth was enlarged and fairly nasty-looking.

My finacee convinced me to make an appointment.

My doctor took one look and suspected melanoma. I went in for a round of tests at the hospital and made another appointment at the Dermatological Clinic at the Roswell Cancer Institute.

Last Friday was the initial consultation. Surgery was immediately scheduled. Monday I had this removed.

There's a great big chunk missing outta my left arm. I mean, you can see an indentation where they took it out. It hurts like all feck and I have trouble lifting anything. The bleeding stopped by Tuesday morning so that wasn't an issue.

But the news I got today is.

I've definitely got skin cancer. Possible stage 1 melanoma. I have to go for an internal biopsy to trace if any got into the nearby lymph nodes; most likely I'm gonna lose one or 2 on my left side. After this heals a bit more I'm gonna need another operation to completely clean out the area, just to make sure it's all gone.

Looks like my left arm is gonna be outta commission for another 4 to 6 months, with skin cancer screenings every 3 months for the next couple years. My prognosis looks pretty good; it's just the immediate surgeries that have me worried.

What has me really pissed off is how I'm being treated as another number, like I should know exactly what's being done without any questions or doubts. I was told at first it was probably sun-related, except this happened during winter when sunburn is pretty much not an issue. Not to mention that I haven't had a sunburn in at least a decade.

The only things in my favor is my chest x-rays came back clear; there's no sign of swelling in my lymph nodes (which only negates an immediate problem); and there's no signs of discoloration on any other moles anywhere else on my body.

I just can't seem to catch a break.

Well this is scary. I hope you come out of this all ok. I hope you go into remission for a very long time.

The scarier part of this is that your story mirrors MPagar's. He hasn't gone to the doctor since he was 13. A while back, maybe a month or so ago, his armpit has been bleeding a lot for no real reason. He thinks it's because our daughter likes sleeping on his arm and somehow it's pulling something. Now, I'm scared.

[Samurai]

Good luck, Doc. Hopefully they caught it early and you'll be fine. My dad is going through the same thing with a spot of it on his forehead, and several years ago a friend of mine had a spot on his ear. It seems fairly common, though still frightening of course. Try to stay positive, if you can.

[sweetdreams]

That would be pretty scary to hear, but it sounds like you're in the best hands.
Best wishes *hug*

[heystacy]

Best wishes, Doc.

[Dark Galaxy]

Jesus Doc.

I didn't even want to click on this thread, because I figured that is what it was going to be. Thankfully it sounds like it will be able to be taken care of. It doesn't make the ride any less scary though.

Good luck.

[Reverend Smooth]

What has me really pissed off is how I'm being treated as another number, like I should know exactly what's being done without any questions or doubts. I was told at first it was probably sun-related, except this happened during winter when sunburn is pretty much not an issue. Not to mention that I haven't had a sunburn in at least a decade.
All it needs, IIRC, is bad sunburn when you're a kid.

I'm so sorry, and I'll pray for you.

[Dragonflye]

Doc, I'm terribly sorry to hear this is happening to you. If there is any truth to karmatic occurence, postive news can't be far away.

As a child, my father and I were snow-skiing at a tremendously elevated altitude. He had told me that I needed to use sunblock no matter how cold the temperature was due to the extreme exposure to the sun's rays. I coated my entire face with the goop, but accidentally missed an area due to my young inexperiece and lack of concern... the backs of my ears. I didn't notice anything during our daytime fun, but when we arrived back at our hotel, large pustules had sprouted on the edges and backs of my ears, and they were leaking. Eventually, everything healed up, but nowadays I'm terrified by stories like yours. Any itch or pain in the area causes me to ask someone to take a look, or I have a burning (no pun intended) need for a bathroom with mirrors on mulitple walls to have a look myself.

You can and will make it through this, and know that we're all pulling for you.

[Weetomuncher]

Best Wishes to you, Doc.

I hope everything turns out OK for you.