Wellness

[bobby5]

@bonnielu

Do you realize what insitu means? It means it's Stage 0! That's the best news you could've gotten! My husband had the exact same thing 20 years ago & he's fine. Take a deep breath. You got great news!

[jubilant]

No, it's not a death sentence.  DH's best friend just had to have surgery on his face.  He found it early and they got it all and they say it will heal nicely.  He was really worried, too. He spends lots of time mowing and playing golf and is already back out there doing what he loves but is covered much better from head to toe for sun protection.  A big hat, sunscreen, etc.  His scar is healing nicely. 

[Ditzydori]

Everyone gave you excellent advice and encouragement. Don't overthink this. In all honesty it sounds like you are just fine. When caught early it's curable and yours is stage 0. No worries. 

hubby wasn't so lucky. By the time he got diagnoised it went beyond the dermis.  And it's true. The cancer doctor said melanoma can occur where the sun doesn't shines. 

you sound fine. Be at peace. 

[Icegoddess]

I have a friend who just had a melanoma removed from his scalp and it, too, was in-situ.  I thnk he said today they do plan to go back in and remove some more just to make sure they got all the margins, but the melanoma is the least of his worries.  He is currently undergoing chemo for his 3rd bout of different types of cancer.  Since his hair all fell out, it probably made it easier for his dermatologist to find the melanoma on his scalp. So, in all, the melanoma makes it 4 cancers of 3 different types for him.

[Deree]

I used to love being in the sun, passionately, obsessively.  I paid for it with several basal cell cancers, some on my face.  I haven't been in the sun in decades.  It isn't worth it.

[eadu4]

My sister (a nurse) has had 3 removed over her lifetime (she's 66) One was on her right knee and it took a good chunk out of it.  she was fine, and for the kids that happen to ask what happened she always tells them it's a shark bite.  She said it sounds much cooler for the kids and takes away the fear of the scar.  She was always a sun worshiper when she was younger and she was more red headed with lots of freckles.   

[agb80]

I had stage 0 and asked if they did skin grafts so I wouldn't be disfigured and was told no.  I wish I had gone somewhere else because my "shark bite," now is more like an indentation and I hate it.  When you have stage 0 they take just as much out of you as if it was a higher stage.  I will not go back to that place where I had it done.  Also on my arm.  

[Bjobrit]

Not a death sentence but needs to be removed immediately. Husband has one on left nostril, so that's gonna be less then pretty after surgery but he'll be fine. Plastic surgeon doing the surgery and immediate reconstruction.