Wellness

[bonnielu]

Doctor of family member found early stage of Melanoma (mole on arm).  Anyone had experience with this. Is it an automatic death sentence.  I am worried. Under doctors care and mole was removed without incident.  

[mspatmac]

@bonnielu   I am living proof that it is NOT a death sentence when caught early as yours seems to be.  Stay positive!  We are all different so my experience would be different than yours with different treatment options.  Mine was many many years ago, and medicine has improved so much.  Hard as it is, try not to worry!  Good thoughts coming your way.  

[LuvmyLab]

I've never had melanoma but I've had basal cell carcinoma 3 times even though I've never been a sun worshipper in my life and always stay out of the sun when outside.  Melanoma is NOT a death sentence.  If caught early it is treatable.  

[bonnielu]

Being honest. Scared. It was not a friend but me. I never go into the sun. I go to a dermatologist twice a year. Saw strange mole on my right lower right arm. Took it off and I got the call today. A referral was made. I am besides myself. How did this happen? And am I going to health wise. Thanks for your kind words…. Your reassuring words. Perhaps I can sleep tonight.

[Kachina624]

My dad had a melanoma on his arm near his elbow.  He was an avid golfer and fisherman spenting a lot of time outside at higher altitudes.  He became the user of gallons of sunscreen, using it religiously.  He died at age 93 of a heart attack. 

[Love my grandkids]

@bonnielu As a 4 year survivor of colorectal cancer all I can say is stay as calm as you can. Hopefully your health is in good hands. If you have any worries please feel free to come and talk about it.

There's no history of this in my family so I have no idea how these things happen. I wish you all the best. 

[Linmo]

@bonnielu My dad has had it twice witihin the past 10 years.  Both times, it was removed and he is 88 and doing fine.  Continue to be vigilant with your future checkups.  Best wishes to you - stay strong!

[CalminHeart]

It's not a death sentence. You should monitor your skin on a regular basis.

My dad has had dozens of melanoma spots/moles removed over the last 20 years. Most are on the top of his head and occasionally an arm. He's 90 and grew up on a farm so was in the sun all the time. He goes to his dermatologist every 3-6 months to be checked and have anything new removed. 

[jlkz]

It is very important to follow through with whole body skin checks.

I wish my cousin had done so.  He had some upper chest pains and had a stent put it but was scheduled for needed surgery the next day.  After the heart repair was done, they turned him on his side and removed a golf ball-sized growth from his lung.

The pathology report: the cancerous growth had started as a skin cancer.

While he was in an experimental drug treatment group at Penn, the cancer had metastasized to his brain.  He was gone within a year.

Please don't procrastinate or let your loved ones do so !

[Jaspersmom]

I had melanoma on my foot (a mole had changed) in 2018.  Caught it early.  All markers were clear.  Surgery was a bit more difficult than expected because the mole was located on the top of my foot, but I did fine.  All should be good with your family member.