The Melanoma Mountain: A Surgery Story
Surgery day last week for my recent Melanoma diagnosis went well. It was a long day, but successful. I still don't have the lymph node biopsy results just yet, but the good news is the surgical oncologist said she was 97% sure that the cancer had not spread. That's reassuring!
I just want to take a moment, on the official "Melanoma Monday" which kicks off the Melanoma Awareness month of May, to reiterate the importance of protecting yourself while out in the sun, plus getting your moles checked by a dermatologist. I had no idea- my doctor did not prepare me for- what this excision would look like on my back. I did not envision my back looking like Freddy Krueger and his knife fingers got ahold of me in a nightmare:
That is almost an 8 inch cut. Yes, I would rather have that scar than cancer. But that doesn't mean that the shock of seeing that, not knowing what it would be like, shouldn't have been there, followed by tears coming from my eyes.
I share this because I hope to bring some awareness to this cancer. I think a lot of people generally think skin cancer is: you just remove a mole and you have a little circle off your skin. No big deal. But clearly, this is not the case. Plus, when I do a simple Google or Pinterest search, I really don't come across a whole lot of great info. I'm used to these search engines giving me so much info and personal stories on any given topic, that I can't even begin to read through it all. Not so much with "melanoma".
So I repeat: Get a full body scan from a dermatologist. Even if you have young children or teenagers- if you see a changing mole, go have it looked at. Most melanoma cases are diagnosed in the early twenties. Even children younger than teens are diagnosed with melanoma! It is the "Young People's" cancer.
After that, I had to lay still for about 45 minutes of CT scans, which gave them pictures of which lymph nodes the cancerous mole would drain to if the melanoma were to spread. **I am going to be honest here and say I didn't know that lymph nodes are all over your body. Each lymph node is the size of a grain of rice!**
Once they determined it was draining to the lymph nodes in my left armpit, the nurse marked the spot so the surgeon could remove 2 lymph nodes from that area for biopsy once I finally got into the OR later in the afternoon.
The good thing about my wide excision is that the surgeon was able to use internal stitches and cover it withSuper Glue Surgical Adhesive, which means less scarring. Oh, and I won't have any cancer in there. That too.
Remember: Early detection could save your life.
Yours truly,
T
I just want to take a moment, on the official "Melanoma Monday" which kicks off the Melanoma Awareness month of May, to reiterate the importance of protecting yourself while out in the sun, plus getting your moles checked by a dermatologist. I had no idea- my doctor did not prepare me for- what this excision would look like on my back. I did not envision my back looking like Freddy Krueger and his knife fingers got ahold of me in a nightmare:
That is almost an 8 inch cut. Yes, I would rather have that scar than cancer. But that doesn't mean that the shock of seeing that, not knowing what it would be like, shouldn't have been there, followed by tears coming from my eyes.
I share this because I hope to bring some awareness to this cancer. I think a lot of people generally think skin cancer is: you just remove a mole and you have a little circle off your skin. No big deal. But clearly, this is not the case. Plus, when I do a simple Google or Pinterest search, I really don't come across a whole lot of great info. I'm used to these search engines giving me so much info and personal stories on any given topic, that I can't even begin to read through it all. Not so much with "melanoma".
So I repeat: Get a full body scan from a dermatologist. Even if you have young children or teenagers- if you see a changing mole, go have it looked at. Most melanoma cases are diagnosed in the early twenties. Even children younger than teens are diagnosed with melanoma! It is the "Young People's" cancer.
Now that I have my public service announcement out there, let me tell you a bit more about surgery day. After checking in around 8 AM, my first stop was radiation for the lymph node biopsy. The nurse had me lay on my side while she injected dye into 4 different spots around the area with melanoma. (If you are a woman reading this who has gone through fertility testing and had to do the test of the fallopian tubes where they inject your tubes with dye- you understand the intense burning sensation of what this feels like.)
After that, I had to lay still for about 45 minutes of CT scans, which gave them pictures of which lymph nodes the cancerous mole would drain to if the melanoma were to spread. **I am going to be honest here and say I didn't know that lymph nodes are all over your body. Each lymph node is the size of a grain of rice!**
Once they determined it was draining to the lymph nodes in my left armpit, the nurse marked the spot so the surgeon could remove 2 lymph nodes from that area for biopsy once I finally got into the OR later in the afternoon.
The good thing about my wide excision is that the surgeon was able to use internal stitches and cover it with
Remember: Early detection could save your life.
Yours truly,
T
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