Not yet diagnosed

AlwaysAlive
AlwaysAlive Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Skin Cancer #1
Hello everyone, i am 25 male. I have not yet been diagnosed with Melanoma. my biobsy is in a month. but based on one mole that i have on my body that truley fits the ABCD-rule i came to conclusion that i have the disease. my problem is that i became aware of the danger that mole represent just very recently .. therefore you can imagine that i had that mole for a long time without myself knowing what it was. i hear Melanoma spreads within weeks, can i assume that once diagnosed i will fall into the categary of the late-stages (Stage IV etc.) i am of the middle eastern origin, i practice a lot of sports and am rarlely outdoor (sun)

thanks for any comments

Comments

  • wweller
    wweller Member Posts: 1
    #2
    DO not "assume" anything. The decision of what stage your Melanoma is in, if that is what you have depends on rather or not it has spread to your lymph nodes, and than rather it has spread anywhere else in your body. Also, somtimes melanoma spreads fast, somtimes it doesnt. It is very unpredictable. Why are you waiting a month for the biopsy? The sooner the better.
  • Carvs
    Carvs Member Posts: 30
    #3
    I would get the biopsy ASAP but many people have atypical moles which are NOT melanoma. Non-melanoma skin cancers are more common than melanoma and benign atypical moles are common. Any suspicious lesion warrants a trip to a dermatologist and a biopsy but try not to assume the worse.

    I am including a link to a great site with many different links to information about melanoma.

    http://exlibris.colgate.edu/staff/fg/melanoma/

    By the way, I have nodular melanoma which was misdiagnosed and not removed for over 20 years. I am stage III but am doing fine so even if it's melanoma there is plenty of room for hope. Take care, Carver
  • GADzynes
    GADzynes Member Posts: 1
    #4
    Since it is now August, I would hope you have had the biopsy and know what you are dealing with. I had a mole that did not fit the ABCD style; however, when the top came off, I knew I had to get to the doctor. He biopsied it in April and behold, melanoma. Surgery followed a week later with a complete right axillary lymph dissection. I then was told I had suspicious spots on both lungs. June 30th they were biopsied only to find that they are metastatic melanoma. Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma....I am in a good place, near a clinical trial location. I am hoping to begin high dose interleukin-2 later this month. Hope everything goes well for you.
  • Heider
    Heider Member Posts: 24 Member
    #5
    GADzynes said:

    Since it is now August, I would hope you have had the biopsy and know what you are dealing with. I had a mole that did not fit the ABCD style; however, when the top came off, I knew I had to get to the doctor. He biopsied it in April and behold, melanoma. Surgery followed a week later with a complete right axillary lymph dissection. I then was told I had suspicious spots on both lungs. June 30th they were biopsied only to find that they are metastatic melanoma. Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma....I am in a good place, near a clinical trial location. I am hoping to begin high dose interleukin-2 later this month. Hope everything goes well for you.

    I, too, had a suspicious mole. I was undergoing chemotherapy for metastatic colon cancer at the time, so I just wanted to finish up with that. After I finished my chemo I went to the dermatologist and had it checked out. He excised it right away and within 2 days I new it was a malignant melanoma. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I called my oncologist and he set me up with a dermatologist at Mayo who removed more tissue. The pathology reports came back great. There was no spread. So now I am a 2 cancer survivor.
  • tomsteve
    tomsteve Member Posts: 4
    #6
    by now you've probaply been through a lot.thinking the worst forANYTHING is giving up without a fight.i'm 39, stage 3c, had wide excision surgery, axillary surgery(took out lymph nodes under arm), started interfuron treatment and had that stopped due to a tumor forming under my arm. had surgery on nov 10 again in both spots and have to see my oncologist in a few weeks for treatment options. staying in today,enjoying life, and leaving my medical stuff in the hands of the docs and god help me get through it. keep your chin up!!!!!

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