Newly diagnosed

Hi Nicoleg, I was diagnonosed with a 9mm Malignant Melanoma in 1997. It was on my right arm, in the area just above the elbow and before the shoulder. I had the Melanoma removed and the usual blood work and tests that are used to follow the treatment. Every thing was fine until June of this year. one day as I was bathing, I found a mass under my right armpit. Sure enough, it was the dreaded Melanoma. It had spread to my lymph nodes. On July the 22, I had surgery to remove the lymph nodes, there were about 40 in that area. Of all the ones removed there were 3 that had the cancer in them. I am to begin Interferon treatments sometime in the next week. My best advice to you, is to always be aware of your body. As I am sure your Doctors have adviced you, always look at any moles that you have, and look for new ones as well. Check for changes in them, such as color, size, scaling, itching, and so forth. After that always check your body for lumps and bumps, especially in the areas that contain your lymph nodes. I want to finish this by saying that, my melanoma was 9mm to begin with. I went for 5 years before this spread to my lymph nodes. I found this on my own, which my Doctor says usually happens in most cases. So I guess my best advice to you, is to be aware of any changes in your body, whether it be moles or lumps and bumps. I am scared myself, because after 5 years I thought that I was pretty much in the clear. I was told when the first Melanoma was removed that a melanoma of that thickness was usually 85-90% cureable, and that it does'nt usually spread. I just happen to be one of the few people that has a spread with a melanoma of that thickness. Just be encouraged and know that there is hope and stay in constant contact with your Doctors, because as I have said, We know our bodies better than anyone, so we know to look for the changes on the outside, but of course there is no way to know of the ones that could occur on the inside. I wish you the very best and hope that I have said something to comfort you in your difficult and scarey time. Just trust in God and Believe and hang in there. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Best of luck to you.
Penny

Wow! I can identify. I'm in a similar situation. We didn't ask to be new to melanoma but here we are. When I was diagnosed in June, I was a mess. The biopsy was positive but they still had not removed the spot, nor were they sure of the prognosis. I was dealing with the fear of the unknown. (and yes I felt 'down') Friends, family and time alone helped. I had to live life by 'putting one foot in front of the other'. Easier said than done.
I, too, am fortunate they caught the melanoma early but have been advised it is likely to reoccur. So I've learned to focus on changing what I can in life (regular check ups by both myself and my health care team, sun screen, my attitude) and letting go the parts I can not control (recurrance, prognosis). I re-read Lance Armstrong's book last month, "It's Not About the Bike". (I highly recommend it ). One of his lessons when he was diagnosed with cancer was to develop a tolerance for ambiguity. He was use to a yes-no world and cancer taught him how to deal with the grey, or as you put it the "speculation and anticpation".
I wish you the best of health as we continue this jouney.
Heather

I continue to work out, read work and spend time with my loved ones. I go in for my regular check-ups, but in reality, I don't feel physically any different than I did prior to finding out I had melanoma. I now simply have have more information about my body than I did before.