Name: Lisa
Email:
Bio: I'm a vivacious wife and mother of 3 teenagers. I am also a Melanoma in-situ & Stage 1A survivor. If you want to know more about me, go to my 'About Me' page. ♥
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Posts Tagged ‘Cancer’
My surgery went well on September 16th, 2011. I bled more than normal, but I’m all good now. I will be able to resume my water aerobics on October 3rd. 
I had to immediately stop taking the Accutane, because it was putting too much pressure on my brain. Once I was able to wake up without headaches for 3 straight days then I had to go back on the Accutane, just in a lower dose. I will most likely be on the Accutane for 5 months or so.
I received the 2nd biopsy report this past Friday. It was all clear. However, the doctor said that we have to be aggressive from now on with my moles. I would rather be aggressive now before anything life threatening shows up later.
I now have monthly appointments with my skin cancer doctor, which gives me some comfort knowing that I am being watched closely.
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Loading ...Yesterday my son Alec came up to me to show me an essay he wrote for one of his classes. As I read his words, I had to fight back tears. I knew he was deeply affected by the news of my skin cancers, but reading his words pierced through my heart. My son went from a 4.0 GPA to a 2.78 GPA in two years. Alec had ambitions of being a Neurosurgeon or a Cardiac surgeon. Now, I am not sure what his ambitions are.
Here is his essay:
Not many people may realize, but in every city, town, school there is a story to be told by the unknown faces we encounter in our daily lives. Our world is a virtual library of stories untold, hidden and kept in secret. When I look around my classroom, I don’t see faces or names; I see books that have yet to be read. Our lives are an unfolding library of stories that are being bound together to create a journey. Each person has a unique story to be told; the story of their life.
In my sixteen years of life, there’s a lot to be told. However, the memory that stands out to me, the one that I will never forget in my years of living, will be the day I found out my mother had cancer. I thought such a thing would never happen to me. Cancer is such a scary word when you first hear it. It floods your mind with images and things you’ve heard on T.V. It floods your brain with death and fear. At first, I didn’t know how to comprehend what my parents had just sat down and told my sisters and me; there was no way for me to collect my thoughts. I was left in the dark, not knowing what to feel, what to think. Then it hit me. Like the time I got in a car accident a few years back; first, you feel a jerking motion, then the confusion sets in and time seems to go slower. When it’s all over, you sit back for a moment, and realize you were just in a collision, and that’s when the panic strikes. For days, I went on without feeling any sign of panic from what I had just learned about my mother. However, when it finally did hit me, it was as if someone had punched me in the gut, and my breath was stolen from me. Tears poured down my face uncontrollably; I sat there feeling useless. Fortunately, I was home in my room when it all happened. I can still remember feeling as if I lost control of every movement in my body. All I could do was cry, all I wanted to do was cry. It seemed like an eternity as I sat there useless, not able to do anything but cry.
In the weeks following, I tried my best to gather the pieces of the broken puzzle into which my heart had transformed. It was the hardest thing to sit in class and force all my emotions into a glass bottle with the lid vacuum-sealed and hope that the bottle did not burst. To try and act as if everything in your life is fine, ordinary; to hide behind a mask glued to your face; to lie to my friends and say “I’m fine, really. Just tired is all” was a task that was constantly approached on a daily basis; it became more of a chore than a task.
Skin cancer may sound minor in comparison to the medical terms ‘brain tumor’ or ‘heart surgery’ but a new meaning is perceived when you put the word ‘melanoma’ in the phrase. The picture changed as I began researching. The horror that consumed me can only be described as a constant battle between worry and fear. Melanoma skin cancer is the deadliest and least treatable skin cancer when it is not caught early. Hours seemed as if they were minutes, while seconds seemed to cease. The images ate away at my brain and latched onto my thoughts, as well as my subconscious. It was like a parasite, invading my head, a parasite whose only purpose was to make my life as miserable as possible. There was absolutely no way for me to relax without any worrisome thoughts drifting around in the vast space of my mind.
My mind is a place that is alien to anyone but me, a place where only I can find sanctuary, a place that I can find myself. However, this parasite intruded into my mind, and I lost my sanctuary, my safe house. My memory was left scarred from the day my parents informed me about the cancer. That memory is a scab, that once was an open wound that was left festering and infected my head with panic and terror. To this day, I am overcome by my emotions and, occasionally, I breakdown. My life is a story that is at its end of chapter sixteen, a story that has barley begun; a story that is scribed in pen. It is only one story that quietly shares the massive library that shelves the books of tens of millions of others.
If I’m diagnosed with my 3rd Melanoma and it’s worse than Stage 1A…how do I tell my children? How the hell do I tell them?
(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 1) Loading ...
Being in limbo is the worst place to be in any situation. When you are waiting for a biopsy report, it can seem like an eternity. I am currently waiting on a biopsy report on this hard black spot that I found inside a mole.
This mole is only 2cm from my Stage 1A Invasive Melanoma scar and about 2 inches from the actual tumor site. Making this a possible local recurrent Melanoma.
When I spotted this black speck inside of a mole I’ve had for years, I thought maybe it was a dried up blood clot or an ingrown hair or even a splinter. But, when I ripped the top off this slightly raised mole and tried to pull the black spot out, it was attached like it had a root. It also was hard as a rock and did not move. The top of this black spot seemed to be crater like, possibly ulcerated.
I’ve been trying like hell to remain positive and upbeat about this, but the longer it takes to get the results the deeper my fear grows. Back in July I tweeted about a gut feeling I had that wouldn’t go away. My gut feeling was I will be fighting a long and hard battle soon (referring to my skin cancer). I am praying that I am wrong.
I am not a doctor nor a pathologist, but this black spot looks ominous to me. If this thing is a Melanoma, it will be my 3rd one in 3 years. My first one was in 2009, and my 2nd one in 2010.
All I can do right now is pray that I caught it early.
Staging
Revised 2002
Also of importance are the “Clark level” and “Breslow’s depth” which refer to the microscopic depth of tumor invasion.
Melanoma stages:Stage 0: Melanoma in Situ (Clark Level I), 99.9% Survival
Stage I/II: Invasive Melanoma, 85–99% Survival
T1a: Less than 1.00 mm primary tumor thickness, w/o Ulceration and mitosis < 1/mm2
T1b: Less than 1.00 mm primary tumor thickness, w/Ulceration or mitoses ≥ 1/mm2
T2a: 1.00–2.00 mm primary tumor thickness, w/o UlcerationStage II: High Risk Melanoma, 40–85% Survival
T2b: 1.00–2.00 mm primary tumor thickness, w/ Ulceration
T3a: 2.00–4.00 mm primary tumor thickness, w/o Ulceration
T3b: 2.00–4.00 mm primary tumor thickness, w/ Ulceration
T4a: 4.00 mm or greater primary tumor thickness w/o Ulceration
T4b: 4.00 mm or greater primary tumor thickness w/ UlcerationStage III: Regional Metastasis, 25–60% Survival
N1: Single Positive Lymph Node
N2: 2–3 Positive Lymph Nodes OR Regional Skin/In-Transit Metastasis
N3: 4 Positive Lymph Nodes OR Lymph Node and Regional Skin/In Transit MetastasesStage IV: Distant Metastasis, 9–15% Survival
M1a: Distant Skin Metastasis, Normal LDH
M1b: Lung Metastasis, Normal LDH
M1c: Other Distant Metastasis OR Any Distant Metastasis with Elevated LDHBased Upon AJCC 5-Year Survival With Proper Treatment
(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 1) Loading ...This song is my life right now…I love you Bruce. I’m a strong and feisty woman, but some days Bruce has to be the strong and feisty one for me.
I am scared to death that I won’t have the privilege to watch my 3 children graduate, marry, and have babies of their own. I am forever grateful to Bruce for taking such excellent care of me and not making me feel like a burden. When you are told you have Cancer…your whole world stops. I know how difficult it is for me to handle, but I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for Bruce and the kids. They are my rock, my world, my life and they are the reasons I fight to beat this Cancer every day.
(4 votes, average: 1.00 out of 1) Loading ...8:30 am: you walk into the doctor’s office to register
8:45 am: the nurse tells you it is going to be ok
9:00 am: you are put into a hospital gown
10:00 am: you are jabbed over 10 times with a needle to freeze the entire area
10:15 am: you see your doctor look at you with fear
10:16 am: you have a hole sliced into you
10:25 am: your stitched up
10:30 am: your doctor tells you can leave, they will have results in 10 days
Day 2:
8:00 am to 12:00pm: you wonder whats going to happen
Day 3:
8:00 am to 12:00pm: you wonder whats going to happen
Day 4:
8:00 am to 12:00pm: you wonder whats going to happen
Day 5:
8:00 am to 12:00pm: you wonder whats going to happen
Day 6:
8:00 am to 12:00pm: you wonder whats going to happen
Day 7:
8:00 am to 12:00pm: you wonder whats going to happen
Day 8:
8:00 am to 12:00pm: you wonder whats going to happen
Day 9:
8:00 am to 12:00pm: you wonder whats going to happen
Day 10:
8:00 am- you walk into your doctors office
8:05 am: doctor tells you she has some bad news
8:06 am: your doctor tells you you have Stage 1A Invasive Malignant Melanoma
8:07 am: You wonder how this is possible
8:08 am: Your doctor books you an appointment for the next week
Next Week:
8:00am: you are laying on the bed in the operating room–but your not going to be sleeping through this
8:05 am: doctor comes in to tell you about procedure
8:10 am: your jabbed by 25 needles to freeze the area down far enough, but you still can feel the razor blade cutting into you. While tears are streaming down your face from the pain & fear, you carefully let the doctor know that you are NOT numb in the area where she is slicing
8:15 am: Doctor cuts out a huge hole in you
8:25 am: doctor stitches you up
8:30 am : you get dressed
8:35 am: stitches are so tight you can’t move, every time you do it pulls the stitches
8:40 am: you sleep
1:30 pm: you wake up with a gashing pain in your abdomen
1:30 pm Monday to 1:30 pm Monday 2 weeks later, you wonder how this could have happened to you.
The rest of your life: you spend more time in hospitals and doctors offices then in your own home….every time a mole is there you are cut open and sewn back up, every time you look in the mirror you see the ugly large scar everyday.
My Melanoma could have been prevented.
(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 1) Loading ...Melanoma is known as “the most lethal form of skin cancer” because it accounts for 77% of all deaths from skin cancer. Melanoma can spread rapidly – and with the exception of some rare forms of skin cancer — it is the skin cancer most likely to spread to lymph nodes and internal organs. Melanoma also may recur (return after treatment).
For these reasons, everyone treated for melanoma should continue a lifetime of regular:
- Examinations by a dermatologist
- Self-examinations of their skin
About Recurrence
Should melanoma return, it will recur in one of these ways:
- Local recurrence. Melanoma that develops in or near the site where the primary melanoma was completely removed is called “local recurrence.” Recurrence is often an indication that the tumor has metastasized. Patients who have locally recurrent melanoma after the primary tumor has been removed have a low rate of survival. Local recurrence can occur months to years after surgical removal of the primary tumor.
- Second primary. A “second primary” is defined as a new melanoma that develops at another site on the patient’s body either simultaneously or after complete removal of the primary tumor. All patients who have had melanoma are at risk of developing a second primary. This risk increases if you have atypical moles (dysplastic nevi) or a family history of melanoma.It is vital that anyone who has had melanoma continue self-examinations and see a dermatologist for regular full-body skin examinations as often as prescribed. Early detection increases the likelihood that the second primary will be detected when it is in an early and curable stage.
- Recurrence at a distant site. Recurrence at a distant site is known as “metastatic melanoma,” which means the cancer has spread.
About Metastasis
Metastasis is a risk for anyone who has been treated for melanoma. However, when the primary melanoma (original tumor) is thin (less than 1 millimeter in thickness), surgical removal offers a complete cure in 95% of patients because the melanoma tends to be confined to the top layers of skin and is not likely to spread. This does not mean that you can be lax about self-examinations and checkups. Since 5% of thin melanomas are not completely cured, it is extremely important to perform regular self-examinations of your skin and lymph nodes and keep all appointments for checkups.
When your physician suspects that the melanoma may have spread, diagnostic testing will be conducted to determine if the cancer has spread and to where. Tests used to determine if melanoma has spread include blood tests, x-rays, and other imaging studies. Your dermatologist or oncologist will determine which diagnostic tests are needed.
When melanoma cells spread from the primary tumor, they first pass through the lymph channel nearest the melanoma. Once melanoma has spread to the regional lymph nodes (nodes nearest the tumor), there is a risk that the melanoma will spread to distant sites (other lymph nodes and organs). Once melanoma has spread to distant sites, it is in stage IV. Treatment in stage IV may include selective surgical excision, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, the prognosis is poor, and organ failure often causes death. It is important to know that some people do survive stage IV melanoma.
In stage IV, melanoma can metastasize to organs in nearly every part of the body. However, cancer cells do not randomly shoot off in all directions. Each type of cancer (breast, pancreatic, etc.) has a strong likelihood of spreading to certain sites more often than others. The following table shows what organs melanoma is most likely to travel to once it spreads.
|
Organ |
Likelihood of |
| Skin (other areas of the skin), subcutaneous tissue and lymph nodes | 50-75% |
| Lungs and area between the lungs | 70-87% |
| Liver | 54-77% |
| Brain | 36-54% |
| Bone | 23-49% |
| Gastrointestinal tract | 26-58% |
| Heart | 40-45% |
| Pancreas | 38-53% |
| Adrenal glands | 36-54% |
| Kidneys | 35-48% |
| Thyroid | 25-39% |
Why Melanoma Spreads to Specific Organs
While scientists know where melanoma is most likely to spread, it is not clear why different cancers are more likely to metastasize to specific sites. Scientists have three hypotheses:
- Cancerous cells indiscriminately colonize at any distant site, but multiply only in those sites that have appropriate cellular growth factors
- Cancerous cells become “glued” to specific sites
- Cancerous cells are selectively attracted to specific sites by organ-specific molecules — a process called “chemoattraction”
A study published in March 2001 analyzed breast cancer and melanoma because both cancers tend to spread to the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and bone. Researchers found that organ-specific chemoattractive molecules called “chemokines” are released from various organs and tend to attract circulating cancer cells to metastasize to a specific site. Melanoma’s tendency of spreading to the skin correlated with the presence of a skin-specific chemokine and a high level of corresponding chemokine receptors in melanoma cells. The researchers found that the melanoma cells had many more chemokine receptors than the cells not affected by cancer.
Why Follow-up Examinations So Important
It is important for patients to know that melanoma can spread “silently,” meaning that the patient does not experience symptoms. This makes follow-up examinations vital. Be sure to perform regular self-examinations of your skin and lymph nodes as instructed and keep all dermatologic appointments for follow-up examinations.
(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 1) Loading ...This post is dedicated to all of the Melanoma patients, victims and survivors. It’s dedicated to the family, friends and co-workers who are your cheerleaders and number one fans. It’s dedicated to the people who are taking action against cancer by raising money, baking cookies or walking 5k in the rain to raise awareness and funds. It’s dedicated to the scientist who spends endless hours testing thousands of samples in a lab hoping for one strain of a minuscule marine sponge can cure the agony of millions. It’s dedicated to an ordinary person who buys one single t-shirt for skin cancer awareness and unknowingly educates others about an awful disease.
Melanoma, or any other cancer, is a huge hurdle that forever changes your life. Words can’t express how much strength, courage and bravery it must take to deal with all of the physical and emotional baggage that cancer brings. You are all heroes and today is the day we recognize your battle. So here’s to you, Melanoma victim survivor, keep the fight alive and beat Melanoma… while beating the beat, of course.
Sitting in Dr. Nash's office waiting for another mole mapping
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