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. ♥
CeciliaSimon & Garfunkel4 days ago
Love Ain't No StrangerWhitesnake4 days ago
Get This Party StartedPink4 days ago
Posts Tagged ‘Moles’
My biopsy came back being mildly dysplastic with clear margins. Another bad mole bites the dust.
The more bad moles removed the better. Dysplastic means the mole cellular structure is changing. These dysplastic moles are the ones that tend to become cancerous. Clear margins mean they removed it all. I have had 28 moles removed since October 2009. 2 were Melanoma’s, 13 were dysplastic, 1 was inconclusive, and 12 were normal.
I will be having my blood drawn soon for my genetic testing. I’m slightly antsy about this, but then I think about my kids and I know I am doing the right thing. My children ARE my universe.
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.
(2 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 ...
October 2004
October 2008
August 2010
If I only knew then when I was 16 about Melanoma and what my future would hold…
My scars are beautiful! They tell a story of everything I’ve been through, and of how brave and strong I am!
Please take the time to watch the video below…it is so very important!!
(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 1) Loading ...Good news…my results came back, no Melanomas. All 3 moles were dysplastic AKA atypical (meaning the cells were changing – more prone to become Melanomas). So thus far 26 moles removed with 12 being normal moles, 12 being dysplastic moles, and 2 being Melanoma’s. It’s a good thing I am staying on top of them.
(4 votes, average: 1.00 out of 1) Loading ...I’m a hot mess!! Recently I’ve been diagnosed as severely deficient in Vitamin D and we are now waiting on the lab results to find out where my Vitamin B12 levels are. Since I had to have my Ileum removed in June of 2010 due to a tumor on the Ileum, my body no longer can absorb the Vitamin B12. I will have to have Vitamin B12 shots for the rest of my life.
So now I am taking 50,000 units of Vitamin D once a week for 12 weeks, then I drop to 2,000 units a day for the rest of my life. At the end of August my doctor will run more lab work again to see where my Vitamin D levels are, just to make sure my body is absorbing what I am taking in.
All this plus waiting for my 3 mole biopsies to come back has me more than frustrated. I’m praying that the Halo mole that was removed is not a malignant Melanoma.
A Halo Mole (Halo Nevus) is visible as a white halo effect around a brown spot or mole — can also be associated with melanoma. In these cases, the brown spot seems to be disappearing, but actually the body is attacking the mole or a more lethal process is actually under way — the melanoma is digging deeper leaving less of it on the surface.
I am a woman who is always so full of life and vigor but with all my health issues I’m struggling lately. Just when I think I can catch my breath…BAM, I’m dealing with another health issue.
I can’t even go into all my heartbreaks this year or I will break down sobbing. This has been a very harsh year thus far for me. I can only pray that good will come my way to heal my body and my heart.
(5 votes, average: 1.00 out of 1) Loading ...I hope those who know me or who are reading my blog for various reason learn one thing from me. That is to be good to your skin and to love it. Don’t misuse your skin by going into the tanning beds or laying out in the sun without sunscreen on. The damage you do to your skin may not show up for several years down the road. If you want a tan, use the sunless tanning lotions.
I had 3 more moles taken off today…that makes a total of 26 moles removed since October of 2009. Now we wait for the biopsies to come back. One of the moles she said was worrisome as it had a halo around it. A halo around a mole may mean the immune system recognizing a Melanoma. This is a life long battle that I just have to stay on top of.
I already have 2 large Melanoma scars along with 24 scoop scars from where they had to remove a mole for biopsy. My scars are my daily reminder of my mistreatment of my skin. So love your skin and your skin will love you for it.
(3 votes, average: 1.00 out of 1) Loading ...