› Forums › General Melanoma Community › 34 weeks pregnant – newly diagnosed Stage 1A
- This topic has 18 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 4 months ago by
ashley_k.
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- July 13, 2015 at 3:10 am
I was notified about the melanoma July 1st and this process feels like a rollar coaster. I have not seen the dermatolgoist since I had the biopsy done June 25th and I'm scheduled for more surgery to remove more skin July 23rd and the melanona was/is on the stomach between my breasts and belly button.
1) Is it normal to wonder if I could have more melanoma other places on my body? The dermatologist only removed this one mole because it did not look like the others.
2) Would it be within my rights to ask the dermatologist to remove more moles at that time to rule out anything suspicous?
Unfortunately I will be 36.5 weeks pregnant at the time of the wide local skin removal surgery and there is concern about the dermatologist not being able to close the site afterwards because my stomach is so stretched out. The OB is concerned about if she opens the inscision during labor or a c-section (I am not planning on a c-section).
The high risk maternal fetal medicine doctor recommends they do NOT do the wide local incision to remove the skin until after the baby is born and he wants me to be induced at 38 weeks (baby is full term at 37 weeks). However the OB saw the site again and is comfortable with the dermatologist taking the skin out (on the stomach).
The dermatologist told me that the pathology report states that they believe that all of the melanoma came off of me when the biposy was performed. It was .34mm thick (so pretty thin) and very slow growing. However, protocol dictates they remove more skin around the site.
Every doctor I have spoken with has stated that there are only a handful of cases where melanoma has passed to the baby, but because they have brought this up so frequently, it has started to freak me out.
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- July 13, 2015 at 4:10 am
Sorry this has to mess with what should be a most exciting and joyful part of your life. To put you mind at rest, while mel can spread to the fetus, it is still very rare and has only occured in late stage IV patients. Your placenta can be checked for metastasis, but with your very early stage melanoma are almost 99% NOT going to have any problems.
Pregnancy aside, after the wide excision, only skin checks would be the normal course of follow up for your stage. You may never have another one, even though your risk is increased.
Janner has a great board for early stage melanoma paitents.
You can probably wait the few weeks without any problems. Enjoy becoming a mom.
KK
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- July 13, 2015 at 4:10 am
Sorry this has to mess with what should be a most exciting and joyful part of your life. To put you mind at rest, while mel can spread to the fetus, it is still very rare and has only occured in late stage IV patients. Your placenta can be checked for metastasis, but with your very early stage melanoma are almost 99% NOT going to have any problems.
Pregnancy aside, after the wide excision, only skin checks would be the normal course of follow up for your stage. You may never have another one, even though your risk is increased.
Janner has a great board for early stage melanoma paitents.
You can probably wait the few weeks without any problems. Enjoy becoming a mom.
KK
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- July 13, 2015 at 4:10 am
Sorry this has to mess with what should be a most exciting and joyful part of your life. To put you mind at rest, while mel can spread to the fetus, it is still very rare and has only occured in late stage IV patients. Your placenta can be checked for metastasis, but with your very early stage melanoma are almost 99% NOT going to have any problems.
Pregnancy aside, after the wide excision, only skin checks would be the normal course of follow up for your stage. You may never have another one, even though your risk is increased.
Janner has a great board for early stage melanoma paitents.
You can probably wait the few weeks without any problems. Enjoy becoming a mom.
KK
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- July 14, 2015 at 1:07 pm
being pregnant and having melanoma can be a highly emotional time and it doesn't sound like you are in expert hands at all. I have been there and all is well. I had the wide excision and skiin graft under a local and refused pain meds except tylenol. For low risk melanoma there is no worry of spread of melanoma to baby or to your other organs. Low risk is low risk. This isn't a high risk pregnancy, but a normal one, they need to treat it like it is. Can you get to a melanoma center of excellence where they will be calmer about this?
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- July 14, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Try this resource for a melanoma center: http://melanomainternational.org/web-resources/cancer-centers/#.VaU8lPlViko
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- July 14, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Try this resource for a melanoma center: http://melanomainternational.org/web-resources/cancer-centers/#.VaU8lPlViko
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- July 14, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Try this resource for a melanoma center: http://melanomainternational.org/web-resources/cancer-centers/#.VaU8lPlViko
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- July 14, 2015 at 1:07 pm
being pregnant and having melanoma can be a highly emotional time and it doesn't sound like you are in expert hands at all. I have been there and all is well. I had the wide excision and skiin graft under a local and refused pain meds except tylenol. For low risk melanoma there is no worry of spread of melanoma to baby or to your other organs. Low risk is low risk. This isn't a high risk pregnancy, but a normal one, they need to treat it like it is. Can you get to a melanoma center of excellence where they will be calmer about this?
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- July 14, 2015 at 1:07 pm
being pregnant and having melanoma can be a highly emotional time and it doesn't sound like you are in expert hands at all. I have been there and all is well. I had the wide excision and skiin graft under a local and refused pain meds except tylenol. For low risk melanoma there is no worry of spread of melanoma to baby or to your other organs. Low risk is low risk. This isn't a high risk pregnancy, but a normal one, they need to treat it like it is. Can you get to a melanoma center of excellence where they will be calmer about this?
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- July 15, 2015 at 10:05 am
I also had melanoma during pregnancy; however, mine was in my nodes. At 24 weeks I had a total lymph node dissection. I had bimonthly ultra sounds to check the placenta. Nothing showed up and my now 7 month boy is as healthy as can be! I was induced at 37 weeks to begin treatment. Pregnancy is such a high anxiety time and receiving a diagnosis like this can be scary. Just be confident in whatever decision you and your doctors make.
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- July 31, 2015 at 2:11 am
I just had my baby last September. A couple months after she was born a routine xray found out that melanoma came back in my lungs (original diagnosis was IIIA in 2008).I also had 2 moles removed at the end of pregnancy and they waited until after I gave birth to do the wide excisions. Both moles were okay, but I still found out I had lung mets anyway. I’m currently trying different treatments, but being pregnant & having my baby girl was so amazing! I’m still breastfeeding her currently (shes 10 months old) I need to try another treatment but ebetything has been stable sunce she was born, so they r scanning me evety few months. So ill keep enjoying life, my baby, & bteadtfeeding until the dr says i sbould start the next treatment.
Be diligent for the baby, but also enjoy the most awesome miracle in ur life! Congratulations mama!
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- July 31, 2015 at 2:11 am
I just had my baby last September. A couple months after she was born a routine xray found out that melanoma came back in my lungs (original diagnosis was IIIA in 2008).I also had 2 moles removed at the end of pregnancy and they waited until after I gave birth to do the wide excisions. Both moles were okay, but I still found out I had lung mets anyway. I’m currently trying different treatments, but being pregnant & having my baby girl was so amazing! I’m still breastfeeding her currently (shes 10 months old) I need to try another treatment but ebetything has been stable sunce she was born, so they r scanning me evety few months. So ill keep enjoying life, my baby, & bteadtfeeding until the dr says i sbould start the next treatment.
Be diligent for the baby, but also enjoy the most awesome miracle in ur life! Congratulations mama!
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- July 31, 2015 at 2:11 am
I just had my baby last September. A couple months after she was born a routine xray found out that melanoma came back in my lungs (original diagnosis was IIIA in 2008).I also had 2 moles removed at the end of pregnancy and they waited until after I gave birth to do the wide excisions. Both moles were okay, but I still found out I had lung mets anyway. I’m currently trying different treatments, but being pregnant & having my baby girl was so amazing! I’m still breastfeeding her currently (shes 10 months old) I need to try another treatment but ebetything has been stable sunce she was born, so they r scanning me evety few months. So ill keep enjoying life, my baby, & bteadtfeeding until the dr says i sbould start the next treatment.
Be diligent for the baby, but also enjoy the most awesome miracle in ur life! Congratulations mama!
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- July 15, 2015 at 10:05 am
I also had melanoma during pregnancy; however, mine was in my nodes. At 24 weeks I had a total lymph node dissection. I had bimonthly ultra sounds to check the placenta. Nothing showed up and my now 7 month boy is as healthy as can be! I was induced at 37 weeks to begin treatment. Pregnancy is such a high anxiety time and receiving a diagnosis like this can be scary. Just be confident in whatever decision you and your doctors make.
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- July 15, 2015 at 10:05 am
I also had melanoma during pregnancy; however, mine was in my nodes. At 24 weeks I had a total lymph node dissection. I had bimonthly ultra sounds to check the placenta. Nothing showed up and my now 7 month boy is as healthy as can be! I was induced at 37 weeks to begin treatment. Pregnancy is such a high anxiety time and receiving a diagnosis like this can be scary. Just be confident in whatever decision you and your doctors make.
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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