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Advise for 20 Year Old Patient
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Advise for 20 Year Old Patient

› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Advise for 20 Year Old Patient

  • Post
    • June 3, 2017 at 2:15 am
    waltonyoung
    Participant

      Hi everyone!

      My name is Patrick and I recently got diagnosed with melanoma, stage 2. I am 20 years old and kinda nervous about all of this. I cannot seem to wrap my head around what is happening. One day I was with my friends and the next day I am on crutches with a huge scar. I hardly get sun being in college, and always wear suncreen. My surgery went fine, and 12 staples later they safetly removed all of it on my shin. Its very painful and not something I ever want again. However, this does not seem to end. I had 2 more moles removed and they were atypical so they have to go in and punch them out. One of them is not even a high sun exposure spot, its in between my 3rd and 4th toe. I need advise on what to expect. Is there any technology or methods out there to keep track of my moles, because I am extremely freckely? Will my future just be painful surgery like the last? How should I best avoid repeating getting melanoma? How often does melanoma repeat in a patient that already has it? I am nervous because I am the first person in my family to get this. The scariest part to me is not the melanoma or anything its more so my age. I do not want my future to be surguries, shavings, and doctors. Any and all advise is welcome. 

      Thank you,

      Patrick

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    • Replies
        • June 3, 2017 at 3:06 am
        Shannon B
        Participant

          Is it a dermatologist who you are seeing? I would recommend a visit to an oncologist who specializes in Melanoma.

            • June 3, 2017 at 4:00 am
            jennunicorn
            Participant

              A dermatologist who specializes in skin cancer is the best doctor for you right now. Oncologists won't typically see patients that have low stages, as oncologists are there for later stage 3 and 4 folks to help with treatment plans and all of that. But, seeing a good derm who will do photos of existing moles and compare at each 3 month skin check appointment is the best you can do right now. You only need to remove moles that start changing. It is very likely you will never have another melanoma.

            • June 3, 2017 at 3:06 am
            SABKLYN
            Participant

              Hi Patrick,

              Sorry you're going through this, but the good news is your doctors appear to be all over it.  The best thing is to have regular follow-ups and make sure you're seeing a melanoma specialist.  You might want to ask if they are considering a sentinel node biopsy. This is a common practice that helps with more precise staging.  As for your other areas of development, common practice is to have pics taken by your dermatologist so they can compare on subsequent visits to assess if any freckles-moles change significantly.

              Many people ( though not the majority of early stage) with melanoma do have recurrences.  However, many new primaries can be dealt with by excision.  The important thing is to regularly see yourdermatologist.  Hang in there Patrick and keep us posted.

              Regards, 

              stan

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