Any happy ending for stage 1a?

Yes Dave, there is hope! Just turn your gaze to all the good outcomes and you will see your happy ending began right after your surgery ended! The odds are forever in your favor that you will not seen melanoma in your body again.  

I say this a year after my diagnosis, 2A, and it took a while to learn all about the different types and stages of the disease. It took a while to get over the shock and disfigurement a graft on the face produces.  I can now say I am so grateful I found it early and had it removed. I am finally happy and free of the fears you described. Thanks to Celeste for a quote she shared…paraphrased here- my scar is not ugly, my scar is proof that I survived; I plan on living my life with the awareness that I received the gift OF MORE LIFE to live!

Be well and happy my friend. There is sunshine after the hurricane! 

Hey Dave.

yes!!   there is hope…there is hope for all stages of melanoma due to huge progress in treatments. 

I will share a great piece of advice I got when I first joined the group…completely overwhelmed and scared. My young son was diagnosed with Stage 3a in February and I was crying almost every minute of everyday. 

There are thousands of people that survive….they really do. And some of them for whatever their reasons do not check back and check in or report how well they are doing. Maybe it’s because they are afraid to look back and relive their melanoma journey or perhaps they are just busy living life to the fullest like they should be!!!!!! 

We are very lucky for the wonderful people on here that stick with it and provide support for people new to this world. 

Hang in there and think positive thoughts!!!! Thars halfvthe battle!!! 

Kelly 🙂

 

Happy endings?  They're out living life.  Why would any stage 1a person be posting 1 year, 5 years or 10 years after diagnosis?  Melanoma isn't the foremost thing in their mind.  Cruising the internet at stage 1a isn't a good idea.  The internet is NOT representative of the entire melanoma population.  The "exceptions" come back.  No diagnosis is 100% but if you're dealing with melanoma again, you'll likely show up on a site like this.  If you're in the majority of the 95+% of stage 1a who don't recur, why post?  I've been on this site over 17 years and I cannot tell you the number of early stagers who post terrified, but later move on.

Janner

Stage 1B since 1992, 3 MM primaries.

Hi Dave, “yes” there is hope for “All” of us Stagers, you particularly (and some others here) are very lucky to be 1A “today”, todays advancements in Melanoma research & “warfare” have gained progress in the past 10 years.
You might wanna start a blog or a Website called the OneAye’rs?? Or, just stick around and make yourself feel better with all our stage 3 & 4 stories of survival (and some sad stories) and learn all you can cuz this Mel bug still has a chance to be with you for the rest of your days…thats the reality of Melanoma, sneaky lil bastards…Mike

Stage 1b'r here.  I too was in a VERY dark place for about 3 months after diagnosis largely because educating myself on the internet scared me to death in the process.  I am not a weak person..I've lived 3 years knowing I have a brain aneurysm and never skipped a beat.  Some say it's the "c" word.  It's sneaky.  It doesn't play fair.  

There is no dr that is going to tell you that you will never see melanoma again.  There is no crystal ball to predict your future.  But at a 1a, there is a 97% chance there will be no recurrence or spread.   There's just a 10% chance you will develop a new primary..unless you have a genetic disposition which is rare.  If you are where I was, you are obsessing over the 3% and the 10%.   I can tell you right now, there's not a dern thing you can do about any of it other than monitor yourself, practice safe sun exposure practices, have a medical team you can trust and have some faith.  That's it.  Stress and anxiety are NOT going to change anything and it will hurt your overall health.  At some point you will realize this and see that your not living your life and that you're worried about something that may never happen.  Further, you sorta feel guilty because you are so much better off in your diagnosis than many on this very site,  I get it..100%.  Fear of the unknown is real no matter what stage.    Find comfort that the odds are in your favor and that you are doing all you can do for your well being.  I'm a Christian and leaned on His word to help me greatly. 

One other thing…Janner,that commented on your post earlier, I have never had the privilege to speak to her directly but I looked up her posts numerous times to read and re-read.  She was an educated voice of reason and hope when I was struggling.  Several people on this site are.  

Prayers for peace of mind and good health. 

 

Hi, Dave – I'm in about the same place as you are right now.  (My "depressed haze" has me up at 3 AM, looking at this forum.  Too much anxiety to sleep.)  The positive responses to your post are calming me down some, though.  For that, I thank you for posting and I thank all who took the time to reply so thoughtfully.  You've all given me some important things to ponder.

Hi Dave, I took was diagnosed with 1A too in June. It took about a month for me to feel not terribly messed up about it. We all have our own process; it's a lot to digest. For 1A, there is a good chance it will not spread. As more time passes, we will have more treatment options, more advancements. Without Melanoma, there is not guarantee you'll be here tomorrow. Your insurance company probably estimates there's a 3% chance you'll kick the bucket in the next couple of years unrelated to Melanoma! Try to stay in the present … it gets easier with time.