Multiple Stage 1’s question

I had Melanoma Stage 1 taken out late November 2016. 

I was told to 'watch' that particular mole in July at my last appointment. I wasn't meant to go back until January, though I went back because that mole started turning black in half of it.

When I went back, he said there was only a small chance it was melanoma, even given my family history (Grandfather passed from it and my brother has also had one removed).

I persisted though and he removed it, only to call the next day and tell me it was malignant melanoma. I was back a week later having the wide margin excision done. The margins were clear, thankfully.

He said from this point on he was going to be very careful as I am higher risk now. He said he won't be taking everything and anything out, though he did say that if I feel anxious over anything in particular he is happy to see me anytime and we can discuss having it removed if it is causing me anxiety – as can be expected after having melanoma previously. So now I think I have his attention!

In saying that, I did see a different specialist at a molescan clinic this week. She was very thorough and was happy with everything – There is just one she was cautious with in particular, though told me to keep an eye on it (I really can't stand that saying lol) I pointed out one that I am very worried about and she told me it is nothing to worry over.

I have my regular 3 monthly appointment next month with my usual skin doctor though and am going to ask him to remove both! It will cost me an arm and a leg but I am no longer comfortable with the whole "wait and see" thing. If in doubt, cut the sucker out!

I had Melanoma Stage 1 taken out late November 2016. 

I was told to 'watch' that particular mole in July at my last appointment. I wasn't meant to go back until January, though I went back because that mole started turning black in half of it.

When I went back, he said there was only a small chance it was melanoma, even given my family history (Grandfather passed from it and my brother has also had one removed).

I persisted though and he removed it, only to call the next day and tell me it was malignant melanoma. I was back a week later having the wide margin excision done. The margins were clear, thankfully.

He said from this point on he was going to be very careful as I am higher risk now. He said he won't be taking everything and anything out, though he did say that if I feel anxious over anything in particular he is happy to see me anytime and we can discuss having it removed if it is causing me anxiety – as can be expected after having melanoma previously. So now I think I have his attention!

In saying that, I did see a different specialist at a molescan clinic this week. She was very thorough and was happy with everything – There is just one she was cautious with in particular, though told me to keep an eye on it (I really can't stand that saying lol) I pointed out one that I am very worried about and she told me it is nothing to worry over.

I have my regular 3 monthly appointment next month with my usual skin doctor though and am going to ask him to remove both! It will cost me an arm and a leg but I am no longer comfortable with the whole "wait and see" thing. If in doubt, cut the sucker out!

I had Melanoma Stage 1 taken out late November 2016. 

I was told to 'watch' that particular mole in July at my last appointment. I wasn't meant to go back until January, though I went back because that mole started turning black in half of it.

When I went back, he said there was only a small chance it was melanoma, even given my family history (Grandfather passed from it and my brother has also had one removed).

I persisted though and he removed it, only to call the next day and tell me it was malignant melanoma. I was back a week later having the wide margin excision done. The margins were clear, thankfully.

He said from this point on he was going to be very careful as I am higher risk now. He said he won't be taking everything and anything out, though he did say that if I feel anxious over anything in particular he is happy to see me anytime and we can discuss having it removed if it is causing me anxiety – as can be expected after having melanoma previously. So now I think I have his attention!

In saying that, I did see a different specialist at a molescan clinic this week. She was very thorough and was happy with everything – There is just one she was cautious with in particular, though told me to keep an eye on it (I really can't stand that saying lol) I pointed out one that I am very worried about and she told me it is nothing to worry over.

I have my regular 3 monthly appointment next month with my usual skin doctor though and am going to ask him to remove both! It will cost me an arm and a leg but I am no longer comfortable with the whole "wait and see" thing. If in doubt, cut the sucker out!

I'm really sorry you are going through this. I'm not sure about how unusual or not it is to have so many melanoma's like that.. I think with melanoma, everyone is different and has such different experiences. I am in the process of changing my wardrobe over from singlets to long sleeve, cotton shirts – Maybe a bit too overcautious.. and maybe too late (I had a bad burn in the teens) but I am willing to hide from the sun forver, completely now. I hate the 'not knowing' either.. The reason I got a second opinion from another skin cancer doctor was to get some peace of mind.. That my usual doctor hasn't missed anything. It has helped a lot.. I am still worried about two, as I said.. but I do feel better knowing that they generally seem to agree. You are your best advocate though, don't forget that! It's completely normal to be nervous and worried about when or where your next may be I think. I would take photos of any moles that stand out, new moles.. whole limbs, if you need to.. I do this (and I have so many sometimes a photo of the entire back, arms, legs is necessary) each month and then I compare the photos to see if there are any changes.. 

Also, I cant view your orginal post while typing this so sorry if you already said.. but are you seeing your doctor every 3 months? Can he take photos at all too?

I'm really sorry you are going through this. I'm not sure about how unusual or not it is to have so many melanoma's like that.. I think with melanoma, everyone is different and has such different experiences. I am in the process of changing my wardrobe over from singlets to long sleeve, cotton shirts – Maybe a bit too overcautious.. and maybe too late (I had a bad burn in the teens) but I am willing to hide from the sun forver, completely now. I hate the 'not knowing' either.. The reason I got a second opinion from another skin cancer doctor was to get some peace of mind.. That my usual doctor hasn't missed anything. It has helped a lot.. I am still worried about two, as I said.. but I do feel better knowing that they generally seem to agree. You are your best advocate though, don't forget that! It's completely normal to be nervous and worried about when or where your next may be I think. I would take photos of any moles that stand out, new moles.. whole limbs, if you need to.. I do this (and I have so many sometimes a photo of the entire back, arms, legs is necessary) each month and then I compare the photos to see if there are any changes.. 

Also, I cant view your orginal post while typing this so sorry if you already said.. but are you seeing your doctor every 3 months? Can he take photos at all too?

I'm really sorry you are going through this. I'm not sure about how unusual or not it is to have so many melanoma's like that.. I think with melanoma, everyone is different and has such different experiences. I am in the process of changing my wardrobe over from singlets to long sleeve, cotton shirts – Maybe a bit too overcautious.. and maybe too late (I had a bad burn in the teens) but I am willing to hide from the sun forver, completely now. I hate the 'not knowing' either.. The reason I got a second opinion from another skin cancer doctor was to get some peace of mind.. That my usual doctor hasn't missed anything. It has helped a lot.. I am still worried about two, as I said.. but I do feel better knowing that they generally seem to agree. You are your best advocate though, don't forget that! It's completely normal to be nervous and worried about when or where your next may be I think. I would take photos of any moles that stand out, new moles.. whole limbs, if you need to.. I do this (and I have so many sometimes a photo of the entire back, arms, legs is necessary) each month and then I compare the photos to see if there are any changes.. 

Also, I cant view your orginal post while typing this so sorry if you already said.. but are you seeing your doctor every 3 months? Can he take photos at all too?

Hi – sorry you are going through this, it must be incredibly stressful and you must be wondering if there is any end to it all. You might find that whatever sun damage you did years ago as a teenager is now coming to fruition in your skin, but that after these excisions you don't have any further trouble. I've had synchronous melanama – three at once, to be exact – stage 0, stage 1, stage 1 – and from what I've read it's just kind of dumb bad luck. Mine are from blistering sunburns not tanning beds. One was textbook melanoma, looked exactly like a SSM, the other two removed at my request because I knew they'd undergone slight changes. The doctor did not find the last two suspicious, and they were the stage 1 melanomas. On the bright side, people with multiple melanomas tend to find them earlier, remove them thinner and survive better than those with just one. Now that you are in our unfortunate club, there's no choice but to be super diligent with your own and doctor skin checks. You are doing everything you can, everything right! What I did was"

– go to a skin cancer clinic for original checks

– after findings of the melanomas, went to a derm for a2nd opinion/full body check

– now go to my GP for full body checks as in Australia GPs and specialist skin cancer clinics (like Molescan) have around the same success rate in detecting melanoma

– I may or may not go back to a derm for yearly visit… tbh I don't know if he added much to the whole circus, the freckles he removed were only 'mildly dysplastic' whereas those removed by Molescan and/or GP were more moderately or severely dysplastic – leading me to believe their judgement is as good as his.

My motto is to go local (as in, my GP is easier to get to than derm or Molescan), go often (three montly) and go cautious (if I notice change, in particular – the clue to my stage1 melanomas wsa change, nothing else – they did not fit the other ABDE criteria).

Hi – sorry you are going through this, it must be incredibly stressful and you must be wondering if there is any end to it all. You might find that whatever sun damage you did years ago as a teenager is now coming to fruition in your skin, but that after these excisions you don't have any further trouble. I've had synchronous melanama – three at once, to be exact – stage 0, stage 1, stage 1 – and from what I've read it's just kind of dumb bad luck. Mine are from blistering sunburns not tanning beds. One was textbook melanoma, looked exactly like a SSM, the other two removed at my request because I knew they'd undergone slight changes. The doctor did not find the last two suspicious, and they were the stage 1 melanomas. On the bright side, people with multiple melanomas tend to find them earlier, remove them thinner and survive better than those with just one. Now that you are in our unfortunate club, there's no choice but to be super diligent with your own and doctor skin checks. You are doing everything you can, everything right! What I did was"

– go to a skin cancer clinic for original checks

– after findings of the melanomas, went to a derm for a2nd opinion/full body check

– now go to my GP for full body checks as in Australia GPs and specialist skin cancer clinics (like Molescan) have around the same success rate in detecting melanoma

– I may or may not go back to a derm for yearly visit… tbh I don't know if he added much to the whole circus, the freckles he removed were only 'mildly dysplastic' whereas those removed by Molescan and/or GP were more moderately or severely dysplastic – leading me to believe their judgement is as good as his.

My motto is to go local (as in, my GP is easier to get to than derm or Molescan), go often (three montly) and go cautious (if I notice change, in particular – the clue to my stage1 melanomas wsa change, nothing else – they did not fit the other ABDE criteria).

Hi – sorry you are going through this, it must be incredibly stressful and you must be wondering if there is any end to it all. You might find that whatever sun damage you did years ago as a teenager is now coming to fruition in your skin, but that after these excisions you don't have any further trouble. I've had synchronous melanama – three at once, to be exact – stage 0, stage 1, stage 1 – and from what I've read it's just kind of dumb bad luck. Mine are from blistering sunburns not tanning beds. One was textbook melanoma, looked exactly like a SSM, the other two removed at my request because I knew they'd undergone slight changes. The doctor did not find the last two suspicious, and they were the stage 1 melanomas. On the bright side, people with multiple melanomas tend to find them earlier, remove them thinner and survive better than those with just one. Now that you are in our unfortunate club, there's no choice but to be super diligent with your own and doctor skin checks. You are doing everything you can, everything right! What I did was"

– go to a skin cancer clinic for original checks

– after findings of the melanomas, went to a derm for a2nd opinion/full body check

– now go to my GP for full body checks as in Australia GPs and specialist skin cancer clinics (like Molescan) have around the same success rate in detecting melanoma

– I may or may not go back to a derm for yearly visit… tbh I don't know if he added much to the whole circus, the freckles he removed were only 'mildly dysplastic' whereas those removed by Molescan and/or GP were more moderately or severely dysplastic – leading me to believe their judgement is as good as his.

My motto is to go local (as in, my GP is easier to get to than derm or Molescan), go often (three montly) and go cautious (if I notice change, in particular – the clue to my stage1 melanomas wsa change, nothing else – they did not fit the other ABDE criteria).