In 2007 I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Melanoma. Excision removed it. Clear margins. (27 yr old at time)
In 2011 I was diagnosed with a second Stage 1 Melanoma. Excision removed it Clear margins (32 yr old at time)
Also, I have had 3 more excisions of major dysplasia. I have lost count of the subsequent minor dysplastic Nevis, and shave biopsies I have undergone over this decade.
So in some since, I have become numb to these diagnoses. Also I recognize how early all these have been caught and easily treated, that it seems like I should not be worried. Plus now that I am nearly a decade removde, I would figure that the fear that the shoe will finally drop one day would dissipate.
However about every six months I am reminded of my predisposition towards melanoma–and the uncertainty of what to do.
When I got LASIK, the doctor noticed a mole in the back of my eyeball that has to be monitored but hasn’t changed in 2 years.
When I was tested for Sleep Apnea, my doctor noticed a white mass in my throat.
The fact these “moles” are now literally in places I cannot personally monitor only heightens this worry..
Which brings me to this rational for this post on this weekend…
Saturday morning, I woke up to two swollen lymph nodes in my left armpit that have not gone away over these 48 hours.
How long should I wait before I reach out to my doctor? Likely it is some infection that my kids have brought home from school, but I have no other real symptoms (colds, fevers, etc.)
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