jazzygal

I was diagnosed with an amelanotic melanoma on my forearm on Monday.  I had blood tests, and chest x-rays done on Tuesday which were pretty much nomal with the excecption of my lympohcytes being slightly less than nomal and my eosinophis being slightly greater than normal.  They also ordered a PET scan which was done today and I haven't seen the results of. 

I will be seeing a melanoma specialist and surgeon in two weeks to have the remainder of the area around the primary melanoma on my forearm removed, the SLNB performed, and to see what else needs to be done and where I go from here.  I feel perfectly fine.  I was told that x-rays, blood work, and a PET/CT scan is imperativel to see if the melanona has metastasized and where to, so they can get rid of it, and do whatever is necessary to stop it from spreading as soon as possible.  Unlike blood work and x-rays, a PET scan is a complete body scan that tends to show everywhere that a tumor or cancer cells may be if it is done, and analyzed, correctly. 

If I were you I would push for a PET scan, x-rays, blood work, and anything else that could show if your husband's melatoma has spread and metastasized so that they can do all they can to get rid of it everywhere that it could possibly be and stop it form moving on and causing any further problems.  The sooner it is completely eliminated from his body the better and the more likely that he will survive for a very long time.  The scans are not painful or detrmrimental so I can see absolutely no reason not to have them done since they may show something that otherwise may not show up.  I would also recommend that he see a melanoma speicalist instead of just a dermatologist or oncologist because melanoma speicalists tend to know far more about melanomas than any other specialist and they stay on top of the most recent results and treatments. 

I am thankful that when my dermatologist who thought all I had was a basal cell carcinoma found out from the lab results that I have a melanoma he ordered all kinds of tests and referred me to one of the top melanoma specialists in our area to make sure that all will be done to save my life. 

I was diagnosed with an amelanotic melanoma on my forearm on Monday.  I had blood tests, and chest x-rays done on Tuesday which were pretty much nomal with the excecption of my lympohcytes being slightly less than nomal and my eosinophis being slightly greater than normal.  They also ordered a PET scan which was done today and I haven't seen the results of. 

I will be seeing a melanoma specialist and surgeon in two weeks to have the remainder of the area around the primary melanoma on my forearm removed, the SLNB performed, and to see what else needs to be done and where I go from here.  I feel perfectly fine.  I was told that x-rays, blood work, and a PET/CT scan is imperativel to see if the melanona has metastasized and where to, so they can get rid of it, and do whatever is necessary to stop it from spreading as soon as possible.  Unlike blood work and x-rays, a PET scan is a complete body scan that tends to show everywhere that a tumor or cancer cells may be if it is done, and analyzed, correctly. 

If I were you I would push for a PET scan, x-rays, blood work, and anything else that could show if your husband's melatoma has spread and metastasized so that they can do all they can to get rid of it everywhere that it could possibly be and stop it form moving on and causing any further problems.  The sooner it is completely eliminated from his body the better and the more likely that he will survive for a very long time.  The scans are not painful or detrmrimental so I can see absolutely no reason not to have them done since they may show something that otherwise may not show up.  I would also recommend that he see a melanoma speicalist instead of just a dermatologist or oncologist because melanoma speicalists tend to know far more about melanomas than any other specialist and they stay on top of the most recent results and treatments. 

I am thankful that when my dermatologist who thought all I had was a basal cell carcinoma found out from the lab results that I have a melanoma he ordered all kinds of tests and referred me to one of the top melanoma specialists in our area to make sure that all will be done to save my life. 

I was diagnosed with an amelanotic melanoma on my forearm on Monday.  I had blood tests, and chest x-rays done on Tuesday which were pretty much nomal with the excecption of my lympohcytes being slightly less than nomal and my eosinophis being slightly greater than normal.  They also ordered a PET scan which was done today and I haven't seen the results of. 

I will be seeing a melanoma specialist and surgeon in two weeks to have the remainder of the area around the primary melanoma on my forearm removed, the SLNB performed, and to see what else needs to be done and where I go from here.  I feel perfectly fine.  I was told that x-rays, blood work, and a PET/CT scan is imperativel to see if the melanona has metastasized and where to, so they can get rid of it, and do whatever is necessary to stop it from spreading as soon as possible.  Unlike blood work and x-rays, a PET scan is a complete body scan that tends to show everywhere that a tumor or cancer cells may be if it is done, and analyzed, correctly. 

If I were you I would push for a PET scan, x-rays, blood work, and anything else that could show if your husband's melatoma has spread and metastasized so that they can do all they can to get rid of it everywhere that it could possibly be and stop it form moving on and causing any further problems.  The sooner it is completely eliminated from his body the better and the more likely that he will survive for a very long time.  The scans are not painful or detrmrimental so I can see absolutely no reason not to have them done since they may show something that otherwise may not show up.  I would also recommend that he see a melanoma speicalist instead of just a dermatologist or oncologist because melanoma speicalists tend to know far more about melanomas than any other specialist and they stay on top of the most recent results and treatments. 

I am thankful that when my dermatologist who thought all I had was a basal cell carcinoma found out from the lab results that I have a melanoma he ordered all kinds of tests and referred me to one of the top melanoma specialists in our area to make sure that all will be done to save my life. 

I got my PET scan results.  Other than the obvious melanoma on my forearm, the scan showed nothing else except for increased FDG in my thyroid lobes and stomach, and in particular the gastric cardia part of my stomach.  They feel that the melanoma has not metastasized to those areas because I have had hypothyroid problems for years so it is likely that inflammation from that is what caused the increased FDGs, and that my stomach was also inflamed because of the barium I had to drink before the scan and that is why it also showed increased FDGs 

None the less, my great doctors don't just cling to their beliefs and let things go.  So they have ordered that I have another thyroid test (I had one previously in February) and I am having an Upper GI endoscopy performed tomorrow to look around in my stomach to see if anything looks unusual and if it does biopsys will be taken. 

I will be meeting with the melanoma specialist and surgeon on Monday so we will see where things go from there.  I believe that everything is going to be fine and this thing will be over and done with after that meeting.        

I got my PET scan results.  Other than the obvious melanoma on my forearm, the scan showed nothing else except for increased FDG in my thyroid lobes and stomach, and in particular the gastric cardia part of my stomach.  They feel that the melanoma has not metastasized to those areas because I have had hypothyroid problems for years so it is likely that inflammation from that is what caused the increased FDGs, and that my stomach was also inflamed because of the barium I had to drink before the scan and that is why it also showed increased FDGs 

None the less, my great doctors don't just cling to their beliefs and let things go.  So they have ordered that I have another thyroid test (I had one previously in February) and I am having an Upper GI endoscopy performed tomorrow to look around in my stomach to see if anything looks unusual and if it does biopsys will be taken. 

I will be meeting with the melanoma specialist and surgeon on Monday so we will see where things go from there.  I believe that everything is going to be fine and this thing will be over and done with after that meeting.        

I got my PET scan results.  Other than the obvious melanoma on my forearm, the scan showed nothing else except for increased FDG in my thyroid lobes and stomach, and in particular the gastric cardia part of my stomach.  They feel that the melanoma has not metastasized to those areas because I have had hypothyroid problems for years so it is likely that inflammation from that is what caused the increased FDGs, and that my stomach was also inflamed because of the barium I had to drink before the scan and that is why it also showed increased FDGs 

None the less, my great doctors don't just cling to their beliefs and let things go.  So they have ordered that I have another thyroid test (I had one previously in February) and I am having an Upper GI endoscopy performed tomorrow to look around in my stomach to see if anything looks unusual and if it does biopsys will be taken. 

I will be meeting with the melanoma specialist and surgeon on Monday so we will see where things go from there.  I believe that everything is going to be fine and this thing will be over and done with after that meeting.