njmom

Dear Janner,

Thank you. Ok, that is good to hear. Hopefully i am not at as high risk as i feel that i am. it may be just the shock of the bc diagnosis and the stage 0 melanoma all within the same year! i am definitely going to do mole mapping though. I am going to start with mole safe at NYU because i think that is just what they do and i will also start searching for a cutaneous oncologist. I must have near 100 moles (big, medium and very tiny) on my legs, arms, back, neck, stomach, etc…and other skin spots (not sure if they are all called moles per se) so I guess it is just a worry when my doc is so speedy. its also hard to find good eye doctors who know how to look for the ocular kind of melanoma. i definitely do self checks and thats how i found the stage 0 and have really been trying to watch for changes. actually though, if i am being honest, my daughter was the one who spotted the mole on my arm and then i was the one who insisted after the third go around that it be tested! 

i guess i was also just wondering if some hospitals were better than others for skin cancers to start my search. i know the top 3 are md anderson, sloan and johns hopkins for cancer in general but i wasn't sure if there is maybe a cancer hospital that is top in the field for skin cancer. i know sometimes it requires insider information to find this stuff out. i really appreciate the info though. thank you very much.

Dear Janner,

Thank you. Ok, that is good to hear. Hopefully i am not at as high risk as i feel that i am. it may be just the shock of the bc diagnosis and the stage 0 melanoma all within the same year! i am definitely going to do mole mapping though. I am going to start with mole safe at NYU because i think that is just what they do and i will also start searching for a cutaneous oncologist. I must have near 100 moles (big, medium and very tiny) on my legs, arms, back, neck, stomach, etc…and other skin spots (not sure if they are all called moles per se) so I guess it is just a worry when my doc is so speedy. its also hard to find good eye doctors who know how to look for the ocular kind of melanoma. i definitely do self checks and thats how i found the stage 0 and have really been trying to watch for changes. actually though, if i am being honest, my daughter was the one who spotted the mole on my arm and then i was the one who insisted after the third go around that it be tested! 

i guess i was also just wondering if some hospitals were better than others for skin cancers to start my search. i know the top 3 are md anderson, sloan and johns hopkins for cancer in general but i wasn't sure if there is maybe a cancer hospital that is top in the field for skin cancer. i know sometimes it requires insider information to find this stuff out. i really appreciate the info though. thank you very much.

Dear Janner,

Thank you. Ok, that is good to hear. Hopefully i am not at as high risk as i feel that i am. it may be just the shock of the bc diagnosis and the stage 0 melanoma all within the same year! i am definitely going to do mole mapping though. I am going to start with mole safe at NYU because i think that is just what they do and i will also start searching for a cutaneous oncologist. I must have near 100 moles (big, medium and very tiny) on my legs, arms, back, neck, stomach, etc…and other skin spots (not sure if they are all called moles per se) so I guess it is just a worry when my doc is so speedy. its also hard to find good eye doctors who know how to look for the ocular kind of melanoma. i definitely do self checks and thats how i found the stage 0 and have really been trying to watch for changes. actually though, if i am being honest, my daughter was the one who spotted the mole on my arm and then i was the one who insisted after the third go around that it be tested! 

i guess i was also just wondering if some hospitals were better than others for skin cancers to start my search. i know the top 3 are md anderson, sloan and johns hopkins for cancer in general but i wasn't sure if there is maybe a cancer hospital that is top in the field for skin cancer. i know sometimes it requires insider information to find this stuff out. i really appreciate the info though. thank you very much.

Karen, thank you. believe it or not that is who i tried to get into. he did sound amazing on his bio. i was being treated at sloan for breast cancer stage 1 so i was hoping i could get a consult but i understand that they don't really consider stage 0 to be cancer so he could not see me. i understand that completely. i figured i would try tho. i guess i was just thinking those are the docs that know how to best spot melanoma the best. i have been trying to look everywhere for regular derms who specialize in melanoma detection and can't seem to find many who list that on their bios. i guess it is just a matter of going to a few and seeing how they are. i just haven't had much luck as of yet and i was a little shaken when i was told the premelanoma was absolutely fine on multiple visits only to have it come back as melanoma stage 0. im going to keep looking though. thank you so much. 

Karen, thank you. believe it or not that is who i tried to get into. he did sound amazing on his bio. i was being treated at sloan for breast cancer stage 1 so i was hoping i could get a consult but i understand that they don't really consider stage 0 to be cancer so he could not see me. i understand that completely. i figured i would try tho. i guess i was just thinking those are the docs that know how to best spot melanoma the best. i have been trying to look everywhere for regular derms who specialize in melanoma detection and can't seem to find many who list that on their bios. i guess it is just a matter of going to a few and seeing how they are. i just haven't had much luck as of yet and i was a little shaken when i was told the premelanoma was absolutely fine on multiple visits only to have it come back as melanoma stage 0. im going to keep looking though. thank you so much. 

Karen, thank you. believe it or not that is who i tried to get into. he did sound amazing on his bio. i was being treated at sloan for breast cancer stage 1 so i was hoping i could get a consult but i understand that they don't really consider stage 0 to be cancer so he could not see me. i understand that completely. i figured i would try tho. i guess i was just thinking those are the docs that know how to best spot melanoma the best. i have been trying to look everywhere for regular derms who specialize in melanoma detection and can't seem to find many who list that on their bios. i guess it is just a matter of going to a few and seeing how they are. i just haven't had much luck as of yet and i was a little shaken when i was told the premelanoma was absolutely fine on multiple visits only to have it come back as melanoma stage 0. im going to keep looking though. thank you so much. 

Janner, thank you. yes i understand that completely. i knew it was a long shot. it is just hard to find a really good derm. who takes a long time to look, at least in my experience. the one i have currently looks for like 1 minute (literally) and then sends me on my way and he is from a top rated hospital in ny and came highly recommended! i have SO many moles and im trying to look for change, but the stage 0 really didn't look to bad to me. It was pretty small and just a dark brown. Didn't look too out of the ordinary so i guess i worry its hard to even tell.  i didn't know the 8% fact though. that is very interesting. does that still hold true for stage 0 or does that refer to invasives? since i have the stage 1 breast cancer, i guess i am just feeling like my body is a little out of whack so i wanna catch anything on the skin early if i can and there is a possible link between the bc and melanoma so i don't know if that could mean i would fall into the 8% ; /. thank you for the info and i am hoping the risk is very small. thank you. 

Janner, thank you. yes i understand that completely. i knew it was a long shot. it is just hard to find a really good derm. who takes a long time to look, at least in my experience. the one i have currently looks for like 1 minute (literally) and then sends me on my way and he is from a top rated hospital in ny and came highly recommended! i have SO many moles and im trying to look for change, but the stage 0 really didn't look to bad to me. It was pretty small and just a dark brown. Didn't look too out of the ordinary so i guess i worry its hard to even tell.  i didn't know the 8% fact though. that is very interesting. does that still hold true for stage 0 or does that refer to invasives? since i have the stage 1 breast cancer, i guess i am just feeling like my body is a little out of whack so i wanna catch anything on the skin early if i can and there is a possible link between the bc and melanoma so i don't know if that could mean i would fall into the 8% ; /. thank you for the info and i am hoping the risk is very small. thank you. 

Janner, thank you. yes i understand that completely. i knew it was a long shot. it is just hard to find a really good derm. who takes a long time to look, at least in my experience. the one i have currently looks for like 1 minute (literally) and then sends me on my way and he is from a top rated hospital in ny and came highly recommended! i have SO many moles and im trying to look for change, but the stage 0 really didn't look to bad to me. It was pretty small and just a dark brown. Didn't look too out of the ordinary so i guess i worry its hard to even tell.  i didn't know the 8% fact though. that is very interesting. does that still hold true for stage 0 or does that refer to invasives? since i have the stage 1 breast cancer, i guess i am just feeling like my body is a little out of whack so i wanna catch anything on the skin early if i can and there is a possible link between the bc and melanoma so i don't know if that could mean i would fall into the 8% ; /. thank you for the info and i am hoping the risk is very small. thank you. 

ok thanks jake… i will definitely look into… thank you

ok thanks jake… i will definitely look into… thank you

ok thanks jake… i will definitely look into… thank you