How did I get it? I don't know for sure. But mine is not genetic, so I have to assume that tanning beds are at least partially to blame. I tanned often in high school, college, and even up until about a year ago. I also allowed myself to BAKE on sunny vacations. I knew the risks, too. And I have a lot of moles. I was such an idiot!
Like I said, I have so many moles that I really don't even notice when I get new ones. Most of them are tiny dots, but my "primary lesion" was a red flag from the start. Out of nowhere, I developed a raised mole on the far right side of my abdomen. It was tender to the touch. So, I ignored it for about a year. In fact, I actually cancelled an appointment to have it looked at and didn't reschedule for months! It just wasn't a priority. STUPID!
When I finally decided to have it removed, it was mostly for cosmetic reasons. Although, I admit it was starting to make me nervous -- a sorority sister of mine recently had an early-stage melanoma scare. So, I made an appointment with a dermatologist at OHSU in Portland. She biopsied the mole and didn't seem all that concerned at the time (1/3/12). I was just glad to have it gone before my May wedding!
I was actually bummed about the tiny scar on my abdomen. It was the size of a dime. Maybe not even that big. Wow, little did I know...
My dermatologist called me a week later (1/10/12) and told me that my results were abnormal. She did say "possible melanoma" but with NO certainty. It would be another week before the lab would have a final word.
So I waited another week... in complete angst. That week, Google taught me every terrifying thing about melanoma ever known to man. My family thought I was insane. And I am, so yeah...
When I finally got the call (1/18/12)... my lab results were inconclusive! Inconclusive. You're effing joking right?! My slides would need to be sent to another lab in San Fran for genetic testing. I was told to "sit tight" for up to THREE more weeks!! That was when I gave up. Deep down I knew something was wrong; I knew I had no choice but to wait... so I quit thinking about it and waited.
Fast forward to 2/10/12. I got the call that my mole was malignant melanoma with a depth of 2.3mm, no ulceration, which put me at Stage 2a. I was alone at work and just calmly listened and took notes as my doctor said that she would be referring me to an oncologist and that I would need to have surgery very soon. I don't even remember the rest of that day. I think I went home from work... pretty sure that I casually informed my family via text... it was a weird day. I never cried or anything like that.
I met my new oncologist on 2/14/12 (Happy Valentine's Day) -- which was actually a pre-op appointment. I am not sure I even realized that at the time. I would have a wide-excision of the primary lesion (to make sure all of the melanoma was removed) and a sentinel lymph node biopsy (to find out if it spread) on 2/24/12.
So I did; fiancé & mom by my side. The morning of surgery was spent in Nuclear Medicine at OHSU. I had lymphatic mapping to find out which lymph node (armpit, groin, or both) was the most likely to contain metastatic disease if it had spread. Then it was off to surgery!
When I woke up, I had 5 new scars. He actually biopsied 3 more moles while I was under, in addition to the planned lymph node dissection (armpit) and wide-excision. Most of the scars are under my shirt, but here is a mirror-image of the wide-excision on my right side:
Day after surgery:
One week after surgery:
I would trade this fugly scar for the original one in a heartbeat!!! I was told I would have the results in about a week...
End Stage 2a.
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