Melanoma: Not as rare as you might think - Please get a skin check in '09!

[Pachamama]

Although Melanoma represents only 5% of all skin cancer, its the one you don't want to get and is the one that causes the fatalities we so often associate with skin cancer.

As a long time DUer, I haven't been on DU for a long time because I was diagnosed several months ago with Stage II melanoma. I didn't talk about it on the DU because I not only was facing my own mortality, but I needed to put my focus in my life on dealing with and fighting the cancer. But I am posting now, because I want to share with DUers my experience and also to "Pay it Forward" in hopes that others will take steps to prevent getting it and also to detecting it early should they have it.

I am only 41 years old and have been healthy all my life with the exception of one difficult pregnancy with Hyperemeses. Otherwise, nothing. I am a stay at home Mom who works out regularly, eats healthy and I rarely drink and have never even tried a cigarette in my life. However, I have Nordic skin and freckles and when I was a child, teenager and young adult, I worshipped the sun. I sailed a lot over the years and everyone I've ever known in the sailing community has at some point had a "lesion" removed. But those were all the 95% of skin cancers, Basal cell and Squamous cell carcinomas.

In October I went to the dermatologist for something more of a vanity issue on my skin (I started getting white pigmentation spots on my arms, chest and back - Vitaligo) and while the doctor looked at the skin on those areas, he started staring at the freckles on my legs. I've had them on my legs for years but last summer a bunch of darker ones started appearing on my calf and shin areas of my lower legs. They didn't look like any big deal, just larger freckles. The doctor said he wanted to take biopsies, I said "fine".

A week later, the nurse called to tell me one of the biopsies was benign but two others needed to be double-checked, just a standard procedure. What she didn't tell me is that they had come back the first time positive for Melanoma, and their procedure is to send it off to UCSF's Melanoma Center Labatory in San Francisco. Another week later, my doctor called me personally. While I've known him for 20 years even socially, I knew this wasn't a social call. Meanwhile, from that phone call, my life has not been the same.

I have since that moment had two surgeries on my legs where large sections of skin around the area of the moles were removed in order to make sure the margins around the mole are far enough to ensure that it has all been removed. On one of them I had as many as 40 stitches between the internal disolving stitches and the external black stitches that get removed. Then came the test on my lymphnodes. Before we knew the results, I will say that facing my mortality and possible end brings up a whole lot of issues. I won't get into all of them now, but those of you on the DU who have dealt with family members, friends or your own health challenges either by disease or accident, know what I'm talking about. Suddenly, many things that seemed important before aren't and the things that are important, really really matter.

I am happy to report that the tests on my lymphnodes came back negative. I got this news right before Thanksgiving. This was perhaps the greatest news I've ever had and the sigh of relief could have been heard around the world. Although they were benign, the size of my melanoma tumors were big enough that they reccommended Immniotherapy. I am currently getting Interferon injections to combat the cancer in my body. I will also have to go for the rest of my life to the Dermatologist every 3 months in order to get skin checks. I am currently coated with bandaids from all the biopsies. I wish I could have every mole biopsied, even if it meant I looked polka-dotted, but the reality is that the doctor would have to skin me to check everything and get rid of everything. This is because our skin is the largest organ we have and even if I had my legs covered from the sun from the day I was born, the melanoma can show up anywhere at anytime.

75% of all Melanoma in women appears on our lower legs and limbs. On men the majority of Melanoma appears on their torso (back and chest). Its one of the reasons men have a higher fatality rate, because it is closer to vital organs and the lymphnodes. Once the melanoma has metastized in the lymphnodes, they have to be removed and the chances that it will spread to other vital organs increases greatly and rapidly. Women tend to have a higher survival rate than men because of its general appearance on our lower limbs compared to men's torsos because it is then further away from the lymphnodes and vital organs. We also as a gender tend to be more vain and go to a Dermatologist for things, whereas men will go "oh, its just an old mole" and that old mole on their back that their significant other nags about turns out to be stage II or III by the time they get it.

Early detection. Thats what its all about. Had I not gone to the Doctor because I didn't like the look of my "white spots" and waited another year, my Stage II could have spread into my lymphnodes and vital organs and I might not have had many years ahead. Unfortunately, so many Americans don't have health insurance. And those that do, have to go to a Primary Care Physician who isn't trained in Dermatology and identifying what is dangerous and they are often discouraged by the insurance carriers to refer people to the "specialist". My New Year's and Christmas wish to you all and all your friends and family is this: Please get an annual skin check, even if you have to eat Mac n' Cheese for 6 months to make sure you can pay the doctor to do the check. The reason is that for every person who does this, and catches the Melanoma when it is "In Situ" in its earliest stage and then removed, you can survive. For those that don't, it literally means the difference of life and death. And in the meantime, wear sunscreen and cover your head. And if you have kids, make sure you do the same for them. According to my doctor, 75% of all Melanoma can be reduced if between birth and age 20 you don't get burned and are covered up. What a great gift to give to your kids - Life.

Meanwhile, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I may be tired from the Immniotherapy, but I'm going to live. And when I have the strength, I'll post on the DU again some more.

:hi:

[skooooo]

1. I've stayed out of the sun all my life..

..and boy am I glad. I'm white as a ghost, and I guess some people don't find that attractive, but at least I don't have to worry about this (hopefully).

[Pachamama]

2. This is good, but don't assume that you shouldn't get your skin checked! People can still get

exposed in many ways to UVA and UVB rays in their lifetimes and also people with darker pigments assume they can't get it like those of us with pale skin. Everyone should have an annual checkup as I have now learned. :hi:

[tavalon]

25. Get your vitamin D level checked

If it's too low, you probably aren't storing calcium well and there are now some studies indicating that low vitamin D may leave you susceptible to other kinds of cancer,

[Pachamama]

38. I drink a lot of Vit D fortified milk, so I'm not so worried about my Vit D levels

I do know however friends who are vegan and then they use the sun to make sure they have proper Vit D for their health, but now some of them hearing about my Melanoma are then making sure they are doing so with proper sunscreen.

In general, sunscreen, no matter what is important and not going in the sun during peak hours.

[Bigmack]

3. Thank you so much for posting!... nt

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. What a great post!

I'm glad your news is good, and may your continuing vigilance and immunotherapy keep you safe. I'd say you're a very, very lucky person. Quick - play the lottery.

One of my best friends is a dermatologist. He said he's seeing twice as many melanoma patients as he did twenty years ago, and most of them are young people, the ones who worship tanning salons. (Yes, those places are still legal, still in business.)

Feel good, have a wonderful holiday, and continue to get stronger.

Thank you, and Merry Christmas!

:toast:

[Pachamama]

10. Believe me, I realize how lucky I am! But more than luck, it had to do with getting checked.

I guess you could say I'm lucky I am vain and I got Vitaligo. And especially lucky because I have health insurance that doesn't require me to be referred by any primary care physician and pays for all expenses less the $25 co-pay. I am very grateful, believe me.

Regarding your friend the dermatologist, my Derm says the same thing about the increased number of diagnoses of Melanoma he is seeing in the last few years and in particular in people between 38-50.

And yes, I went to tanning salons when I was in college....the fact that those are even legal and exist still is shocking...they might as well be called "Melanoma Salons".

Anyway, thanks for the kind holiday wishes and wishes for my health.

Merry Christmas to you too!

:toast:

[shayes51]

5. Thank you!

Thank you for this heart-felt post. I, too, have very fair skin. Last month, I had a basal cell cancer removed from my scalp, and that has made me more diligent about checking for melanoma. Best wishes to you. Cancer is the REAL terrorism of our time.

[Pachamama]

12. Your welcome! I posted this because if even one person on DU takes action and catches it early,

then I helped a person live. I already had a neighbor go get checked and she had In Situ Melanoma and it was removed two weeks ago. Pay it forward. And yes, Cancer is the real terrorism of our time and its a battle that needs to be fought and won.

:hug:

[Greyhound]

6. Good advice, if you have the option. n/t

[countingbluecars]

7. Thank you for the good advice,

and for sharing your experience. I too worshiped the sun in my younger days, and even now don't think of my legs when applying sun screen. Time for a check up.

My best to you. I hope your therapy goes smoothly.

[Pachamama]

13. I never thought of my legs either and if you saw what the Melanoma tumors looked like, they looked

like freckles! I always figured cancer must look gross, knarly and obvious. Not so. And yes, wear that sunscreen, get annual checks and let people know.

Thanks for the wishes....:hug:

[SheilaT]

8. Thank you for posting this.

Unfortunately, most people have no clue about how dangerous it can be to be a sun-worshipper. And the tanning salons themselves seem to make completely erroneous claims about how getting a tan there is safer than one from the sun itself. Sigh.

I have avoided the sun for the most part my adult life, but I do recognize that while I'm reducing my risk of melanoma, it still is out there even for me.

[Pachamama]

14. As I posted earlier in answer to someone, even if you have avoided the sun, you still have been

exposed to UV rays and especially if someone in your family has had Melanoma, your chances/risks increase significantly.

The fact that tanning salons still are legal is shocking to me. They are definetly not safe and they should be banned.

[tavalon]

26. They are careful in their wording because they know they are far, far, more dangerous

But they don't want that to get in the way of making a buck.

[MarianJack]

9. A Fellow Melanoma Survivor Here!

I concur. Mine was removed from my shoulder in 1988.

I practically make my wife & son wear a gallon of paint in the sun now. Having heard the word "cancer" directed at me, I sure don't want it to be directed to them for such an avoidable disease.

Long life and good health to you!

PEACE!

[Pachamama]

15. Wow - 20 year survivor! That gives me good hope to make it to my 60's!

:hi:

Yes, having the word "cancer" directed at you and to having it be real is a big wake-up call. I just hope that people reading this thread taking it seriously and realize that just getting a check annually can mean the difference between life and death.

Long life and good health to you too and all here on the DU!

:grouphug:

[MarianJack]

33. Initially, it was dumb luck.

I had a mole on my shoulder that grew to about the size of a small grape wery quickly, was always itching and bleeding.

At the time I worked at a Mental Health agency in Center City Philadelphia. I asked one of the psychiatrists to take a look at it and she told me to clock out and go to an emergency room IMMEDIATELY!

At the time zi was still active in my alcoholism and was clueless until I spoke to somebody.

All the best to you!

[Obamanaut]

20. Another one here. Right lower torso (love handle) four years ago.

I get checked every three to six months now. I am 66, and have a multitude of the little white spots where the melanin has just given up. The last visit the Dr asked if I ever wore a shirt outdoors when I was young. Rarely.

[MarianJack]

34. I Used to get COOKED at the beach when I was a boy.

It turns out that my mother was right about "suntan lotion".

[Pachamama]

43. Didn't we all used to get cooked? Anyone remember Baby Oil and Iodine?

Yeah, I don't even want to think about how many stupid things I did in my teen and adult years, cooking myself in the sun, getting that glorious suntan that against the blonde hair made me think I looked oh so good! Yikes, between that, my predisposition for Melanoma being fair and all the outdoor activities over the years, it really came as no surprise frankly that I had it.

Yes, suntan lotion and high SPF factor is key.....

[GreenInNC]

11. 11 year survivor of stage 2 melanoma

I just passed 11 years (surgery 12/7/97).

[Pachamama]

16. Does that mean in 11 yrs and regular checks, no additional melanoma? That's great!

Did your lymphnodes metastisize? Did you get Immniotherapy treatment?

Stage 2 is what I have and serious stuff....

It gives me great hope when I hear from survivors...I can't begin to tell you how many people I've been hearing from who have family or friends who have died from Melanoma in recent years.

:hug:

[diane in sf]

17. My dad had a melanoma removed from his shoulder in 1978, he's still alive,

he'll be 84 in March. He has a 7" scar on his shoulder where they took out the surrounding tissue. He has Irish skin and gets a lot of little skin cancers, but hasn't had the melanoma reappear. I had a dermatologist check me and she said I don't have any of the moles that turn into melanoma. He had a pattern of not being in the sun and then getting burnt sailing--this is apparently a common pattern in developing melanoma. My exposure has been different--small overall exposure after 3pm, it seems to work better because my skin is in really good shape and I'm in my 50s.

[GreenInNC]

21. mine had not spread

From what I remember, the main difference between stage 2 and 3 is if it had spread into the lymph glands. On the day of my surgery they did a sentinal (spelling?) node biopsy and removed the nodes which drained into the area of my tumor. I want to think they removed three nodes and none of them showed any cancer. I did not have immniotherapy.

I had checks every three months for five years and now go back every 6 months.

Melanoma is pretty serious stuff and I was lucky that mine was caught fairly early. I had a great oncologist and the only remnant of my cancer is the two scars on my neck. They make shaving a bitch but they are better than the alternative.

[Pachamama]

58. Glad you are okay and that it hasn't come back. Meanwhile, I can't help but think of John McCain &

how during the campaign we were supposed to just shrug off the fact that he had Melanoma twice and that it was no big deal. I would be really curious to know at what stage his Melanoma was at and what his treatment was. I can only say that after having been diagnosed with Melanoma, its no small matter and even the early detection is a helpful thing to ensuring survival, I am just thinking about how McCain who never looked well to start with was giving the message that it really was no big deal. Glad he's not our President with Melanoma and Palin in the wings.... :scared:

[Cha]

18. I'm so glad you're all right now, Pachamama,

and I'll just bet your Thanksgiving was one great joy and gratefulness!

[Hekate]

19. Pachamama, I'm so glad you dropped in...

Irish skin here, see the dermatologist at least once a year usually twice. And I tell you, despite my internist being a really good doc, I would not trust him with my skin checks. He simply does not see what the specialist sees.

I am SO glad you got checked. Be well in the New Year, and always.

:hug:

Hekate

[tavalon]

27. So, I have a question for you (no, not asking for medical advice)

I have the classic nasty patterns of youth and a grandfather who had melanoma, but I don't have any moles. I have a smattering of light freckles. Anyway, when I went for my physical last year, my doctor asked if any of my moles had changed and did a doubletake when I said I didn't have any moles. I'm just wondering, since I have good insurance, if I should just find a derm, and have a yearly body check by him or her? Does that sound reasonable or over the top? It's really weird because my whole family was covered with moles and I don't have a damn one.

[Hekate]

28. Interesting. If I were you I'd simply start a relationship with a dermatologist & go once a year....

... just as I do with my GYN for instance. Don't feel foolish about going -- you have a family history, and getting this checkup is justified. Plus it's always so good to have a pro give you a clean bill of health, right?

Happy new year's resolutions.

Hekate

[Pachamama]

40. I completely agree with Hekate's advice given in response to your question:

If you have fair skin and have any history of Melanoma in your family, according to my doctor and the research I have done you are 10 times more likely to have Melanoma than someone who doesn't have it in their family or if they have darker skin pigmentation. Just as I am telling everyone here on the DU and in my daily life to go get skin checks annually and start now in the new year, my father went and discovered an early stage in situ melanoma on his arm. Now its removed and he will get regular checks every 3 months. What if my dad hadn't gone? A year from now it could have been stage 1 or 2. Same for my siblings to go get checked. Their risk is much higher now that both myself and my father have it. Since your Grandfather had it, you need to check, even without moles. As I learned, what we tend to think of as moles isn't always what Melanoma looks like. What my Dermatologist called a mole, I called a freckle. It wasn't raised, was flat and not particularly dark. What he saw was a shape that wasn't perfectly round and symmetrical and even some uneven color, often difficult to see by the eye without magnification. Have the check, and the peace of mind. And since you have good insurance, just do it. Its an office visit with a co-pay and if you are over 40, its all the more important to do this, since it seems that most of the Melanoma starts appearing now.

:hi:

[Pachamama]

39. Hi Hekate! Long time!

:hi:

Yes, regarding skin checks, do not rely on your Primary care provider (unless they happen to be a trained dermatologist) because the reality is that no matter how great of a doctor you have, only a trained dermatologist with experience in identifying possible moles with melanoma won't be able to early detect the way a dermatologist can. I'm absolutely convinced that my doctor who is a personal friend and excellent dermatologist and surgeon saved my life. I highly doubt an Internist or my OB/GYN (all excellent doctors) would have given a second thought to my "freckles".

Be well my friend in the New Year too!

:hug:

[Hekate]

45. Hugs to you and the Pachababies. Good to see you back.

:grouphug:

[Peacetrain]

22. Kick this back up !

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. I had Basel Cell Carcinoma surgery 2 months ago.

From what little I know about it, it's a helluva lot less serious than Melanoma. And, the surgery was relatively painless and simple.

The "spot" on my cheek (the one on my face) was about the size of a penny and had gone unnoticed (I ascribed it to shaving too close and thought it was just a scar of some kind) for about a year. The doc finally suggested that it didn't look right and checked. I remember him telling me that I was "lucky" that it wasn't Melanoma.

Glad to see you made it OK.

I now have a 4 inch scar on my cheek that I'm tempted to tell people I got in a sword fight.

[Pachamama]

55. Glad you caught it and that it wasn't Melanoma!

So many people think they have a "pimple" that just won't heal. That is usually a clue if it doesn't heal. But as I mentioned in my posts, my Melanoma just looked like harmless large freckles, no healing issues etc.

I like your "sword fighting" explanation for the scars. I have some good scars on my legs although I have been using these silicone strips made by Neosporin that are used in burn centers for helping skin heal and have been keeping them on the areas where I had surgery and they seem to be helping prevent keloid scarring and discoloration. So far it seems to be working, but thats just vanity. Believe me, facing my mortality makes scars seem like nothing! But I will say I'm covered in circular scars all over my body from the various biopsies that they have taken of moles on my body. I guess I can just say they are bullet holes I recovered from my days in the Secret Service. :eyes:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

64. Coming face to face with the grim reaper does add some perspective to life.

All those "very important" things that trouble us seem to lose some of their power.

[shanti]

76. the size of a penny?

wow! i've had two removed, one from my face, was very small, but left a 1/2 inch scar (not really visible), one on the nose which left a divot. it pays to have them checked early and often!

[tavalon]

24. The really sad thing about Melanoma (besides its life threatening tendencies)

is that one gets set up for it in the teens and twenties, when many are doing dumb things like sun worshiping and going to tanning salons. I did both but quit in my twenties. I'm now in my forties and shun the sun (it doesn't hurt that I'm a nightshifter - well, actually it does - my vitamin D was recently found to be really low). But whatever I did then, may come to haunt me now and there isn't much I can do but be observant. Weird thing though, I don't have a single mole. I have some very light freckles and I watch those carefully but not one single mole. The other odd thing is people think I'm fair skinned because these days I'm white as a ghost, but when I did tan, people thought I was Native American, because I have a very even, very red/brown melanin. I hope that protected me, but damn, I did stupid things!

I'm so happy for your good results and I'm glad you are taking the continued treatment. Having seen my grandfather's melanoma removal site, I'm well aware that you have awful scars, but I'm also sure that vanity just doesn't matter anymore, huh? I'll just bet this holiday season is more precious to you than any other. Blessings to you and yours.

And as a public service announcement to young folk and even the older folk who think they look healthier with a tan. Tans make you wrinkle early and tanning salons especially do horrible damage to your skin. If you must have a tan, find a safe spray on one. Get just enough sun to keep your vitamin D levels up - 15 minutes a day may well do it. Use that sunscreen. Always!

[DeepModem Mom]

29. Thank you for posting this helpful information and sharing your story.

We've recently had in our family another kind of cancer, thankfully detected, like yours, early and treated. All the best to you!

[Pachamama]

42. Thanks DeepModem Mom!

I hope that your family member is doing well, and yes, early detection as I have learned is literally key and means the difference of life and death.

Happy Holidays to you and your family!

:grouphug:

[JCMach1]

30. I had Basal Cell Carcinoma removed from my face this last year

While it is not dangerous in quite the same way as a melanoma, people should also know the dangers. While it was only the size of an unhealing pimple on the outside on the inside it was growing quickly and about the size of a nickle. Even worse, it was near my eye. If I had waiting a few weeks or a few months to have it removed, my eye may have been lost as well.

I also urge people to get their skin checked if you are past 40 or have anything unusual (no matter how small).

[cabluedem]

35. Kinda hard to do when you dont have health insurance. n/t

[Pachamama]

50. Hard and more challenging if you don't have health insurance, but not impossible and its a necessity

to attend to because of what the alternative offers. As I acknowledged in my original post, I fully am aware of how many people in our nation do not have health insurance. As I said in my original post, this is something so vital, that even those who don't have health insurance should make all efforts to save up enough money to pay for an office visit to a Dermatologist, even if it means eating Mac n' Cheese for 6 months. The reason why is because the impact of catching a melanoma early and coming up with $500 for a minor outpatient surgery and then living, is far far less costly and devastating than if you didn't do that annual visit for $75-$125 and then found out you have Stage 2 metastized cancer in your lymphnodes and no insurance and most likely that you have 6 months-2 years to live and possibly very painfully. It is also why if we can ever get a Universal Healthcare plan for all citizens in this country, that one of the most cost effective and preventative ways to help people prevent and treat cancer in this country would be for an annual skin, breast and prostate screening exam. This alone would prevent more deaths in this country than the millions, billions of $$$ being poured into "anti-terrorism" to prevent deaths.

Meanwhile, if you or someone you know doesn't have health insurance, there are ways to get a skin check for free or at a discounted rate. Here in San Francisco for example, there are many teaching institutions such as UCSF, where they have a first rate Melanoma research facility and if you contacted them, they would possibly be able to offer a free skin check or at a discount and often you can participate in "studies" where if you agree to participate in the study (ie. people who have a history of skin cancer and melanoma in their family) then you can get free checks and biopsies and removal of anything found.

The bottom line is that this is a way to save lives, especially with early detection and as my original post said, Melanoma is not as rare as you might think, and skin cancer in general, whether its Basal or Squamous, is on the rise.

Peace and good health to you and your family!

:hi:

[Pachamama]

44. I am so glad to hear you caught this, because yes, you could have lost your eye!

And unfortunately, like so many things that start happening to our bodies after we hit 40, skin cancer from all the years of damage before we were 30, starts appearing.

:hi:

[JCMach1]

49. Something I am painfully aware of now... I also have the added risk factors

of lots of family members with skin cancers and living in hella sunny places my whole life...

I am so glad you are okay though... :)

Skin cancer can be very scary... I was freaking out

[Pachamama]

51. I was freaking out too....Saw my life flash in front of me and realized I wasn't ready to go yet!

Before we got the news about my lymphnodes, I was so freaked out I even took off for a few weeks to go to Europe where I grew up because I didn't know if it was going to be my "last trip home" before the end. It was a very emotional experience and I still am experiencing a lot of the emotions and self-evaluation about my life and what is important. And yes, I'm going to be okay, but I definitely felt my mortality for the first time ever. Kinda sad to think most of my skin cancer was probably created during the time in my youth when you think you are going to live forever. Its not until later that we all realize that isn't the case and then its too late. But that's why I say now, that if you atleast check your skin regularly, you can help ensure that you make it into those golden years.

Glad you will be able to "see" them.... :hug:

[JCMach1]

53. The endless sunny Florida summers as a child... the beautiful days at the beach

that's what caused it...

I also hope everyone can take a lesson too... you can't always determine the size of skin cancer from looking at the outside (or even how severe something might be). 95% of mine was below the surface... A delay of a few weeks and I might have lost the eye-- it was growing that fast... with melanoma, a few weeks can take your life.

[a kennedy]

31. December 23rd 1981 is when my brother died of melanoma.......

a mole on his back bled a little after he tried to "flick" it off.....within 9 months a gaping hole in his chest from the melanoma led to his death, the cancer ate right through him. My sister has had major skin surgeries with removal of the basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas on her face, back and chest. I've been checked and am having some Mohs surgery on my nose in January......needless to say I know the ins and outs of melanoma cancer and it isn't pretty. Thank you for this topic.

[Pachamama]

46. I'm so sorry to hear about your brother having to die from Melanoma...I have now heard atleast a

dozen stories from neighbors and friends of a family member dieing of Melanoma. Statistically it has been almost all men with the exception of one woman. As I mentioned in my original post, men have a higher fatality rate both because of location closer to vital organs on the torso and vanity reasons compared to women. I guess there are truly differences of the genders and for whatever strange reason that we women get it primarily on our lower limbs (???).

But the early detection part is the key to survival for all.

Your welcome for the topic and once again, my deepest felt sympathy for the death of your brother. This topic probably struck an emotional chord for you with the anniversary of his death only several days ago.

:hug:

[Swamp Rat]

32. Pachamama!

:hug: :loveya:

[Pachamama]

36. Swamp'r!

:hug:

Now you know why you haven't seen me on the DU or heard from me in so long....

I hope you and your family are doing well and had a Merry Christmas. Pachababies are growing fast and doing well and enjoying their christmas gifts and playing with their cousins. I'm just relieved as you can imagine that I'm going to be okay. Its been a very emotional time.

[NashVegas]

37. Thank You For This

And have a healthy, productive New Year!

[Pachamama]

41. Your welcome....I really feel that if each of us are more aware of this, it can help us all have

healthy and productive years ahead of us. And as some people have suggested here, what if they don't have health insurance (which I know is a sad reality in this country) the reality is that like I said in my original post, even if you have to eat Mac n' Cheese for 6 months to pay for the office visit to a dermatologist, if you catch a melanoma mole in situ and then have to pay $500 to have the surgery to remove it outpatient, that is far less expensive than waiting several years, not going and then finding out you have Stage 2 and metastized lymphnodes and need surgery and treatment that costs Tens of Thousands of $$$ and that you might die anyway a very miserable death. We are all more likely to have skin cancer (even if its Basal or Squamous) than any other cancer and thus its one of the most preventable and easily treated if caught early and the only way to catch it is thru that annual skin check. If there is ever a Universal Healthcare in this country, one of the programs it should have implemented is an annual skin cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer screening/testing. That alone could catch more cancer and save more lives than any other program that is being done on preventing terrorism to prevent deaths.

:hi:

[Cetacea]

47. Thank you.I lost a good friend to melanoma.

Wising you all the best!

[proud patriot]

48. Thank You

I should do that .

[lightningandsnow]

52. Thank you for posting!

The thing about getting melanoma on the legs made me think - I never wear sunscreen on my legs because they're so pasty white. But maybe I should.

[Pachamama]

57. Your welcome AspieGrrl! But don't think covering your legs in sunscreen is going to prevent it!

Sadly, most of the damage that can lead to you getting skin cancer and melanoma will have been done already between birth and age 30. Meanwhile, you could have had your legs covered every minute from the day you were born, never allowing them to see the light of day, but if you had any sun exposure on your face, arms, torso etc. then it can and will still appear on your legs. This is because we forget that our skin is our largest organ and the melanoma is actually in the skin, your system. I asked my Dermatologist to remove all my moles everywhere. He said he could do that and I might have a hundred pink dots on me from my biopsies, but it wouldn't prevent the melanoma. The reality is the melanoma can now show up at any time, anywhere on my skin, including on pretty, pasty white perfect patches, and there is nothing I can do to prevent it, short of skinning my entire body, which is not an option, is it. That is why after my surgeries to remove the known Melanoma, and then now the Interferon treatments, all I can do is stay out of the sun, wear hats, wear sunscreen with SPF 45+ and get checks every 3 months to make sure that there are no changes or new tumors that appear. I will be able to call myself a cancer survivor in a few years and in remission if no other Melanoma appears.

But seriously, wear sunscreen everywhere on your body and do get a skin check annually and have your legs looked at.

:hi:

[bobbolink]

54. You're in my thoughts. Just remember that not everyone can even HAVE these screenings, or even a DR

appt.

While I know that you are looking out for the well-being of so many, please remember that not everyone has the $$$ to go to a doctor.

Relying on an emergency room isn't guaranteed for a positive end to a story like this.

"Early detection. Thats what its all about. "

That's what is NOT AVAILABLE to so many of us.

Best wishes to you!

[Pachamama]

56. I realize that not everyone has health insurance - that is why I still can't emphasize that there

options, even to those without health insurance, but you have to do some due diligence and make some calls and be willing to sit in a waiting room at a teaching University for example to perhaps get that check for free. I already asked at the UCSF Melanoma Clinic and the reality is that they do studies and for people who want to contact them and participate, they can get free checks and even biopsies and removals done if they are willing to be part of a skin cancer study. I also know that my friend who is a Dermatologist, especially in a down economy, would be willing to take patients who don't have health insurance and to negotiate a fee for an office visit and have a skin check. I know that $75 can mean the difference of someones groceries that month, but that is why I said, if you have to find some way to cut back, even if it means 6 months of eating Mac n Cheese, it still means that if you got that skin check and caught it early, the most you would be facing is perhaps a $500 outpatient surgery from a doctors office to remove the melanoma in early stages, compared to finding out you have full blown melanoma stage 2 or 3 metastized and Tens of Thousands of dollars in costs that you truly can't afford. Most major cities have a University Medical School or Hospital associated with a teaching facility that have Dermatology residents who need to have participants in studies and also practice their trade so to speak. There is no guarantee of course, but one can save their own life if they atleast go try. To me its like when I hear about people I know that don't have a will in place to protect their family in the event of their death. They say they will get to it and just haven't had the time, but what if its too late and they don't get to it??

I know not everyone has the $$$ to get to a doctor. But what is your life worth? Do people count on you, such as a spouse or parent or children if you were to get sick or die? And if it meant some calls that took several hours, or to negotiate a fee, or to cross town and sit for several hours in a waiting room of a Medical School facility, wouldn't it be worth it to find out and catch something early? That's what I am trying to convey. Simply stating that one can't do it due to lack of health insurance or funds does not eliminate the chances completely of early detection.

I hope you and your family are not faced with that situation. I wish you good health...

:hi:

[bobbolink]

59. "But what is your life worth?"

As a homeless person, my life isn't worth much, is it?

You know, I empathized with you, I wished you well, and what I get back is recriminations.

I can very well understand the terror that you must have gone through.

I hope some day you understand what it's like to be in the situation that I find myself in, as well as so many others.

We don't deserve sermons... we deserve to have those of you who HAVE options have some understanding and empathy for us.

And, maybe some day, to be willing to FIGHT for us, rather than to blame us.

Again, I wish you well.

And that's all I will say.

So long.

[Pachamama]

60. Your life, my life, all our lives are priceless!

I must say, I am very confused about your response but I'm just going to assume that you have a lot going on and your directing it at me. Recriminations??? Blaming those that don't have insurance or are homeless for being somehow at fault? WTF???? I wasn't giving a sermon and there is nothing I said that should have offended you.

I am sorry that you are homeless and I don't pretend for a moment that I can relate to that experience and I hope I never have to be faced with the decision of finding a place to sleep or how to feed myself and my family. I don't pretend for a moment that I can understand that, because I have not walked in your shoes or anyone else's that is homeless. But that doesn't mean that I haven't had my share of hardship in my life or am incapable to understand intellectually, emotionally or spiritually what that must be about and the horrors and agony of it. And I was not being insensitive in the things I said. I genuinely was trying to make people, including yourself aware of something that can save your life and to point out that even if one doesn't have insurance or the means, that there are some options available that can be exercised before you need to give up. A lot of people don't know about Melanoma. A lot of people don't realize early detection is the key to survival. A lot of people don't know that they can go in to the local Medical School or teaching University Hospital and get help, especially if they don't have health insurance.

I'm sorry you feel that I was being insensitive, but thinking and assuming that I don't care or that I was implying that your life isn't worth much couldn't be further from what I am about or what I was trying to share with my friends on the DU.

Namaste

:hug:

[Greyhound]

61. Re-read your reply and try to look at it from the POV of a person that

probably doesn't have enough money to get Taco Bell, someone that is lucky enough to have a vehicle that the city hasn't taken away yet and has to scrounge for 3 or 4 hours to get a gallon of gas so the car can be run for a little heat each night.

I'd also like to know where all these ballyhooed med schools with the free care are located. Even the dental school here wants significant bucks to look at you and any treatment is more and you have to have the cash up front.

There are no payment negotiations or plans when you're really down.

You seem to have missed just how shitty we are to poor people here.

[Pachamama]

63. I did re-read my reply and also in other posts I gave two examples I know of specifically in the SF

Bay Area where a person who needed a skin check could go.

I may have missed how shitty you think people are to poor people "here" (do you mean DU or the United States of America?, but I haven't missed how shitty people on the DU can be to others on the DU.

I started this thread out of genuine concern for peoples well being and the next thing I know I am being attacked as being insensitive. I have been posting here on the DU long enough to have those that know me know that I am a very sensitive and concerned person and I know myself well enough in how I live my life to know thats true and not just words.

[bobbolink]

66. Thank you. This is precisely WHY I don't have all that much faith

in "progressives" nor do I have "Hope" just because we've elected a Dem president.

The attitudes are still decisively RW, and not only that, they're insistent that they are right.

I thank you.

It means a lot.

The ignorance is staggering, and the blame is so deadening.

[Pachamama]

67. ????

:shrug:

Your welcome??

[Greyhound]

71. You're welcome. The disconnect and pervasive mythology about what is available to

poor people is quite disheartening.

They just don't get it because they don't want to get it. They seem to have some idea that people can just go in and apply for benefits and get enough money to get started again. http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=view&id=953">This table shows the maximum benefits for people with children, and if you're single just forget about it. Add these dismal figures to the fact that states have waiting lists years long to get this meager help and it starts to become clear just how miserly and cruel we are.

I know you already know all this, but maybe someone that doesn't will read it and learn.

[bobbolink]

72. Thank you so much for that.

Can we make use of your info?

I'm going to edit to add a great post from a DU newbie who has really come to understand this all:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=230&topic_id=3590&mesg_id=4033

THIS post should be required reading... and digesting!

:toast: to the newbie!

[Greyhound]

74. Of course, please do. the more people that get an idea of just how

lacking the efforts we make are, the better.

Hope you're OK.

[Ocracoker16]

77. Go ahead-Thanks bobbolink

[bobbolink]

65. It's too bad you don't understand.

From your response, I don't sense that you are wanting to hear, so I'll just leave it at that.

You WERE harsh, and I'm up to here with "progressives" buying that whole James Dobson "Tough Love" crap. It has NOTHING to do with "love" and toughness doesn't create peace. There were many other ways you could have responded, but you chose to be tough.

As I said before, best wishes to you, and I hope that someday you understand that some of us simply dont' have the choices, and trying to guilt us or pressure us into it doesn't change that simple fact.

[Pachamama]

68. I don't understand you, that is true....

Progressives buying James Dobson Tough Love???

I wish I understood you, I really don't and we will just have to leave it at that.

Namaste

[Cetacea]

62. I feel for you.

Before Clinton and the Repukes Contract on America you would have been given a home, food, and medicine and spared the shame as well. I just hate what this place has become.

[bobbolink]

69. Thank you.

While it's never been as good as you describe here in the US, it certainly was better and had a lot more hope during LBJ's War On Poverty.

I don't want to highjack this thread anymore, but it's VERY sad that there is so little understanding of just HOW bad it really is.

"and spared the shame as well. "

Absolutely, and I so much appreciate you saying that. People who think there are so many options have NO CLUE just what we go through, and how so many have given up because of it.

I do thank you!

[VOX]

70. As a teenager, I'd stay up all night, then sleep on the beach, just cooking away like a goose...

And when I wasn't hanging around the beach, I'd visit my family in Palm Springs and continue the process of hanging out in the sun without any protection.

My reward for this has been five basal-cell carcinomas removed from my face and neck over a period of years. One of the cancers had fanned out somehow, so the dermatologist had to remove a fair amount of skin. That left a visible 3-inch scar on my cheek, although I sort of wear it proudly, silly as that may seem. The good news is that, having had all these skin cancers, I get a skin check every year, religiously.

Thank you, Pachamama, for your story that serves as a reminder to all of us. I'm so sorry you had to go through so many difficult procedures, but I'm glad that you're on the road back to health.

[undeterred]

73. Great post. Do not delay going to the doctor if you see a skin change.

I know of a man who died of skin cancer because he delayed seeing a doctor about some skin changes on his back for a year. His wife noticed them when they appeared, but he said it was nothing. A year later it was too late- the cancer had painlessly metastasized.

[shanti]

75. pachamama!

:hug: i had missed your posts, and was wondering where you had been. i'm so sorry to hear about this!:(

this strikes close to home as my best friend was diagnosed with melanoma, stage II on the back of her thigh about 10 years ago. it was discovered by her bf at the time - she would never have seen it otherwise. she's had one recurrence, but at the moment is clear. she has very pale skin, black hair, so not the "nordic" type skin, but was raised in the northeast.

skin cancer is a very serious business here in cali. i've had several basals removed myself, on my face, and plenty of sun damage. I'm fair skinned with a tendency to freckle, grew up in So Cal, summers on the beach with baby oil and all. that was back before sun block tho, so couldn't be helped. i have a yearly checkup, but between each one, i always find more suspicious spots, so it's always in the back of my mind. scary stuff!

sending you good vibes and wishes for your speedy recovery!

[DemBones DemBones]

78. Do not hesitate to see a dermatologist about anything suspicious on

your skin. It's not only melanoma that kills. Squamous cell carcinoma can metastasize and kill. I don't know about basal cell because I haven't had it, therefore haven't researched it. My cancer didn't look like any photo of skin cancer I ever saw so you really need to see a dermatologist for anything suspicious. And make sure the doctor biopsies anything suspicious. Mine dithered about it, said she'd do a biopsy, then said she'd just freeze it.

Bottom line, I should have had Mohs microsurgery six months earlier than I did because of the dithering dermatologist, because it was six months before she did a biopsy. And then she wanted me to use a cream for chemotherapy. (A cream? Are you fucking nuts?) I looked it up and the chance of recurrence after Moh's is about 1% while it's about 30% after using the cream.

I found a dermatologist in another city who specializes in Mohs and teaches it in med school. It was educational to see the bandages on people in his waiting room. My cancer was on my arm but most of the patients had it on their face, ears, neck. Not something you want to have. I didn't mind having a chunk taken out of my arm but would not care to have someone carving on my face.

WEAR SUNSCREEN ALL THE TIME. I have for years but earlier sun damage caught up with me. By the way, I knew someone who died young of melanoma and he had olive skin, tanned well, so it's not just us fair-skinned people who have to worry.

[pitohui]

80. read my post 79

derms are simply not willing to do full body checks any more or to do biopsies on moles, they have their hands full w. paying -- cosmetic -- customers and don't feel like wasting their time on insurance co. customers

when you say it's for a suspicious mole, you are told to wait weeks and even then you're hustled in and out of the office in a few moments with the doc barely looking at the mole at all

when you say it's for botox, they schedule you the next day (because they know you're a cash not an insurance customer)

i honestly don't know what to do, we both have scary moles but once the doc has told you to fuck off, there isn't much you can do, we're a hostage to the insurance industry

always wearing sunscreen, of course, puts you at a much higher risk of breast cancer, all things told, i'd rather have to get a skin cancer removed from time to time than get breast cancer but again...that's just me---according to blue cross, we're told you need to be exposed to natural sunlight at least 20 minutes a day WITHOUT SUNSCREEN to keep down the breast cancer risk -- so always use sunscreen could be extremely counterproductive advice -- they actually spent a few bucks to send out a flyer advising this to their customers in our area so if blue cross actually spends money i'm going to assume they have STRONG motives -- it's something to do w. the vitamin D which can only be made in your skin if you expose it to natural sunlight

[DemBones DemBones]

81. I haven't had any problems getting a dermatologist to do a

full body check and they're all doing Mohs microsurgery now. Of course they are making a lot of money off cosmetic procedures but keep looking for a dermatologist who takes your moles seriously. They do exist.

Don't underestimate skin cancer. A friend of ours had to have his neck dissected and lymph nodes removed for a squamous cell cancer and I think it will probably kill him eventually. Mine may kill me, too. There are no good skin cancers. There are Vitamin D supplements.

[pitohui]

79. i tried to follow your advice and was rebuffed

it's a nice thing to tell people to do but in the real world there is an amazing shortage of dermatologists who are doing this kind of thing -- insurance covered dermatology -- because the money is in plastic surgery/cosmetics

both my husband and i were basically told "fuck off" by our derms when we asked for large, dark, irregular moles to be tested

i don't know what else we can do

the derm gets a couple of dollars after our $25 copay, she is not willing to do a full body mole check for that when she has an office full of people waiting to pay $480 a pop in cash for two minutes worth of botox

i think your post is well meaning but a waste of time for both of us -- and i speak as someone with a very high risk of skin cancer, i simply CAN'T get the moles tested, they simply won't do it -- and i have blue cross