Cancer. That is such a scary word. A word that I never thought I would hear.
Early November I went to the dermatologist for my six month checkup. I have a lot of freckles and fair skin so I always go every six months for full body checks. At my appointment, my dermatologist noticed a spot on my right arm that looked funny so she had it biopsied. This is normal for me to have this happen at every appointment so I didn’t think too much of it. A few days went by and the dermatologist called me. Melanoma. Yikes! She said it was a very thin layer and that it looked to be in the very early stage but that I would have to go to MD Anderson to their dermatology department and have them check it out. Ok. Don’t freak out until you have to. MD Anderson called a few days later and set me up with the first appointment available, and it happened to be with the head of the dermatology department. That put a little relief to my worries. My appointment was scheduled two weeks out, so I spent that time worrying and googling and crying. I had no idea the extent of my cancer and it was terrifying.
Bryan and I went in for my appointment on December 3rd and I got great news. My melanoma was stage T1a, the earliest stage of invasive melanoma. Because it was caught so early, the only treatment I needed was to have the tumor surgically removed. No lymph node mapping, no chemotherapy. Hallelujah! We spent five hours at MD Anderson that day having xrays, blood work, talking with anestiologusts, etc. The surgery was scheduled two days later, on our nine year wedding anniversary. I couldn’t think of a better gift than to be cancer free!
The day of my surgery I was so nervous! I’ve never been in an OR before, so the whole rigamaror of the prepping stage was super stressful! But, in the scheme of things I knew I was one of the lucky ones there so that eased my mind a little. My actual surgery took only about an hour, the prep and recovery time took up most of the four hour block that we were there.
The recovery wasn’t too bad, I just tried to keep my arm elevated and took it easy. Bryan took off the entire week to help me because I couldn’t lift anything, but other than that I felt fine. I go in for my post op appointment at the beginning of January. I’ll have full body checks at MD Anderson and my dermatologist in Kingwood every three months for the next two years.
I can not stress enough how important regular visits to the dermatologist are. Doing so saved my life. I have many freckles so it is hard to keep track of them all and the changes that occur. After this experience, I am going to try to pay more attention to my body and practice the ABCs of skin cancer. I’ve listed them below as well as put a link to MD Anderson to read more about them.
A- Asymmetry. If both sides don’t match, get it checked out.
B- Border. Crooked or jagged borders are cause for concern.
C- Color. If more than one color presents itself in a mole or spot, call your dermatologist.
D- Diameter. 6 mm or less is not a cause for concern. Anything larger needs checked.
E- Evolution. Keep track of the changes your moles make. It could save your life.
Here is to a cancer free me!
