The Story Begins

 So now you know a little about me let me tell you how I started my life with melanoma. I had a mole on my left thigh. I saw it every time I sat on the toilet. I watched it for a while, much to long in fact and called the doctor. I thought I was being pro active. The last time I had asked a surgeon to remove a bump on my arm it turned out to be a thorn surrounded by scar tissue that I never knew was even there. I wasn't worried which is why when the results came back and the surgeon, the father of the boy my daughter was dating, told me it was Melanoma I was shocked. Shocked is an understatement I was amazed. He told me how the lesion was 1.2cm which meant I would be referred to the regional cancer center. anything under 1 cm and I would be done for now with follow ups on the plan. I have said often that the .2cm saved me.
 I met with my surgeon within ten days. She explained the procedure of Local Wide Dissection, she would take 2cm of tissue in all directions surrounding the lesion. We also discussed a Sentinel Node Biopsy which had become the standard for any tumor over 1 cm. I of course asked prognosis, odds of the SNB being positive all the big questions that the Cancer word immediately puts in your head. My surgeon said with a negative SNB my prognosis was in the 90%-95% of never dealing with the disease again. If there was spread to the Sentinel Node things could change but given the size of my initial lesion the chance of the Sentinel Node being positive were only 15% -20%. Seems I was the lucky winner because pathology reports showed microscopic disease in the Sentinel Node. Here we go.
 The next few weeks were filled with CT scans, MRI's, Ultrasounds and worry. My primary physician prescribed Lorazepam which helped but it just took off the edge. One particularly rough night was when the CT showed a "spot" on my liver. My surgeon called to say she ordered an Ultrasound and explained to me that almost half the population have Hemangiomas, masses of blood vessels resembling a strawberry birthmark, on their livers, she said don't worry yet. Sure , I can do that, maybe in an alternate universe. Turns out it was hemangioma and I was set for surgery. Diagnosis on April 20 and last surgery , Radical Lymph node Dissection on June 12. Following surgery we would move to a course of Interferon.
 The surgery went well, 26 nodes were removed and a flap was created to protect my femoral artery now that so much tissue was removed. I healed well and at the end of six weeks was ready for the next phase, Interferon, but that's for next time.