Make sure Melanoma

[CaptainCrunch]

So I had a weird phone call from my dad the other day, usually we go for coffee every weekend for coffee just to get him out of the house, shoot the crap and drink the worlds worst coffee at Starbucks. Last week he phoned me up and he was very muted, he asked if I could come and have coffee with him and my mom. Of course my alarm bells went off and I started asking what was going on, but he didn't want to talk about it on the phone.

I went for coffee today with them and he told me that he had been diagnosed with Melanoma. He noticed a mole on his back changing color and taking on an irregular shape, so he went to get it checked out and the doctor cut out the first biopsy and scheduled a second surgery to go in and try to remove the rest of the tumor and schedule testing to make sure that it hasn't spread elsewhere.

Of course for my dad who is a very healthy 80 year old who takes excellent care of himself after being diagnosed with Diabetes a few years back this is a frightening thing. For my mother more so

The doctor feels pretty good about this because he feels like it was caught early. But we won't really know until he tries to cut out the rest of the tumor, and then gets it tested which takes about 2 miserable weeks.

so I've sat here all day and decided to post this up here because there is a lesson involved here.

If Melanoma is caught early its very treatable, if it manages to spread into the lymph nodes etc the prognosis very quickly drops down to a 25% survival chance or worse.

the bottom line for this post, is I'm not here looking for sympathy or anything like that. But keep track or your moles or "sun spots" or irregular coloration where it wasn't irregular before and if they change color or changes to a irregular shape or spreads do not pass go do not collect $200.00 get to your doctor and get it examined. Don't think for a minute that because its small or medium or whatever that you can wait.

Catch it early if you can.

[Street Pharmacist]

Very good advice! Sorry to hear

[Dion]

Sorry to hear about your father CC and excellent advice.

Must remind myself to use sunscreen while golfing this summer.

[FLAMESRULE]

My dad has Melanoma as well, but is much younger (born in 1955). He caught it early with the same irregular shaped moles on his back + neck. He's a Family Doc so he knew what he was in for.

He had them all removed but has had a few more show up. He is in pretty good shape and takes care of himself. But being a '50s child did him in...never wore a shirt outside or sunscreen. He wears those SPF 50 shirts now and really has to protect his face + torso.

It is still a big shock. I'll never forget my Mom calling me to say that Dad had cancer. It is scary, but he's lucky that he caught it early. Be prepared for some of the treatments though. My dad has to go in once or twice a year for some type of light/radiation treatment. It destroys certain types of cells, but makes your skin blister + rash up. It looks awful!!

[Nyah]

Good advise. Question: for those of us who have a lot of moles, is there a clinic you can go to every couple years or so to get them all looked at? Or is your family doctor the right idea?

[CaptainCrunch]

My dad started with the family doctor and it went from there with a referral. He's getting his work done at Tom Baker

[GreenLantern]

Sorry to hear that CC I hope things work out for you and your family.

My Dad has had skin cancer twice now, basal and squamous, so not nearly as serious as what your Dad is dealing with but still can be scary. He is currently awaiting surgery for the squamous but the Doctors are confident it will be routine.

It has definitely taught me to be aware, and keep applying that sun block on the boat, even after 10 wall eye and 11 beer.. don't get cocky, the sun doesn't mess around.

[FireFly]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Good advise. Question: for those of us who have a lot of moles, is there a clinic you can go to every couple years or so to get them all looked at? Or is your family doctor the right idea?

You probably need a referral first from your family doctor.

I am in a lucky situation. Or unlucky, it depends how you look at it. My family has a history of cancer to the point where they mapped our genes to determine what is the cause of this cancer. Once they pinpointed the gene, they asked us all to go in and have our DNA tested to see if we have it. I do. Chances are ridiculously high, (like 75%) that I will have cancer at some point in my life. The good thing is they know this and can now be proactive in preventing it from getting too far.

As a ginger, I'm covered in freckles. Since the gene does not discriminate what kind of cancer I'll get, skin cancer is right up there. So, starting at 40 I think, they're going to use skin-mapping technology to take 3D pictures of my skin, convert them to 2D and monitor any changes in frecklature. (I made up that word.)

The technology is out there to keep on top of this. If you're concerned, definitely go to your family doctor. They won't necessarily do anything unless you have specific moles that you are concerned about though.

[undercoverbrother]

Sorry to hear about you news CC.

Soldier on.

[Keselke]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Good advise. Question: for those of us who have a lot of moles, is there a clinic you can go to every couple years or so to get them all looked at? Or is your family doctor the right idea?

My father has had Melanoma 3 times, lucky for him his dermatologist caught them all in Early stage, and were In-situ, he told him that all the damage to his skin was done during his early years teens and 20's, from that point on he was careful. Also noted he has never seen someone get melanoma 4 times.

From this, I now get regular screenings, once every 2 years. Full body examination through a dermatologist(I use Dr Storwick)

I would implore anyone with a high risk skin type, or even those who do not fall into high risk categories, make regular screenings just a normal part of a health checkup like a physical or something

Hope your dad pulls through, melanoma is very manageable if caught early

[JonDuke]

Thanks for sharing.
Best of luck to your dad.

[CaptainCrunch]

The worst part right now is the waiting, the tumor removal on Thursday is just what it is, surgery but he's in and out in a day and its a local, though as he says the thought about someone digging around while he's awake is a freak factor.

For him and for us kids the worst part is the waiting the doctor told him its a 10 day wait for the results, which is nerve racking.

I knew something was up when my dad wanted to give me opening authority on his safety deposit boxes and his financial and will information, I jokingly asked him before I knew what was going if he understood the term "Power of Attorney" and its incredible benefits.

BTW great detective skills by the Captain that he didn't see this coming.

I have to give credit to the doctors and nurses so far as they've moved with a great deal of speed and compassion. I just wished we had star trek technology that could scan the things with a tricorder and know right away.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

The worst part right now is the waiting, the tumor removal on Thursday is just what it is, surgery but he's in and out in a day and its a local, though as he says the thought about someone digging around while he's awake is a freak factor.

For him and for us kids the worst part is the waiting the doctor told him its a 10 day wait for the results, which is nerve racking.

I knew something was up when my dad wanted to give me opening authority on his safety deposit boxes and his financial and will information, I jokingly asked him before I knew what was going if he understood the term "Power of Attorney" and its incredible benefits.

BTW great detective skills by the Captain that he didn't see this coming.

I have to give credit to the doctors and nurses so far as they've moved with a great deal of speed and compassion. I just wished we had star trek technology that could scan the things with a tricorder and know right away.

Sorry to hear about your Dad, Captain, but having just gone through this recently with my son, I can understand your concerns. Melanoma is a lot more prevalent than most people realize, and there are a great many survivors of it out there.

The initial waiting period is always the worst time before getting results or having treatment for cancer.

Like all cancers, catching it early is the key. Once you get the initial pathology results back, there is a ton of information on the net that can help you assess the risk to your Dad.

You can rest assured that the Tom Baker is one of the best institutions for cancer on the continent. Had a friend of a friend recently that travelled down to California to check out his cancer, and was told that they didn't understand his being there, as the best treatment for his cancer was in Calgary.

[CaptainCrunch]

Yeah, I'm just having a day after first day complete freakout believing in the worst case scenario thing happening.

[octothorp]

Thanks, this thread is a great reminder. I had a new mole forming the last couple weeks, and while it doesn't look like a high-risk mole, this thread will probably be enough to push me to get it checked out, something I had already been telling myself I should do.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Good advise. Question: for those of us who have a lot of moles, is there a clinic you can go to every couple years or so to get them all looked at? Or is your family doctor the right idea?

You can go to your GP, and if your still concerned, may consider going to Dr. John Arlette, at the Total Skincare Centre, who offers a total body review for about $450. He has a great deal of experience with skin cancer and is able to do the Mohs surgery.

[JeanLucPicard]

I can somewhat relate to you when it comes to the waiting to hear from doctors. My father had a cyst shown on his pancreas (ultrasound) last summer. pancreatic cancer is a really bad news because not only it is usually detected late, it also gives you a life span of maximum 1 year I think. After the MRI the waiting period was very stressful. Thankfully, it turned out not to be a tumor - let alone malignant cancer. Finding out that it was just a harmless cyst was a relief, and I really really hope you hear good news as well. I'm glad you guys caught that early.

[Nage Waza]

They caught one on me fairly early which made treatment easy. I was only 32 at the time.

They say it was caused by sun exposure, so wear sunscreen!

[DownInFlames]

My parents go to Mexico every winter and I cringe when they talk about tanning to get ready for the trip. They're both 60 years old and frankly, not in great shape. I don't know why pale skin is something they would be vain about.

Anyway, good luck to your Dad. Like you said it's usually treatable if caught soon enough.

[troutman]

FYI:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/n...ry_143904.html

The rate of cancer deaths among Americans continues to decline, according to a new report. Over the last 20 years, the overall risk of dying from cancer has dropped 20 percent, researchers found.

The fastest decline in cancer death risk has been among middle-aged black men, for whom death rates have dropped by about 50 percent, the study authors report.

"We continue to make progress against cancer," said report co-author Ahmedin Jemal, vice president for surveillance and health services research at the American Cancer Society.

This progress is largely because of better prevention, screening and treatment, Jemal said. The dramatic decline in cancer among black men is most likely attributable to decreases in smoking, he added.

Jemal said most of the progress has been made in colon, breast and prostate cancer. These cancers can be screened for and, when caught early, have better outcomes, he said.

In addition, decreased smoking has reduced the number of lung cancers, Jemal said.