I was diagnosed with serious melanoma. I had surgery to remove it and two and a half years later I'm here to share my experience, strength and hope with others who may need it.
Please do not ever give up.

How did you get it diagnosed???

i dont understand this,cancer. i mean ok if u smoke, ull get lung cancer, and if u tan to much u can get skin cancer, but my well gonna be exhusband who is in med school well he is doing his internship, told me that you can get this specific kind from tatoos, the sun, tanning, beds, well almost anything, and not only that i have a birthmark, thats like a lg mole, but it never grew its been the same size since i was born and my dr said not to worry about it, but now that im getting older im starting to worry. soon i will be living on my own,a nd dealing with a divorce and i dont need to add this to my list, so could some1 please explain the causes of this, and also the treatments. thnx a tonnn

Hi Sarah,
I've "been through it," as I posted quite some time ago.
I'm in my 50's. I am far from a sun worshipper. The melanoma that I had was fairly deep by the time it was diagnosed. Like you, I'd always had all sorts of moles and didn't pay them any attention until this one became blatantly annoying.
You are an amazingly bright young woman for having gone in for a routine skin exam. Most don't.
Melanoma is a frightening and potentially serious condition. But it is totally managable if caught early. For me it's been almost 4 years since I was diagnosed and b"H I'm well. With His help, I expect to be for a long time to come.
Do you have a good doctor/surgeon?
If you need any recommendation or Chizuk of any sort - please be in touch with me.
ElleeR@aol.com

You aren't a fanatic. This is a scary thing to go through and each of us deals in our own way.
I do not wear any special clothing. I use the same level of sunscreen on my face as I would if I hadn't ever had a MM. I wear sunglasses mostly for driving.
Having said this, I do not know the particulars of the melanoma you were treated for. If your doctor thinks that you need to be more cautious, I think it's best to follow his advice.
The place on my body where it was found was not an area that is exposed; go figure ... My doctors didn't think any measures except for the "normal" ones were necessary.
In my experience, the best you can do for yourself is to be vigilant about changes on you skin. For the first three years post surgery I was followed up every three months by the surgeon. Now in my fourth year, I'm down to every six months. In addition to that I schedule regular check-ups by a dermatologist. I find him to be more thorough than the surgeon.
Also, I would advise that any of your first degree relatives go for regular check-ups.
All the best,
Ellee

I hope that by the time you read this you've been to the doctor and have been reassured.
The scar left by my surgery is very long and even almost four years later, the site is still slightly numb and swollen. My doctor checks it really carefully when I go. Sometimes it seems to me that there is something there but so far it's been okay, b"H.
One thing I can tell you is that anything at all that occurs on that leg has become reason for my doctors to react strongly. About two years ago I had a swelling that could have been anything in the world, such as a simple bruise. But since it was on that leg I was sent for a needle biopsy and PET scan. Last year I had terrible pain in that knee that turned out to be a very common torn meniscus, but until the dx was made, the doctors acted like I should be setting my affairs in order.
It's the nature of the beast. On the one hand you want life to go back to normal, when a bruise was just a bruise. But the reality is that the best chance we have of beating this thing is to treat every single thing like a potential bomb.
I hope that the nevus you were concerned about turned out to be harmless. Please let me know.
Lea

hi. turns out that the suspicious nevus that returned was b"h nothing but a beauty mark. thank g-d. i just need to go for skin check-ups every six months. i also need to get my eyes checked every six months bec. i have a few freckles on my iris and behind my eye too. thanks and hoping for the best for all!!!1