67 replies to this topic

[ski3pin]

I am so humbled, impressed, and thankful for the incredible kindness and the caring attitude of the folks present here on Wander the West. Your kindness and good thoughts are so appreciated.

 

The moral to the story is to get checked, nip things in the bud, get it before it spreads. As Mr. Smoke says, too many adventures still lie ahead. We cannot be lazy about this stuff.

[Happyjax]

Prayers that this is just a hiccup in your journey. I am looking forward to camping with you in a couple years:)

[ski3pin]

Time for an update here. At my recent now yearly check I had 4 moles removed and biopsied. One came back moderate abnormal. The new mining expedition on my back - wider and deeper and more pathology work - in that suspicious area is tomorrow afternoon. All will go well.

 

I received a call today on the recent pathology - all abnormal cells removed and margins clear. Good news. Catch this stuff early!

[longhorn1]

Please pardon a little personal story and a serious subject.

I have melanoma. I believe that it has been caught early enough that it has been completely removed. I’m very positive about my survival. Melanoma is a bad brand of cancer to go shopping for. It likes to spread to your liver, lungs, and brain. These are organs that I want to function at their peak level just as long as possible.

I am a calm, patient, optimistic, and positive person. I get news like this and I want to know the next step, what are the best options. News like this, I have found out, scares the living crap out of friends and loved ones. Kind of makes me feel cared about and loved but also makes me feel a little like a heel for adding stress, worry, and concern to people I deeply care about.

I have learned much from melanoma.org. I have talked with professionals among my network of friends and associates. I’ve been doing my learning. They all tell me, “Thank god you caught it early!” I had a big patch taken out of my back and several spots removed. All the cutting has not been fun but is a very very small price to pay. “Wow, look a zipper!” and “Who put the load of buckshot in your back!” comments are great reminders how fun it is to be alive.

I am told that I am at low risk that the cancer has spread. My research confirms this. So the Lady can sleep at night, and that is a priority, we are going ahead with the next step to see if it has spread to the lymph nodes with a sentential node biopsy, just as a safety check.

I am sharing this because I will be a success story and I want you to be too. Learn about melanoma. Get those moles checked. Be diligent. Catch it early. There are too many adventures ahead for all of us. Let's stay around to enjoy them.

[emoji120]

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I received a call today on the recent pathology - all abnormal cells removed and margins clear. Good news. Catch this stuff early!

Fantastic news! Woot woot!

[Ronin]

Must be a huge relief - get all those adventures in!!

[takesiteasy]

Ski, good news and good advice

[Vic Harder]

Father in law died from melanoma 30 years ago.  Diagnosis, treatment and prognosis have changed a lot since then, thank goodness.  Going to see a dermatologist myself in a few weeks.  Crossing my fingers....