About five years ago, I went to my gynecologist and he told me that there were a couple of moles on my back that he wanted me to have removed.  I went to a local surgeon and she looked at them and agreed that they looked suspicious.  They seemed to have a kind of halo which often is associated with skin cancer.  When the results came back, there was no sign of cancer but she warned me to stay out of the suntan bed.  I quit going for five years.  Especially after I sneaked a peak at my records at the gynecologist's office and saw that my doctor had suspected melanoma.  But as time goes on, you lose sight of what was so scary to you and revert to your old bad habits.

As you can see, I traveled to the Bahamas back in February and wanted to be sure that I didn't get burnt the first day (which of course, I did anyway).  I started going to the tanning bed a couple of weeks before and thought I was doing it very safely.  I started out at 8 minutes and only went every other day, working my way up to 20 minutes a visit.  Then I took my trip and didn't want to lose the tan I had gotten, so I went back to the tanning bed, twice a week for 20 minutes.  Sounds like no problem, RIGHT?

In April, I attended the 1998 Kentucky District Financial Women Conference in Lexington.  I went to my dermatologist for my annual checkup which includes a full body check.  She was chastising me for the deep tan and I was telling her that they shouldn't fuss so much because it makes us not want to come for the checkups.  She has her little magnifying glass going over every inch of my body.  I had wanted a rather ugly mole on my shoulder removed that was aggravated by my bra strap.  She stops on the back of my right calf and says that she has found a mole that looks abnormal, it was flat, dark, and a little larger than a pencil lead (4mm. to be exact).  This mole was right where the back of my calf would be lying flat on the tanning bed bulbs. I seldom lie on my stomach in the sun...too uncomfortable. She said, "I don't think it's melanoma or anything but we need to check it out!"  I wasn't worried.  I've had a million taken off, always with negative results.  When she handed me the 800 number to check on it, I stuffed it in my purse and went back to the hotel.  I thought of calling one time but couldn't find the piece of paper.

I was sitting in my office about a week later and the telephone rang.  I had my CD player going and assumed that I was talking to a client of the bank so I turned the music down.  On the telephone was Dr. Roth and she asked if I could talk to her for a moment.  I told her sure and then she exclaimed, "The mole on your calf we removed came back melanoma.  It's really small, thin, and new but we'll have to have a plastic surgeon excise the flesh around it."  I was kind of in shock.....I must have heard her wrong.  She surely wouldn't call me on the phone and tell me I had melanoma.  She told me she would have the secretary make an appointment with a plastic surgeon there in the building since I didn't have one here locally.  I stayed pretty upbeat, talked to people, thought about what she said, read everything on the internet, and was sure that he might remove a portion about the size of a quarter.

My sister went with me to the plastic surgeon that day.  I was a little nervous but just knew everything was going to be OK.  Dr. Martin Luftman talked to me for a while then told me he would draw what would have to be removed...he said it was a Level 2...then drew what looked like the blades on an airplane on my leg.  IT WAS HUGE....ABOUT 7 IN. LONG BY 2 IN. WIDE AND ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE MUSCLE.  He checked my lymph nodes in my leg and said they felt normal.

My sister thought I was doing good.  We went out to eat afterwards and I tried to keep a stiff upper lip.  Amy, my sister, lives in Lexington so I had to drive home by myself.  I'm surprised I got home at all since I cried practically the whole way.  My legs, the one thing on my body. that I'd always felt good about and now one of them was going to be mutilated.  I couldn't believe that little tiny spot could be that deadly.  Maybe they had made a mistake.  I wished, one more time, my Daddy was here to tell me that everything would be alright.

April 29th - the day before the surgery...still not believing that it was necessary...called Dr. Roth's office and asked them to make sure that the results that Dr. Luftman had received were mine.....A LEVEL TWO...but Dr. Roth had said that it was small, early, good chance of recovery...why were they cutting such a huge chunk out of my leg?  The nurse came back to the phone and assured me that the results were the same and that Dr. Roth just wanted me to remain calm and not get so upset.  Easy for them to say....so I prayed!

April 30th - my sister and I go to the Lexington Surgery Center where we are met by my daughter, Heather.  Everyone is in a pretty good mood, including me.  Just want to get this horrible disease out of my body.  Even kid with the nurses and plastic surgeon.  Right before they put me under, Dr. Luftman points to the small hole that is left from the punch biopsy and exclaims to a nurse, "Can you believe that that was melanoma?"   GREAT! Not what I wanted to hear but actually I guess I should be glad.

Thank God for Dr. Roth!  If she had missed the tiny mole, it probably would have spread way too far to help me by my next yearly body check.  There was no sign of cancer in the surrounding tissue.  The wound is healed and the scar isn't that bad....in fact, I think I'm rather proud of it.  I can say, I survived melanoma which is a heck of a lot better than the alternative.  I'll be going for complete body checks every 6 months for the rest of my life but

What is melanoma?

Melanoma is a disease of the skin in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the cells that color the skin (melanocytes).  Melanoma usually occurs in adults, but it may occasionally be found in children and adolescents. The skin protects the body against heat, light, infection, and injury. It is made up of two main layers: the epidermis (the top layer) and dermis (the inner layer). Melanocytes are found in the epidermis and they contain melanin, which gives the skin its color. Melanoma is sometimes called cutaneous melanoma or malignant melanoma.

Melanoma is a more serious type of cancer than the more common skin cancers, basal cell cancer or squamous cell cancer, which begin in the basal or squamous cells of the epidermis. People with basal cell or squamous cell cancer of the skin should refer to the patient information summary for skin cancer.

Melanoma can spread (metastasize) quickly to other parts of the body through the lymph system or through the blood. (Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body; they produce and store infection-fighting cells.) Melanoma can also appear on the body as a new mole.

If there are signs of skin cancer, the doctor will examine the skin carefully. If a mole or pigmented area doesn't look normal, the doctor will cut it out (called local excision) and look at it under the microscope to see if it contains cancer. This is usually done in a doctor's office. It is important that this biopsy is done correctly.

You should see your doctor right away if you have any of the following warning signs of melanoma:

     change in the size, shape or color of a mole
     oozing or bleeding from a mole
     a mole that feels itchy, hard, lumpy, swollen, or tender to the touch
     a mole that is asymmetrical, has irregular borders or is more than one color

Any changes in moles should be looked at by your doctor for the best advice. And if your doctor tells you it's nothing and you're still concerned, go see a dermatologist.

If you are a person who has a lot of freckles, birthmarks and/or moles (as I am) you should really be aware of them so that you are able to notice a change if there has been one. This goes for moles you had your whole life, too.

You should check your skin once a month, and be thorough. It sounds silly, but if there's a part of your body that you can't see well, ask someone to check for you. Just think, when they're done checking you, you can check them. You might save a life.

Men usually get melanoma on the trunk (anywhere between the shoulders and the hips) and women usually get it on their arms or legs but  it can be anywhere.

Sun protection: it's very helpful to wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 whenever you're going to be out in the sun for any length of time longer than 10 minutes. It doesn't take long to get a sunburn. Make sure that any and *all* exposed areas of skin are protected with sunscreen. There are a variety of types on the market these days with different levels of SPF protection and also different added "perks", such as being waterproof and oil free to keep from clogging pores. There should be no excuse for not wearing sunscreen or sunblock.

Also: a baseball cap is not enough to protect your face, neck and the tops of your ears. As silly as you think you may look, a floppy hat is your best bet. There are companies that sell sun-protective clothing; I will get more information about them and put them up here as soon as possible. Melanoma is not always due to sun exposure, but people with fair skin who tend to burn rather than tan who end up getting sunburned a lot are at a much higher risk.

Be safe, not sorry!  THINK ABOUT IT!