CancerCompass message board discussion started by Ak3258 on 6/9/2007 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,13048,0.htm Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Hi ! I’m 31 yrs old father of 2 and I was diagnosed with in situ melanoma and I’m so scared, me and my wife have been going crazy the last few days ~ I have a lot to loose anyone tell me anything good ! please share a story or any advice ?? I will be going to john Wayne Cancer center on Tuesday to see a specialists ! I have 2 handsome boys ages 4 and 6 and I keep holding them and crying ! God why is this happening! Ak3258 Sat, 09 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/9/2007 Ak3258 wrote:Hi ! I’m 31 yrs old father of 2 and I was diagnosed with in situ melanoma and I’m so scared, me and my wife have been going crazy the last few days ~ I have a lot to loose anyone tell me anything good ! please share a story or any advice ?? I will be going to john Wayne Cancer center on Tuesday to see a specialists ! I have 2 handsome boys ages 4 and 6 and I keep holding them and crying ! God why is this happening! Hi My name is Kathy  Im 42.  I have sinus cancer and i can only tell you cancer is the scarest thing Im on the net all the time looking up all about what im going thru . You need to go to righthealh.com it is a great site and you can get alot of info on situ melanoma there.. and keep the faith I have 3 children and there is no way cancer is going to get the best of me. God bless you and your family.  Kathy913 Sat, 09 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Thanks for your support ! God bless you also ! Ak3258 Sat, 09 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT early stage melanoma is almost 100% cureable by surgery.  Do the recommended followups and take the necessary precautions and you should be fine.  Dont panic.......learn. Oncrx Sun, 10 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/9/2007 Ak3258 wrote:Hi ! I’m 31 yrs old father of 2 and I was diagnosed with in situ melanoma and I’m so scared, me and my wife have been going crazy the last few days ~ I have a lot to loose anyone tell me anything good ! please share a story or any advice ?? I will be going to john Wayne Cancer center on Tuesday to see a specialists ! I have 2 handsome boys ages 4 and 6 and I keep holding them and crying ! God why is this happening! The last e-mail is correct; melanoma discovered this early is almost 100% cureable.  The issue then is making sure that if it ever comes back you catch it early which is the primary reason for my e-mail. My father was diagnosed with in situ melanoma 7 years ago and was believed to be 100% cured. He went to every follow up appt. and religiously checked every mole and freckle. Unfortunately, because his melanoma had been caught so early, the risk of it coming back was small so the only follow up involved was thorough skin checks and x-rays, no CT scans or MRI's.  Melanoma doesn't always come back on the surface; it can come back on the inside of your body which he just learned. He was diagnosed 3 weeks ago with Stave IV Melanoma.  If someone had told him of this risk, he would have of course insisted on periodic CT scans and MRI's which would have probably picked it up again at maybe Stage II, more than tripling his chance of survival.  The best advice I can give is that after they remove the problem mole or freckle and you do your follow ups you insist on periodic CT and MRI scans; exterior checking (and x-rays which do  nothing!!) just don't cover all of the bases.  I don't mean to freak you out further with this information; I just wanted to pass along some advice I wish someone had told us. Good luck and take care. Swclaw Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/9/2007 Ak3258 wrote:Hi ! I’m 31 yrs old father of 2 and I was diagnosed with in situ melanoma and I’m so scared, me and my wife have been going crazy the last few days ~ I have a lot to loose anyone tell me anything good ! please share a story or any advice ?? I will be going to john Wayne Cancer center on Tuesday to see a specialists ! I have 2 handsome boys ages 4 and 6 and I keep holding them and crying ! God why is this happening! OK - 1st things 1st - I had it 17 years ago - I am still here. I went crazy and so did my wife - we had one young son - now have that same large son - another son - and a daughter. 2nd - try not to cry with your kids - don't let them get scared - that is hard - but they can not compute this and it can teach them how to and how not to handle a crisis. Next - take a breath - it was small?  They got it early - and they are going to get it out.Wrote" in-situ tumors), usually within the upper portion of the epidermis" which is good - tends to grow outward and can for months or years stay in that condition. What is on the list - is how deep did it go?  For thin ones - you  might have eliptial removal - where they while you are awake - numb it and remove clean margins. That may be it. You must understand there are levels of this - and most can be cured if caught early. I have had over 100 paths since - still here still kicking!You are young and strong - get in there and do what they have to do. I was scared to death - but I would rather have it in a jar in some medical center than on my skin right? Let them get clear margins next.You can read online - it was not available when I had it. I knew nothing - and I can guess how you feel. You feel so alone - you are scared to death - keep in mind your wife is going through the exact same thing. It is almost harder to watch someone have cancer, seeing how scared they are - than to have it. I know that sounds crazy now but it is true.  Wish I had more time to write now but reply and I will check it later. You can beat this - many have. Think positive - get your medical thing over with and it will be gone gone gone.You are not alone!!!Bill        MartinGuitar Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT