› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Waiting for results–looking for help piecing things together
- This topic has 15 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 10 months ago by
Squash.
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- April 10, 2015 at 7:30 pm
Hi, I just returned from my dermatologist's office where i had a growth on my upper thigh biopsied.
The background: a few months ago I noticed a painless little bump that kind of looked like an ingrown hair or something on my upper thigh–but I tried popping, and nothing came out. In any case, I wasn't worried about melanoma bc I knew the ABCD's and it didn't follow that pattern. But this past week I noticed it was increasing in size quickly–so I did another google sweep and stumbled across nodular melanoma and–terrifyingly–my bump had these characteristics. I saw my dermatologist today hoping he would look and say "NBD"–but he was decidedly cautious in the way he spoke about it to me.
In a nutshell, he said it was either a hemangioma, or a type of melanoma that I cannot for the life of me remember what he called…something with an "a"–referring to the fact that it didn't have the melanin that makes things brown? Does anyone know?
He said it looked purple, which was promising–as most are brown or black–though that conflicts with what I've read about nodular melanoma. He also said that he was happy that it bled when he biopsied it–but I have no idea how indicative that is.
That was most of the substance–the rest of the convo was him trying to walk a really fine line between comforting me and preparing me for a negative diagnosis.
Now I have one week of waiting…and I just wish I could find some positive stories about this rare type of melanoma…but I'm coming up short. Most just talk about how aggressive and deadly it is. Or find at least one bit of info about a hemangioma that looked like what i have–but nothing there either.
I have an 8 month old and I can't stop thinking about him growing up without a mother, and not getting to see him grow up.
- Replies
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- April 10, 2015 at 7:41 pm
Hi!
I think the word you are looking for is amelanotic…which is lack of pigment.
Best of luck to you. I know it's not fun waiting for results. Laurie
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- April 10, 2015 at 7:41 pm
Hi!
I think the word you are looking for is amelanotic…which is lack of pigment.
Best of luck to you. I know it's not fun waiting for results. Laurie
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- April 10, 2015 at 7:41 pm
Hi!
I think the word you are looking for is amelanotic…which is lack of pigment.
Best of luck to you. I know it's not fun waiting for results. Laurie
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- April 11, 2015 at 9:20 am
Hi
dont panic !!
i had an amelanotic hutchinsons freckle on my arm for years until a good dermatologist recognised it. I was waiting for the results of the biopsy expected in a week like you, but she called me back the next day and told me to bring my husband!! I had it cut out and was all clear but now 10 years later I have stage 4 and being treated with keytruda. I am quite well. I hope yours is not melanoma. And if it is that it is indolent and if it is that you see a melanoma specialist. So even if you get the all clear listen to your body carefully over the years. Let us know if it's a false alarm. I hope so
Anne-Louise
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- April 11, 2015 at 9:20 am
Hi
dont panic !!
i had an amelanotic hutchinsons freckle on my arm for years until a good dermatologist recognised it. I was waiting for the results of the biopsy expected in a week like you, but she called me back the next day and told me to bring my husband!! I had it cut out and was all clear but now 10 years later I have stage 4 and being treated with keytruda. I am quite well. I hope yours is not melanoma. And if it is that it is indolent and if it is that you see a melanoma specialist. So even if you get the all clear listen to your body carefully over the years. Let us know if it's a false alarm. I hope so
Anne-Louise
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- April 11, 2015 at 1:32 pm
Thank you ladies! I'm wavering between feeling like I'll be okay no matter what and overwhelming fear that I'm awaiting a death sentence. I wish I had asked more about hemangioma so I had some information on that to cling too–but I only asked about the melanoma. And I tried to get some info on possible prognosis (again, hoping for a grain of optimism to counter all the terrifying Internet info) but he said he didn't want to walk through scenarios for a diagnosis I hadn't been given yet.
Can anyone tell me if amelanotic melanoma and nodular melanoma are mutually exclusive? Or are they characterizing different aspects? Or are they one and the same?
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- April 11, 2015 at 1:32 pm
Thank you ladies! I'm wavering between feeling like I'll be okay no matter what and overwhelming fear that I'm awaiting a death sentence. I wish I had asked more about hemangioma so I had some information on that to cling too–but I only asked about the melanoma. And I tried to get some info on possible prognosis (again, hoping for a grain of optimism to counter all the terrifying Internet info) but he said he didn't want to walk through scenarios for a diagnosis I hadn't been given yet.
Can anyone tell me if amelanotic melanoma and nodular melanoma are mutually exclusive? Or are they characterizing different aspects? Or are they one and the same?
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- April 12, 2015 at 1:52 am
I had an amelanotic melanoma.
Mine looked like a blister. it was skin coloured with a white cap. It neve itched or bled or anything. I carried it around for 18 months before I did anything about it.
The only way you can tell is by doing a full excision. Even the punch biopsy didnt come back as melanoma only as atypical..
It ws diagnosed after full excision as nodular melanoma.
So really there is no way of knowing what is it as how it looks doesnt really mean anything with these type of melanomas. They just dont fit the standard pattern.
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- April 12, 2015 at 1:52 am
I had an amelanotic melanoma.
Mine looked like a blister. it was skin coloured with a white cap. It neve itched or bled or anything. I carried it around for 18 months before I did anything about it.
The only way you can tell is by doing a full excision. Even the punch biopsy didnt come back as melanoma only as atypical..
It ws diagnosed after full excision as nodular melanoma.
So really there is no way of knowing what is it as how it looks doesnt really mean anything with these type of melanomas. They just dont fit the standard pattern.
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- April 12, 2015 at 1:52 am
I had an amelanotic melanoma.
Mine looked like a blister. it was skin coloured with a white cap. It neve itched or bled or anything. I carried it around for 18 months before I did anything about it.
The only way you can tell is by doing a full excision. Even the punch biopsy didnt come back as melanoma only as atypical..
It ws diagnosed after full excision as nodular melanoma.
So really there is no way of knowing what is it as how it looks doesnt really mean anything with these type of melanomas. They just dont fit the standard pattern.
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- April 11, 2015 at 1:32 pm
Thank you ladies! I'm wavering between feeling like I'll be okay no matter what and overwhelming fear that I'm awaiting a death sentence. I wish I had asked more about hemangioma so I had some information on that to cling too–but I only asked about the melanoma. And I tried to get some info on possible prognosis (again, hoping for a grain of optimism to counter all the terrifying Internet info) but he said he didn't want to walk through scenarios for a diagnosis I hadn't been given yet.
Can anyone tell me if amelanotic melanoma and nodular melanoma are mutually exclusive? Or are they characterizing different aspects? Or are they one and the same?
-
- April 11, 2015 at 9:20 am
Hi
dont panic !!
i had an amelanotic hutchinsons freckle on my arm for years until a good dermatologist recognised it. I was waiting for the results of the biopsy expected in a week like you, but she called me back the next day and told me to bring my husband!! I had it cut out and was all clear but now 10 years later I have stage 4 and being treated with keytruda. I am quite well. I hope yours is not melanoma. And if it is that it is indolent and if it is that you see a melanoma specialist. So even if you get the all clear listen to your body carefully over the years. Let us know if it's a false alarm. I hope so
Anne-Louise
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- April 11, 2015 at 4:30 pm
First of all, what you are going through, we all know, is scary. However, the response to these initial introductions to a possible melanoma diagnosis brings to mind what I was taught in my medical training – when responding to an emergency situation, the first thing to do is to take a big breath and check your own pulse. In other words, one will perform best, one will think best if one can stay calm and collected. As difficult as it is in your situation, it is probably best NOT to search everything you can about melanoma on the internet. The amount of information, and misinformation, is overwhelming and would raise anyone's pulse.
Second, a diagnosis of melanoma is no longer a death sentence. That's not to say it should be taken lightly, but many of us have had Stage 4 diagnoses and are now NED. There are effective treatments that can be used against most melanoma tumors.
Third, find some pleasant, satisfying activity to divert your attention while waiting for results. Worry and stress will neither help you physically or mentally. It is what it is, and perseverating with negative thought or pointless activities will not change things for the better.
Think positive.
Be positive.
Regards, DVD
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- April 11, 2015 at 4:30 pm
First of all, what you are going through, we all know, is scary. However, the response to these initial introductions to a possible melanoma diagnosis brings to mind what I was taught in my medical training – when responding to an emergency situation, the first thing to do is to take a big breath and check your own pulse. In other words, one will perform best, one will think best if one can stay calm and collected. As difficult as it is in your situation, it is probably best NOT to search everything you can about melanoma on the internet. The amount of information, and misinformation, is overwhelming and would raise anyone's pulse.
Second, a diagnosis of melanoma is no longer a death sentence. That's not to say it should be taken lightly, but many of us have had Stage 4 diagnoses and are now NED. There are effective treatments that can be used against most melanoma tumors.
Third, find some pleasant, satisfying activity to divert your attention while waiting for results. Worry and stress will neither help you physically or mentally. It is what it is, and perseverating with negative thought or pointless activities will not change things for the better.
Think positive.
Be positive.
Regards, DVD
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- April 11, 2015 at 4:30 pm
First of all, what you are going through, we all know, is scary. However, the response to these initial introductions to a possible melanoma diagnosis brings to mind what I was taught in my medical training – when responding to an emergency situation, the first thing to do is to take a big breath and check your own pulse. In other words, one will perform best, one will think best if one can stay calm and collected. As difficult as it is in your situation, it is probably best NOT to search everything you can about melanoma on the internet. The amount of information, and misinformation, is overwhelming and would raise anyone's pulse.
Second, a diagnosis of melanoma is no longer a death sentence. That's not to say it should be taken lightly, but many of us have had Stage 4 diagnoses and are now NED. There are effective treatments that can be used against most melanoma tumors.
Third, find some pleasant, satisfying activity to divert your attention while waiting for results. Worry and stress will neither help you physically or mentally. It is what it is, and perseverating with negative thought or pointless activities will not change things for the better.
Think positive.
Be positive.
Regards, DVD
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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