stage 0 to stage IV in a year and half?

I'm sorry you are going through this.  I can't recall hearing this exact scenario but I have heard similar stories but I don't want to jump ahead.  Is a biopsy scheduled? 

You have every right to be terrified.  We've all been there.  I want to let you know there is a tremendous amount of hope for melanoma patients these days.  You may be looking at stage IV 5 year survival stats and just know those are obsolete.  5 years ago there wasn't the immunotherapy drugs we have today.  I'm stage IV and living life to the fullest and I'm not alone. 

If it does turn out to be melanoma this board will be invaluable to you.  Engage, ask questions, and bounce ideas.  The collective knowledge on this board and the generosity in which people share is amazing.

Good luck to you.

Brian

I'm sorry you are going through this.  I can't recall hearing this exact scenario but I have heard similar stories but I don't want to jump ahead.  Is a biopsy scheduled? 

You have every right to be terrified.  We've all been there.  I want to let you know there is a tremendous amount of hope for melanoma patients these days.  You may be looking at stage IV 5 year survival stats and just know those are obsolete.  5 years ago there wasn't the immunotherapy drugs we have today.  I'm stage IV and living life to the fullest and I'm not alone. 

If it does turn out to be melanoma this board will be invaluable to you.  Engage, ask questions, and bounce ideas.  The collective knowledge on this board and the generosity in which people share is amazing.

Good luck to you.

Brian

I'm sorry you are going through this.  I can't recall hearing this exact scenario but I have heard similar stories but I don't want to jump ahead.  Is a biopsy scheduled? 

You have every right to be terrified.  We've all been there.  I want to let you know there is a tremendous amount of hope for melanoma patients these days.  You may be looking at stage IV 5 year survival stats and just know those are obsolete.  5 years ago there wasn't the immunotherapy drugs we have today.  I'm stage IV and living life to the fullest and I'm not alone. 

If it does turn out to be melanoma this board will be invaluable to you.  Engage, ask questions, and bounce ideas.  The collective knowledge on this board and the generosity in which people share is amazing.

Good luck to you.

Brian

I can appreciate how scary this is.  I first heard the words ' you have cancer' and only a week later was told it was Stage IV.  I had no symptoms and I felt fine.  They eventually found lung nodules.  It took several surgeries, radiation, IL-2 and some trials of immunotherapies (Ipilimumab), but eventually we got it.  I was originally diagnosed at Stage IV in Aug 2005.  In Feb 2009 I was NED (no evidence of disease) and have been cancer free since.  I've continued to work throughout it all, continue to pray daily and live life!

Don't give up on life!  Find the best melanoma specialists you can.  Ask questions on this board/forum.  It was a lifeline for me in my early days of diagnosis and a great way to educate myself and make me a more informed advocate in my treatment discussions and decisions.

Hang in there!  You are not alone here –

-Rocco

Stage IV in Aug 2005, NED in 2009 thanks to Ipilimumab

I can appreciate how scary this is.  I first heard the words ' you have cancer' and only a week later was told it was Stage IV.  I had no symptoms and I felt fine.  They eventually found lung nodules.  It took several surgeries, radiation, IL-2 and some trials of immunotherapies (Ipilimumab), but eventually we got it.  I was originally diagnosed at Stage IV in Aug 2005.  In Feb 2009 I was NED (no evidence of disease) and have been cancer free since.  I've continued to work throughout it all, continue to pray daily and live life!

Don't give up on life!  Find the best melanoma specialists you can.  Ask questions on this board/forum.  It was a lifeline for me in my early days of diagnosis and a great way to educate myself and make me a more informed advocate in my treatment discussions and decisions.

Hang in there!  You are not alone here –

-Rocco

Stage IV in Aug 2005, NED in 2009 thanks to Ipilimumab

I can appreciate how scary this is.  I first heard the words ' you have cancer' and only a week later was told it was Stage IV.  I had no symptoms and I felt fine.  They eventually found lung nodules.  It took several surgeries, radiation, IL-2 and some trials of immunotherapies (Ipilimumab), but eventually we got it.  I was originally diagnosed at Stage IV in Aug 2005.  In Feb 2009 I was NED (no evidence of disease) and have been cancer free since.  I've continued to work throughout it all, continue to pray daily and live life!

Don't give up on life!  Find the best melanoma specialists you can.  Ask questions on this board/forum.  It was a lifeline for me in my early days of diagnosis and a great way to educate myself and make me a more informed advocate in my treatment discussions and decisions.

Hang in there!  You are not alone here –

-Rocco

Stage IV in Aug 2005, NED in 2009 thanks to Ipilimumab

First off I am so sorry you are dealing with this stressful situation!

My mom had a mole removed from her leg around year and haff ago.. SNB was done and margins clear on WLE. Regular check ups.. well she had some swelling in her leg which we thought was due to the SNB as it had alwasy been a little swollen since they removed lymph.. turns out melanoma spread from 1 lymph into Adrenal and couple of areas on liver. It is very shocking.. just received the news. Having been trying to understand why they said it was so low risk but then this occured.. No Pet scans or imaging were recommended after the SNB.. Anyway we met with a specialist recently (May add she was seen by specialist in Melanoma before) anway he made that point that sometimes if the original mole is there for a while (in her case it was undetected and missed by Drs) that can sometimes influence why the metassis occurs despite everything else looking fine and being low risk.. that and the cells maybe in transit but remain undetectable.

Having spent the last week heavily researching options.. I agree with the other poster.. the advances in melanoma are amazing. I truly hope the best for you.. its shocking.. but seems there is much to explore. 

In health and healing!

First off I am so sorry you are dealing with this stressful situation!

My mom had a mole removed from her leg around year and haff ago.. SNB was done and margins clear on WLE. Regular check ups.. well she had some swelling in her leg which we thought was due to the SNB as it had alwasy been a little swollen since they removed lymph.. turns out melanoma spread from 1 lymph into Adrenal and couple of areas on liver. It is very shocking.. just received the news. Having been trying to understand why they said it was so low risk but then this occured.. No Pet scans or imaging were recommended after the SNB.. Anyway we met with a specialist recently (May add she was seen by specialist in Melanoma before) anway he made that point that sometimes if the original mole is there for a while (in her case it was undetected and missed by Drs) that can sometimes influence why the metassis occurs despite everything else looking fine and being low risk.. that and the cells maybe in transit but remain undetectable.

Having spent the last week heavily researching options.. I agree with the other poster.. the advances in melanoma are amazing. I truly hope the best for you.. its shocking.. but seems there is much to explore. 

In health and healing!

First off I am so sorry you are dealing with this stressful situation!

My mom had a mole removed from her leg around year and haff ago.. SNB was done and margins clear on WLE. Regular check ups.. well she had some swelling in her leg which we thought was due to the SNB as it had alwasy been a little swollen since they removed lymph.. turns out melanoma spread from 1 lymph into Adrenal and couple of areas on liver. It is very shocking.. just received the news. Having been trying to understand why they said it was so low risk but then this occured.. No Pet scans or imaging were recommended after the SNB.. Anyway we met with a specialist recently (May add she was seen by specialist in Melanoma before) anway he made that point that sometimes if the original mole is there for a while (in her case it was undetected and missed by Drs) that can sometimes influence why the metassis occurs despite everything else looking fine and being low risk.. that and the cells maybe in transit but remain undetectable.

Having spent the last week heavily researching options.. I agree with the other poster.. the advances in melanoma are amazing. I truly hope the best for you.. its shocking.. but seems there is much to explore. 

In health and healing!