It was a huge shock to be diagnosed with Melanoma. I went to my GP because I thought I had an infected skin tag on my right shoulder.
Eric had pain in his back (above the waist) and we thought he had developed another kidney stone. Following an ultrasound, the Dr told us that there was a mass on Eric’s adrenal gland and that he wanted Eric to have a chest x-ray and a brain scan. As soon as I heard this I just knew that it was cancer.
I was 34 weeks pregnant when the surgeon told me the results. It was melanoma. When he told me I had cancer, my entire world felt apart. I was pregnant and had a 17 month old son, I was terrified I wouldn’t see my children grow.
I underwent full body CT scan while in hospital to be told by the registrar that rest of the body was clear of tumours. Yippee. Two days later I was told that this diagnosis was wrong and there were tumours in my lungs and suspicious spots on top of the adrenal glands and in the lymph nodes on the left side of my neck and a need for a future PET scan.
I had my first Melanoma in my late 20’s. I had been cleared by a Mole scan clinic but had a gut feeling one wasn’t right so went to my GP to have it removed. It came back level 1 in situ Melanoma. I remember fainting and thinking I was going to die like Mum. After that removal I had multiple excisions which were benign or dysplastic.
The lesson I’ve learned from this diagnosis is to stand up for yourself, ask questions. And if you’re still not satisfied ask for an explanation, get a second opinion! Write everything down and keep copies of all your results.
