Experiences of melanoma
Kathy's story
I am 36 years old, married with 2 boys aged 3 and 8. I live in Leicestershire.
I was diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma July 2008 after a mole on my back changed size and shape. I have never been a sun-worshipper and friends and family used to laugh at me sitting in the shade wearing the kids factor 50 sun block. However I do remember being sunburnt as a child and I am guilty of the 2 weeks a year going off to a hot Climate but was always careful to slip, slop, slap. I have used a sunbed once before getting married 13 years ago. Everyone is surprised that I have been affected by skin cancer as although I am in the high risk category – fair haired and freckly, I don’t enjoy the sun.
I had visited my GP in February with a cough which wouldn’t shift and she noticed the mole and asked me if it had changed. At this time I hadn’t noticed if it had so we agreed we would keep an eye on it. I became paranoid after this and in April I went back to be referred to the dermatologist. I had a five week wait for referral and then 2 weeks after that I had it removed. Two weeks later the results came back that it was a Malignant Melanoma 2.75mm deep.
During this time period at no stage did any of the doctors express too much urgency or concern about the ‘mole’. When I was given the results (over the phone) the GP explained to me that I would be referred to Leicester where they would discuss removing a wider margin and potentially participating in some trial – again no urgency and not really much info given. Well after my referral appointment to Leicester we found out how serious MM actually is and I became very frightened.
As Leicester hospital didn’t have funding for the sentinel node biopsy they referred me to another primary health trust in London to have the procedure done. I opted to have this done and in November had the procedure. This came back as 1 node out of 6 infected so I had to have all lymph nodes in my left armpit removed the week before Christmas (great timing!!). Fortunately these came back clear and I was referred to take part in the AvastM trial. On a routine CT scan prior to acceptance on the trial they found a Meningioma, hopefully benign, in my head so I am awaiting removal of that but unfortunately this means I can’t participate in the trial. So for now on 3 monthly check ups for Malignant Melanoma, final staging: Stage 3a, N1, M0 with no further treatment – this scares me!
The effects that MM has on your life is scary, frightening and very much unpredictable due to the fact that there is no proven effective treatment which can cure MM. I find it difficult to talk to friends and relatives about MM because it is very much publicised in the media as a ‘self-inflicted’ cancer and I feel a lot of people are very judgemental about this and can’t understand there is no treatment i.e. chemo so therefore it doesn’t seem like a ‘proper cancer’.
I get frustrated that people do not cover up and I see so many lobsters walking about without a care in the world and I have even heard people laugh about their sun-burn, “Oh it won’t happen to me”
PLEASE TAKE CARE IN THE SUN x