Melanoma

The skin cancer surgery I had a couple years ago was a squamous cell cancer and I was told then that it could come back. Well….today I just finished surgery on the same side of my face only this time it was for stage 2 melanoma. I now have another scar that runs from just under the left eye almost to the jaw line. The cut was deep. So take this as a friendly reminder, no one is exempt from this cancer crap. Use sun screen. A smaller cancer of the same ilk was removed right in the corner of that eye as well. Fortunately I found a spot and had it checked before it could get into other parts of the body. This stuff is no joke.

And right from the Mayo Clinic on sunscreen…..use a product of at least SPF50, regardless of what your hide looks like or how well you tan. AND, apply it every 90 minutes no matter if you haven’t sweat or been in the water.

Tom, I’ve been wanting to post here that I was thinking of you this morning but, I didn’t want to say something if you did not want it out.

Heal well my friend!

Thank you Tom for the valuable insight on Melanoma….or any form of skin cancer. I have always worn long pants, long sleeves and past 3 years one of the light weight masks with full head coverage. I have also had skin lesions removed but luckily have been benign.

Tom hope you have a quick recovery. Damn cancer of any form is no fun.

Not as serious as yours but I just had MOHS surgery on my face a little over a week ago. Procedure done at Mayo also, fortunately was squamous and basil cell not melanoma.

X2 on Tom’s advice – wear sunscreen people. Also consider long sleeve SPF 50 shirts and hats that cover you ears.

Tom, I’m shocked and saddened to hear you had another bout with this. Glad to hear you came through it well and that you have some good news. Get well soon!

As for me, I’m still fishing in the dark whenever possible.

S.R.

This stuff is serious and I simply want to get the word out on preventing it instead of dealing with it as I have to. Fair skinned, freckled as a young person, hard to take a tan….prime target for my golden years so this isn’t going to be a random instance with me.

What surprises me is how the medical community changes the basic levels of preventive medicine in so few years. SPF 30 was considered the benchmark not all that long ago, now spf 50 is the low end. Every four hours of refreshing the sunscreen is now obsolete with every 90 minutes being the new threshold. Things change so fast and so few are aware. There are many, like myself, who can today take all the precautions in the world but are doing so far too late as the damage was done 50 years ago. Nobody knew back then what is known about this stuff today. But for the sake of young people and children, get up to snuff on the current levels of protection the major healthcare providers recommend.

I also have several of the spf 50 long sleeved shirts, both pull over and button-up. I hit the jackpot the last time I was in a Cabelas. Good old Bass Pro was phasing out the shirts with Cabelas branding to make room for their own RedHead stuff. I got both styles of shirts for less than $7.00 each….many shirts came home with me that day.

Dang Tom, hope for a speedy recovery. I hear you on that cancer crap. Dealt with in my family way to much.

Tom, thanks for the reminder. My wife (who you made earrings for) is a 17 year survivor of Stage 2 Melanoma. Thoughts and prayers your way for a full recovery..

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I do appreciate them.

Glenn….you’re fair skinned so you really need to be mindful of sun exposure. Somehow I know you are.

Thanks. And yes I try to be careful. My beer belly is always covered.

Heal fast Tom lots of prime fishing and hunting time coming up.
I’m a melanoma survivor also. Surgery on my arm over 11 years ago. It has been long sleeve, long pants, hooded hats, and sunscreen since then. On the bright side I have had 5 other spots removed and all benign.

Oh Tom, I’m sorry to hear this. Cancer sucks. Thanks for sharing and the reminder to be vigilant about sun protection. It’s mind-boggling – the amount of people who still don’t use any sun protection even though the benefits have been well established. I’m a regular wearer of sunscreen (yes, that means everyday on my minimally exposed skin) and I favor long sleeves and my parasol. For those wondering, a parasol is not just an umbrella. It’s lighter in color and made from porous materials since it’s only meant to shade from the sun rather than provide rain protection. A regular umbrella providing sun protection would get pretty warm beneath it, whereas a parasol is designed to be light and airy. I found mine at Goodwill about 4 years ago (see pic) for about $7 and I love it!

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Dang Tom, not your best summer is it. Sorry to hear about the latest issue. I wish you a speedy recovery.

I had stage 3 Nodular melanoma removed from my leg last December. A month later I had all the lymph nodes removed in that leg. Recovery has been a PITA! I have never worn sunscreen so I guess I was asking for it. I still won’t live my life hiding from the sun, but sunscreen is a absolute these days!

Congrats on your recovery Sticker. Those lymph nodes are a terror when it comes to melanoma…likely the first place this cancer moves to from the initial site. Once imbedded in the lymph system it can go wherever freely. And in a deadly fashion.

And to this….” My beer belly is always covered” from Glenn. I have always thought you were expecting.

for fair skinned probably, but the rest maybe not so cut and dried as it seems https://www.outsideonline.com/2380751/sunscreen-sun-exposure-skin-cancer-science

The sun is an excellent source of vitamin D, but it is hard to quantify how much vitamin D you get from time in the sun and the risk of skin cancer may outweigh the benefits. Some research suggests we need only 10-30 minutes of sun exposure several times a week, but that recommendation can differ greatly with so many factors affecting skin’s ability to produce vitamin D (season, time of day, latitude, air pollution, cloud cover, sunscreen, body parts exposed, color, age, etc). It’s all about balance and personal choice: getting some sun, eating the right foods, and taking some supplements. The old saying is a great one – “Everything in moderation.”

Drink milk and get all the vitamin D you need. Well, store bought milk that is. Take a vitamin D supplement if you’re worried about getting enough of it. There are a lot of ways to keep your nutritional health without jeopardizing your skin’s health. Things and attitudes change when pieces and parts start getting lopped off.

So far Tylenol is taking care of the sting from this. Chewing is a little testy, but I’ll make it. This crud has really picked on the one side of my face. Damned stitches criss-cross now along with the mark of Zorro from before. Its a good thing I’m not doing a beauty contest and I probably could win the ugly dog pageant now. I call the scarring the wages of war against cancer. Helps me feel better. lol

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Congrats on your recovery Sticker. Those lymph nodes are a terror when it comes to melanoma…likely the first place this cancer moves to from the initial site. Once imbedded in the lymph system it can go wherever freely. And in a deadly fashion.

And to this….” My beer belly is always covered” from Glenn. I have always thought you were expecting.

hey now!!:???: just do you know I’ve lost 45 lbs of that gas tank for the love machine.

Gotta be careful of those diets bud. The gut isn’t the only thing that shrinks and the shrinkage is proportional.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Gotta be careful of those diets bud. The gut isn’t the only thing that shrinks and the shrinkage is proportional.

not real serious diet Tom, eating less and smarter!!!!! some of the meds i take are supposedly somewhat responsible i hear!!!!!!

I don’t want to hear about meds. By the time I get thru with my afternoon pile I’m not hungry enough to eat dinner.

Some meds can increase the chances of skin cancer. Read the sheets that come with your prescriptions.

muskie-tim wrote:

Some meds can increase the chances of skin cancer. Read the sheets that come with your prescriptions.

and done meds are used to control blood pressure, blood sugar, and heart issues after you,be had a quad bypass surgery.

Just saying. It can be dangerous getting out of bed.

Nothing funny about what you had Tom, glad you pulled through hopefully, it’s gone. It could have been worse. You could have had 1 of them things hanging off your face like the ol girl in Uncle Buck!

Always reminds me of this when I hear the melanoma word.

Tom thanks for the reminder and for sharing your experiences. Just remember chicks dig scars. Only joking, hopefully you’re recovery goes well and you have no further issues.
Its amazing how we take simple things for granted like sunscreen. My middle son burns so easy and when we were down in Houston I had him religiously putting on waterproof sunscreen, 50SPF every 30 minutes or so and he still got burned on his cheeks and shoulders. I told him he had to just stay out of the pool when the sun was high. He was ticked, but he would have been miserable and would pay for it later in life.

muskie-tim wrote:

Some meds can increase the chances of skin cancer. Read the sheets that come with your prescriptions.

Before I started my in-hospital medicine load for Tikosyn, one that helps control my a-fib, I was taking 100mg of another that made me super sensitive to sun light. Even with good coverage of sunscreen I ‘d burn at times. Since being put on Tikosyn full time, twice a day, that other med has been cut by 3/4 and I now take a mere 25mg daily, but those sheets that come with the prescription still warn of sun exposure. What Tim states here is very valid.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>muskie-tim wrote:</div>
Some meds can increase the chances of skin cancer. Read the sheets that come with your prescriptions.

Before I started my in-hospital medicine load for Tikosyn, one that helps control my a-fib, I was taking 100mg of another that made me super sensitive to sun light. Even with good coverage of sunscreen I ‘d burn at times. Since being put on Tikosyn full time, twice a day, that other med has been cut by 3/4 and I now take a mere 25mg daily, but those sheets that come with the prescription still warn of sun exposure. What Tim states here is very valid.

i’m no way arguing that. all i’m trying to point out is EVERY med has a potential side effect of some sort.

back to the point………tom sure glad your up to chatting!!!!!!!

I just got up from a nap so I must be getting comfortable. Well, maybe not comfortable, but I can tolerate the hurt from this well without any Tylenol. I’ve been sapped since before the cut and Ma said to sleep so……

I’m on a couple of newer high tech drugs and the sheets that come with those are eye opening. And some of the stuff we take for granted each day can spell trouble with taking the more advanced stuff. My Tikosyn cannot be used while eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice. I love chowing a big old red or pink grapefruit while watching tv in the evening. I’d rather drink grapefruit juice than orange juice too, but anything grapefruit has been nixed from my diet now.

The dressing came off in the night so I washed it up and is now ready to re-dress it. The cancer was the size of a pea in diameter and basically just a black, skin thickness spot. They don’t fool around with this stuff.

Feeling much better today and had a good night so onward and upward. Happy to put this sucker behind me.

Very important warning and advice. Thank you!