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Connect with cr8vdznr:

Handle:	cr8vdznr
Status:	Cancer Survivor
Cancer Type:	Skin Cancer (Melanoma)
Gender:	Female
Age:	57
Country:	UNITED STATES
Last On:	Sept 17, 2008

Officially Diagnosed with Cancer by a Doctor: September 2008

Stage of Cancer at Diagnosis: 0

Date I Began/Begin Treatment: September 2008

My Cancer Story:

Several years ago on a routine gyn appointment my doc noticed a dark freckle on my inner thigh. She referred me to a derm doc who removed the freckle and had it biopsied, precancerous. Gone and forgotten.

Fast forward to another routine gyn exam in August where I asked doc to check a fairly new very dark freckle above my left outer ankle bone. I could barely see it, much less any detail---it was about the size of a pencil point if ground ever so slightly onto a paper. She suggested I see a derm, here in my new city. So, I picked one that consistently won best doc awards in derm in DC. Couldn''t get an appointment with him so was seen by his associate who examined me and said that was the only spot that looked suspicious to him and shaved it off for biopsy.

Next day at work I was sitting at the front desk in the lobby of my office answering phones, people milling around and picked up a call on my cell. It was the derm doc telling me I had a malignant melanoma and the chaos swirling around me drowned out the rest of his message. I had to rush into a conference room and ask him to slowly repeat what he had just told so I could write it down. With reeling brain and shaking hands I took notes and then heard the most beautiful words in the English language, "in situ." Gave me the name of the skin cancer surgeon to call, he''d already faxed my path report over. Was in to see the skin cancer surgeon within 9 days for an excision. This dot of a freckle required a 3" incision and a prayer that it was totally removed. Tomorrow I return for a follow up visit and, I pray, a clear path report.