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suzie opsuzie mol

Please read this extremely informative story, especially now that summer is on our doorsteps.  This is one of the things that makes being an Osteopath such a great job, mind you its not every day you save someones life…Thanks to Suzie for sharing her story, and for writing so eloquently!

Moley, moley, moley

 

Earlier this year (June) I was in to see Shane for a routine visit/tune up, and during the appointment he pointed out a freckle/mole on my right hip that he didn’t like the look of. And Shane being Shane bugged me until I agreed I’d go and get it checked out.

So off I went to Molesafe in Windsor for my (early) yearly check up. The doctor did his check up and the offending spot had definitely grown since my last check in September 2013.

There were more dark patches, it was bigger and the edges were all blurry (see Pic – left is in Sept 2013, right is June 2014. Actual size would have been about 1-1.5cm max)

Given this the Doctor wanted to take it out and get it tested. He was pretty sure it would come back fine and he wouldn’t need to see me again for 12 months.

Unfortunately, he was wrong, and the initial biopsy came back positive for having signs of melanoma.

This was a fair shock to the system, it wasn’t expected at all. The next day I was back at Molesafe having another local anaesthetic and a larger area removed. This procedure is called a WLE or Wide Local Excision. As part of the guidelines around melanoma is that when performing a WLE there is 5mm-3cm removed from the original location, these guidelines help to ensure that all traces of the melanoma are removed and by doing this it reduces the risk of it spreading. A week went by and the second set of results came back and I was given the all clear for any further traces, which has thankfully meant that it hasn’t spread! Yay!

The picture below shows the scarring and associated gross-ness from the reaction I had to the tape that covered the incision area in the first few days.

The recovery time from the WLE was a pain in the neck, errr, hip. And it took a while for me to be able to start any sort of exercise again and I’ll have a dirty scar on my hip, but all of that is a minor price to pay.

I was super lucky to have caught it so early and to be able to get rid of all traces. There are so many people that aren’t as lucky as I am.

Though now I am in a higher risk category for melanoma going forward, and need to have quarterly check ups for the next 12 months. I also need to be extra careful this summer and beyond!!

Moral to the story – wear sunscreen and get your spots checked.

Other moral to the story – sometimes you should listen to Shane.  :)