When a person has melanoma (skin cancer) and the operation is done. How do they know if they are dying?Mine was a Clark Level III. and on my ear.
I mean, I hear people say " well they did the operation for the melanoma and said it was all gone. Then a year later, he was not feeling well and he was dead in 10 days" How long is it from "not feeling so well" to death? Can a person feel ok a week before death?
Mine was a year ago. They look at me every 3 months. Now in 6 months. I mean, how do they know what's going on inside? They said I was borderline needing a sentinel lymph node biopsy, but they have found it does not extend life to know the results. I am confused.
I mean can they feel well even if the cancer has been spreading
This is malignant.
Answer by hummingbird
That's sad. Sorry to hear that. Your doctor should check you periodically and retest you again. You have to ask your doctor.
Answer by Julius C
My cousin was hit by a big freakin' bus and killed instantly. Five minutes before that, he looked at me and said I feel fantastic!!! So, yeah, I would say someone could feel great a week before dying.
Answer by chris
if you are dying your doctor will let you know as soon as he/she knows. so as long as they don''t say anything you're fine. good luck with you cancer.
Answer by Kris L
I'm sorry you had melanoma ... it's a TERRIBLE disease. I know because I've had malignant melanoma (much worse than just melanoma) twice ... both 'primary' cancers. I look like someone tried to burn my head off from behind from the scarring, and that 'scar' goes from armpit to armpit because they took the lymph nodes on both sides and amputated six muscles at the back of my neck.
Doctors should do 'tests' ... both on the 'live patient' and on the 'excised cancer' to tell if the person is 'terminal' ... but they don't ALWAYS know. I was told I was 'terminal' with only three months to live, after my first surgery on my neck ... I was only 21 years old at the time. I looked at that doctor and told him that I would 'dance on his grave' and that he would be 'very old' when he died. When I had the second cancer 19 years later, the doctor asked ME how long I wanted to live ... he knew I was the 'oldest living patient' to have what was by that time the 'routine surgery' ... I told him I planned to live to be at least 150, and then I told him he'd have to do the surgery in the outpatient clinic, and not put me into the hospital for 'a month or more' ... which he did. Your 'level III' cancer was BAD, but the surgery should have 'removed' all of it. You'll need to see a doctor at least once every six months for the next five years or longer ... but YOU CAN LIVE A LONG LIFE. Don't 'give in' and think that the cancer is going to 'kill you' ... fantasize the 'cancer cells' in your body as being weak and sickly, and the 'immune system cells' as being HUGE SOLDIERS who can 'wipe them out. I dressed my 'immune soldiers' like Roman Guards from Jesus's time, but you can 'dress yours' the way you want to ... but do this 'fantasy' at least four times every day ... it takes less than five minutes, but those 'five minutes' are IMPORTANT to you in many different ways. This kind of 'fantasy' is a type of 'meditation' and time has showed that this 'meditation/fantasy' can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE in your 'survivability rate.' Second, don't eat the 'healthy food' that everyone says is 'best' ... learn to 'listen to your body' and eat what it wants ... which may be chocolate, or fried oysters, broccoli, cherries, or fresh applesauce. When you have cancer, your body 'needs' different things ... vitamins, minerals, antioxidants ... and the food you'll 'crave' will have those things in the amounts you'll need. I've been 'cancer free' for over 19 years since the second cancer, and I STILL 'listen to my body' and eat ONLY WHAT SOUNDS GOOD, and not what others 'tell me' is good for me. I used to LOVE broccoli best, now I can't even bear to see it on my plate ...but my husband loves it, so we buy 'broccoli and cauliflower and he 'separates' the two onto our plates. Third ... PAMPER YOURSELF. Tell the people who live with you that you NEED THIS to be able to survive, just as you need the meditation and the 'cravings answered' instead of normal 'nutrition'. Take a long hot bath, get books you like to read and read them daily ... go for long walks in the woods, or sit by the stream and watch the water go by. This is to help your body to KNOW EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY ... if you go on a 'strict cancer fighting diet' and have 'lots to do every day' with no time for YOURSELF, you'll get 'sicker' ... so grab a chocolate bar or a can of smoked oysters, and grab a good book and go sit out in the shade in a comfy chair ... and tell everyone that you are 'fighting your cancer' in a way that will help you LIVE to a 'ripe old age' ... say 220 years? I've had to 'up' mine ... there's still so much to 'learn' and do, and I'm just a 'little girl' yet ... at 56!
Answer by quijibored
Kris L gave you an excellent answer.
Back to your original questions. Did you have good medical insurance at the time the melanoma was removed? If not, this was one reason the reason the sentinel node biopsy probably was not done. Another reason would be that the node biopsy would be disfiguring and that never makes for a happy young person.
While the survival statistics for a large group of people may be no different, you are not a large group of people - just one person. The only percentage that is important to you is the single percent made up by your being. Do not get fixated on prognosis statistics. The results from a sentinel node biopsy would have been handy for your Dr's info because if a node was affected you could have begun high dose interferon or began looking into experimental therapies. As it is your first sign of a recurrence will either be another melanoma or suddenly getting very ill. Being in this position truly sucks but then again many aspects of having cancer truly suck.
At this point in time about the best thing you can do is follow Kris's advice and live your life to the fullest. This does not mean partying but living your life with in the most meaningful and satisfying manner - your ideal life. It is too late to worry about the "what ifs" of whether you should have had the sentinel node biopsy or what might happen a year down the road. Instead see your oncologist and dermatologist every three months for regular check ups and then the rest of the time get on with your life and live your life to the max. good luck and all the best
Skin Cancer Superficial Spreading Melanoma
Dr. James L. Campbell Jr., MD discusses Skin Cancer Superficial Spreading Melanoma. See more at www.dermnet.com PLEASE RATE AND COMMENT!!! Clinical Subtypes Four major clinical subtypes of melanoma are recognized, defined by clinical appearance, progression, anatomic site, and histologic appearance. Superficial spreading melanoma Superficial spreading melanoma is the most common subtype, accounting for 70-80% of all melanomas. It is most common in middle age, from the fourth to fifth decade. Of melanomas arising in a pre-existing lesion, most are superficial spreading. Superficial spreading melanoma is slightly more common in females than males and usually affects Caucasians. Any cutaneous site may be involved but they are most often found on the upper back of both sexes and on the legs of women. Lesions tend to be greater than 6 mm in diameter, flat and asymmetric with varying colors. SSM begins in a nonspecific manner and then changes shape by radial spread and regression. Lesions tend to spread laterally within the skin over a few years, before nodules develop. The random migration of cells, along with the process of regression, results in lesions with an endless variety of shapes and sizes. The shape is bizarre if left untreated for years. The hallmark of SSM is the haphazard combination of many colors, but it may be uniformly brown or black. Colors may become more diverse as time proceeds. A dull red color is frequently observed, which may occupy a small area or may ...
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