Category Archives: Living with Melanoma

My own personal experience with melanoma

Europe-Bound in 48 Hours!

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As readers of the blog may know, I planned a whirlwind trip to the Nordic Countries and Germany earlier in the summer. And now, I’m sitting with less than 48 hours before I get on the plane to fly to Copenhagen. I’m excited to be going and getting out into the world again to explore. I’m grateful for the opportunity… Read more »

Gearing up for Europe

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As I mentioned in earlier posts, after my amelanotic nodular melanoma diagnosis and subsequent excision, I realized that I had put off a lot of things that fed my soul. Traveling was one of the casualties that I was bound and determined to revive. And in the late Spring, I bought a plane ticket to Europe to go explore the… Read more »

Happy Birthday to Me

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Yesterday was my birthday and it was a time of fun, but also reflection. I woke up thinking that this time last year – things were so different. I was still waking up in the same bed, same room but I was waking up a year older, a year wiser, a year sadder, and a year different than the person… Read more »

The Diagnosis of Malignant Melanoma Can Have An Upside?

Michael Flatley, the Irish dancer most well-known for Riverdance, was diagnosed in 2003 with malignant melanoma. He states in an article in the Irish Mirror that his diagnosis prompted him to take a hard look at his life and reevaluate his priorities. Wealth and material things were no longer as important as his family, friends, and his art. Getting a… Read more »

Six Months Since the Excision

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It is my sixth month anniversary of my excision…Six months since the diagnosis of melanoma became real. I was aware of the fact that there was an invader in my system; but that morning, riding in the car with my husband and my parents to the dermatologist’s office, the fact that I had skin cancer was very real in a… Read more »

Turning a Corner – Maybe?

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So my every-3-months follow-up appointment was yesterday. After getting into the gown and then being poked and prodded by the doctor, she said, “Well, we’re still watching a few spots but nothing needs to be biopsied right now.” Wait, what? Really? No bullet holes? No anxious waiting for a week for a phone call? No wondering if the weird spot… Read more »

Another 3 Month Check-up Coming up Fast

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In 2 days, I have my second 3 month check-up with the dermatologist. It seems somewhat surreal that it’s been just about 6 months since my initial diagnosis. I can recall the entire telephone conversations with my doctor when she told me – it’s so fresh in my mind. But the intervening 180 days seem kind of like a blur… Read more »

Five Months Since the Excision

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It has been a few days since the five-month mark of my amelanotic nodular melanoma excision. In a week or so, it’ll be the six-month mark from my diagnosis. Obviously, I get to celebrate that milestone with a visit to the dermatologist for my every-three-months check-up. At this point, I’m not exactly sure that she’ll find any moles that will… Read more »

Amelanotic Nodular Melanoma – Who’s Looking for Information

I’m noticing an interesting trend here on Pink Melanoma. There seems to be lots of inquiries regarding what amelanotic nodular melanoma is and specifically people landing on a previous page here on the blog. Look, I’ll be honest. I really hope people are searching that term because they’ve heard how wildly entertaining this blog is. But the reality is, people… Read more »

Four months since the excision

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Although it seems hard to believe, it has been four months since the excision where cancer was removed from my knee area. For the most part, I think my healing process is going well. Yes, I had the infection; yes, I have bizarre pain and achiness; yes, the scar is still purplish and prominent. But the pink melanoma that trespassed… Read more »