November 2013

November 1, 2013 I entered Scottsdale Healthcare system to have a wide excision with lymph node mapping and sentinel node biopsy - for those who have not been impacted by melanoma - this process begins in the radiology department. Here radioactive dye is carefully injected into the site of your melanoma - this dye flows through your lymph system to your sentinel nodes where the cancer is likely to have spread. In this process two sentinel lymph nodes were identified by the radiologist and recommended that they be removed. I was then moved to the Greenbaum surgical center to be prepped for the 2 hour surgery and I emerged from this process in extreme pain but able to return home to recover, not realizing that one of the identified lymph nodes had been left. Two weeks later at my post-surgical followup I became aware of the fact that only one lymph node had been removed and biopsied - the explanation from the surgeon was one intended to shut down any further questions. I do this all the time would be a mantra repeated to me in the next 12 months when that inner voice in my head would say - what and why. Two days of processing the fact that I may not truly be a 1B that the cancer could have spread to that sentinel lymph node that was left so now what do I do. In an attempt to understand what my options were I sought the advice of an oncology group that was listed by the site AIM at Melanoma listing melanoma specialists - the group has since been removed because the specialist that got them that distinction no longer worked at the practice. I want to pause briefly on this because here in Arizona we do have a Mayo Clinic however this is not listed on any of the melanoma websites as a location with melanoma specialist - I am not sure why that is but something that to this day makes me wonder about the information provided on these sites.

I have decided that periodically I will be blogging and sorting through the events of the past year so that I can fully understand and review the events of this past year. It hasn't been until recently that I realized the emotional impact of all of this to my body, my mind and my health.

Have a fabulous November 1st and remember to make it a great day