Shelly's Skin Cancer Story 2005
by Shelly
(Raleigh, NC, USA)
In late 2005, I was at a doctor appointment with a new doctor.
As she was doing my breast exam, she blurted out, "That mole looks cancerous! We need to remove it."
She was referring to a large, misshapen, but flat mole I had always had on my right breast. Because I'd always had the mole, I didn't believe her at first.
She insisted that I have it remove, so I complied.
About a week later, she called me to tell me that biopsy was positive (a strange thing to call a cancer diagnosis).
I was scheduled for mohs skin cancer surgery 2 weeks later. Luckily, the entire malignant melanoma had been removed during the biopsy and I only had to go through one layer of removal during the MOHS surgery.
I had always been very vigilant about applying sunscreen. I'm pale skinned and have a history of melanoma in my family.
I had never sunbathed nude, so the fact that I got skin cancer on my breast was frustrating for me - there was nothing I could have done to prevent it.
Now I get full skin checks once a year and had a mole map made two years ago so I can use it as a reference point as my moles change over time.
Melanoma Skin Cancer
Malignant Melanoma Skin Cancer
Skin Cancer Melanoma
Skin Cancer Moles
