A quick "word to the wise" about the horrific pain some people experience as a result of melanoma.

My wife has first hand experience with a man whose young wife contracted melanoma and died the age of 38.
Before her death, she started to experience pain so intense that the doctors had to put her into a morphine induced coma.
Anyway, just before her death her parents, not realizing the pain she was in,
insisted the doctors awake her so they could ask her what dress she wanted to be buried in.
As she awoke she was in such pain she screamed at her parents,
"How could you do this to me, don't you know how much pain I'm in?"

Takeaway: Please be careful about how much sun you expose your body to.
The tan you get from it just isn't worth the risks.

I'm very melanin-deficient, so any spot that appears gets me nervous. I go to a dermatologist every so often and often get things frozen off me. it's virtually painless and good insurance.

Thanks for the reminder. My grandma had skin cancer and had to have part of her nose cut off!

I'm a frequent flyer in the cryogenic therapy world. Umm, 'painless'...not when my doc blasts me!

Personal Dermatological scorecard:

1 melanoma excised from middle of back
2 MOHS surgeries-squamous cell carcinoma
2 skin grafts-squamous cell carcinoma
6 plastic surgeries for excision so in critical/sensitive areas-squamous/basal cell carcinomas
3 surgical exclusions-squamous cell carcinomas
Hundreds of "freeze jobs"-actinic keratosis (pre-cancerous)

I'm of Dutch, German, Norwegian & English heritage. My Latino amigos are fond of telling me that I'm being punished for trespassing on their turf...

their Spanish European ancestors who were also trespassing on this turf.

Are your above medical procedures the result of too much sun exposure?

As a beach bum, swim team member, swim coach, lifeguard and river guide, it's likely than my skin was damaged from sun exposure...but, there is some speculation by my dermatologist that my skin problems may be exacerbated by chemical exposure at work.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2015 02:19PM by csuprovograd.

My spouse died from melanoma in his brain (no skin spots). It wasn't painful for him, thank goodness. In fact his preexisting unrelated chronic pain subsided.

I do not like this Jimmy Carter news. It brings back horrible memories. I hope the therapy works for him. For DH, it was only 4 months from first clues to death.

I'm so sorry you lost your spouse to cancer.

So sorry for your loss! I have two friends that died from melanoma. One had several brain rumors and died quickly with relatively little pain (though he went through some crazy treatments), the other had tumors on his spine and was in constant pain.

Melanoma scares me more than anything. I've had several pre-cancerous moles removed and am going back to the dermatologist soon to have another suspicious mole looked at. I've been experiencing some odd, hopefully unrelated, symptoms recently, so I'm especially worried this time. Hopefully it's nothing. I spent WAY too much time on the beach as a kid.

My wife died from "metastatic uveal melanoma", which is in the eye. She was not outdoorsie, she was just really unlucky in some cilliary cell's mutation. I was dripping morphine under her tongue at the end.

I'm very sorry you lost your sweetie.

Thank you, so am I. It's been nearly 8 years now, though, so it's as well integrated in my psyche as such a thing ever can be.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

My great aunt developed melanoma at 91. She was a hat and long sleeves kind of gal. Her doctor sat her down and explained to her how it would be treated. She told him hell no and went gently into that good night.

Melanoma is quite rare actually. But, quite lethal. I do not fear sun exposure. I do not overdo it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2015 11:20PM by tensolator.

for it to be "quite rare"

Not only to those in my own house but to our dear neighbor (after 16 years I am allowed to nag him a bit). You guys that are going thin on top - PUT A HAT ON. Not to go to the car but for hell sakes when you are mowing the yard and doing yard work or going out someplace where you will be in the sun. PUT A DAMN HAT ON. Find a style you like, get a few, get some of different weights and some airy ones for summer but -
PUT A DAMN HAT ON. Eric has a big head. You don't notice it to look at but when he tries to get a hat it is a trial. When he is here, every time before he goes out the door his wife and I both say - come on - you can guess! PUT A HAT ON!

My dear friend lost her husband to this as well. My heart goes out to all of you.

I was diagnosed with Melanoma nearly 20 years ago. I was lucky - it was caught at an early stage and all affected tissue was removed surgically. It had not, thankfully, spread. But it was the scariest time of my life. I had young kids and I was so afraid of leaving them when they needed me most.
I am pretty careful about sun exposure, haven't had a sunburn for many years and generally seek shade. I wish I could say I use sunscreen without fail, but I know I rely on finding shade more than I should, not always successfully. This thread has been a good reminder for me about how lucky I was to be diagnosed at the right time, and that I need to be more diligent.
Sympathy to those posters above who have been so sadly affected.

I just attended my sister's MIL's funeral today. She died after a very valiant fight against a melanoma which completely ate away her jaw bone and left a giant hole in the side of her face. Her last days were excruciatingly painful and we are thankful she died peacefully in her sleep Monday morning. I wouldn't wish what she had to go through on my worst enemy.

I'm so sorry for your brother in law's loss.

Melanoma may have nothing to do with sun exposure. Genetics is a huge factor. Maybe the biggest factor. Obviously don't get burns, but we need sun for Vitamin D. My father died of melanoma. His started in a place that did not get any sun exposure. This is not uncommon. They have identified a number of genes associated with melanoma. I see a dermatologist regularly for mole checks and have suspicious lesions removed. She checks places that have never been exposed to the sun. Obviously wear a hat in bright sun, but don't neglect checking for moles.

+1

Melanoma is just a catch all term for cancer in a melanocyte, and they are all over the place in the body, many of which have no exposure to sun at all. At one of the endless Dr visits, my wife noted she'd that she'd learned in the US 1 in 137 cases of melanoma is of the eye (which she had). The doc's replay was, yes it's rare, but the patient seen just before her had melanoma of the anus. ouch

It was interesting, and somewhat astonishing, when a former friend reported to me that upon her first visit with a new doctor, the doctor wanted to know when she'd last been checked for visible melanomas. Like I think the majority of us would respond, my former friend said, "never." So the doctor, a female, had her strip and gave her a 100% visual inspection.

Why isn't that standard for adult Gringos and Gringas? Is it because, relatively speaking, it's so rare? Is it because most of us would be uncomfortable and think it weird?

I just checked... There are a number of sites that teach you how to do a personal inspection of your body, including your scalp, to check for melanomas. Obviously a mirror is involved.

Take one every day. In the Pac NW most people need to. This summer we have had a DISGUSTING amount of sun and I still would rather stay in the shade, with my UV sunglasses and take my gelcap. If I hit the sale I can get 600 for $12 of 1Ks.

Tanning is overrated and dangerous. You're better off making a fashion statement with new clothes.

Just got back from a hike ( Meet Up group) . The female, red haired leader had short sleeves and capri pants. She showed us the long scar ( 3 inches) from a surgery to remove Melanoma on her upper arm. She said " They had to go in three times to get all of it".

Mind you, she was hatless and sleeveless. We stopped mid way and I was THE ONLY ONE to reapplied sun screen.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid of her.

Some people are like that.

And to the OP, my condolences to your loss.

My father has skin cancer, probably started from sun exposure in Cyprus when he was in the military years ago.

I am Vitamin D deficient which causes me real problems. No matter what supplements/food one eats, that will only account for 10% of the body's requirement. 90% comes from sun the skin. No sun screen of course.

Vitamin D is actually a hormone. I have pituitary difficulties and it is important I try to have sun exposure.

Life and illness is not straight forward.

I am in my 70s and tan all of the time - I also take 2000 IU Vit D daily.
When my dermatologist or MD mentions my tan, I tell them that the melanomas which develop in later years came 40 years ago when we went outside and got burned to a crisp. The (careful) tanning I do now may give me melanoma in 40 more years but I will be 110 by then and will not worry about it!
I do still get checked over for melanoma because I did get burned quite often as I played outside as a child, especially at the beach. Foolish child!

Basal cell.removed...too.much sun in my.earlier years. No hat, no shirt, no sunscreen and a nagging relative that always insisted I was too pale.