I know there is a whole thread on skin cancer but I never looked at it till this happened to me.
I am writing this to give people a heads up on doctors and skin cancer clinics.
Here is my story.

I have been religously getting my skin checked anually as I have been in the sun all my life. 18 mths ago I went and asked the doc to check this small lump on the back of my calf - about the size of half a pea -
He said it was not a cancer risk - went back 12 mths ago same thing - nothing to worry about.
2 months ago I decided to to MOle Scan here on the sunny coast - I again pointed out the lump - doc said - NO thats nothing to worry about. 3 weeks ago as part of my annual check at the gp I showed him and he said No nothing to worry about - I said I wanted it out as I thought it had got bigger - size of a pea. SO I booked in to get it out - 7 stiches and a week out of the water. When I went back to get the stiches out I bounced in and said was the patholgy all clear?

HAve a seat - It came back malignant melanoma - 4.3 mm deep which is what they call level 5
There is no level 6 - High indication that you are at risk of having it spread in your body
I got a referal to a specialist to get further margins cut out and also had a full body ct scan which fortunatley came out clear.
On tuesday I had further surgery to get a 4cmm x4 cmm x 2cm deep shark size chunk cut out to make sure
I just got the call from the surgeon - all clear - no cancer cells found thank god.

I have just had the biggest shock and scare of my life - zero on the fun scale.

So my warning to all - get a second opinion - and if you are concerned go to dermatologist



-
If I had let this go as was suggested by 2 doctors - I would have had a bad prognosis -

I am now out of the water - for 3 weeks - 20 odd stitches - I have missed out on going to Bali for our coaching camp - BUT I should be ok in the long run although I will need regular monitoring.


me in recovery throwing up from the anasthetic

Mate - so glad it's all good! I've got one on my leg I need to get checked out - I'm gonna speed up the process now for sure. Hope you're back out there soon.

well done for not being lazy and pursuing your gut instinct so little effort for such a massive gain

good luck mate that //// is pretty scary

thanks for telling us the story, youve already helped me be more aware ta

hey bruce glad you came out allright - a close call , too close ,lucky you were proactive enough and had the sense to get a 2nd then 3rd opinion. having been through this 2 years ago i know the feeling only too well.

get well soon and back on the water , and buy yourself a couple of lotto tickets as lady luck is on your side it seems

for those of you who don't know this - Bruce by having the melanoma sink over 4mm into his body and having it taken out - is extremely serious to say the least,best news is that he has no more evidence of it having spread further

any docs reading this can proberly elaborate a bit better than i ever could. there are cases of people having a much worse outcome than this on melanomas sinking in only 2-3 mm

if you're in Sydney - go find Dr Rick Wilcox at South Coogee, he's the best doc here for this.

I know that you all wanted to see the real action
Can you believe all this to remove something that is 4.3 mm - the size of a pea
It was actually bigger than I expected - they cut a chunk 7cm long 4 cm wide and 1.2cm deep



I now have to get check every 3 mths for the next few years to make sure there is no more that pop up - prettty serious business - So dont be complacent go get checked.

hope to be back in the water next week
Wooohooo

Bruce,

Good advice, stay well.

cheers

PS: Thanks for the advice on beach conditions in Bali last year, much appreciated, back there next week.

Ouch, glad it's all clear mate. Hope you get back on your feet in no time. Sadly one of my team riders Jayden doenst have such good news. 2 weeks ago he was told he has a brain tumor and will give him blackouts anytime anywhere. He is not to drive, and of course, no going in water anymore. He is only 18. :( We often take for granted who we are and what we have. Treasure life.

Man that sux - 18 is way too young -
I am sending him positive vibes -

I get my stitches out today - and off to Bali on Sunday for our second wave camp.
thanks for everyones wishes on my little saga.


I have a new saying for people with a skin cancer concern
When in doubt
Whip it out!!

Thats no good Bruce but hopefully that is the last of it. Hope you have a speedy recovery and are back on the water in no time.

Cheers