You said that info wouldn't scare you, so I'll give you some info! I am a melanoma survivor, luckily it was caught early.
First of all, I would like to say that in general, people are VERY uneducated about melanoma, it IS NOT like Basal or Squamous cell skin cancer. If anyone tells you melanoma is not a big deal, do not listen to them! They do not know what they are talking about. Melanoma IS the most deadly skin cancer. It can metastasize if not caught early. Even if caught early - the 10 year survival rate for stage IB is 86%. Sounds pretty high, but that means 14 people out of 100 will die from their stage I melanoma in 10 years. In situ (also know as stage 0) is when you want to catch melanoma. Stage IA also boasts a pretty high survival rate (10 year is 97%). BUT, if the lesion is deeper and has spread to the lymph nodes, a Stage III melanoma only has a 22% 10 year survival rate. Melanoma can and does kill.
The good news is that melanoma is rare. Odds are your mole is not a melanoma. But, I never thought it would happen to me either. Could your mole have been bleeding because it was rubbing on something? Bleeding can be a sign of ulceration, which is not good as far as prognosis goes. BUT it could have just been bleeding from being rubbed by a bra strap, clothes, etc.
I wish you the best of luck. Like I said, melanoma is rare. Do you have a family history?
Melissa
Mom to Scott Nicholas (4/7/03), Wyatt Christopher (2/6/06) and Phoebe Jane (2/13/08)
