January 19, 2006 8:45 AM
Maddy, moles and melanoma
I took Maddy to a dermatologist yesterday to have her moles checked - she has a lot of them and I've taken her in twice before. This was the first time a doctor spent a lot of time educating us on what is going on with Maddy's skin.
First of all, this was the most beautiful doctor and one of the most beautiful women I've ever met. Tiny and delicate with beautiful face and hands - the rest of her was covered as a Muslim woman, but in the most beautiful combination of silks and colors I've ever seen. I was dying to ask her a million questions, but was somehow successful in restraining my Inner Interviewer. Maybe next time.
And she was beautiful inside out, taking her time with Madeleine, complimenting her on the French spelling of her name - because although the doctor had some Middle East in her, she came here via Canada - and putting her completely at ease.
As they talked, the doctor kept glancing at the moles visible on Maddy's arms and face. We always call them beauty marks - I actually like the way they look. So interesting.
But the doctor explained that the cause of them is Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome - a condition associated with the outbreak of melanoma. This was the first time a doctor gave me a name. She also wrote down a lot of information: That melanoma affects 1 in 60 people, but that for people with DNS there is a ten times greater risk, so Maddy has a one in six chance of developing melanoma.
I had a friend who died of melanoma thirty years ago when we were both in our twenties. It is not a pretty sight. And I might be more worried, but the doctor grounded us thoroughly in the importance of prevention (yes, we've been slathering sunscreen for years, but with Maddy we will now be more religious - she must wear it even to go outside and she must wear a hat with a brim). She also must have a screening every six months. The screening is very thorough: the doctor even systematically parted her hair looking for signs of melanoma on her scalp.
The thing about melanoma is that if it's caught immediately, it can be removed. But because it's extremely aggressive and fast, it can spread inwards to other areas of the body rapidly enough to become fatal.
So it's serious business - but not serious if you live preventively.
I'm sharing this just in case there's anyone out there with kids with lots of moles. Look at them under a magnifying glass. The doctor showed us how the DNS kind have an irregular shape and irregular coloration: they have a darker ring of pigment around them, or a darker spot in the middle that looks like a sunburst. Maddy has an exceptionally large one on her foot and the doctor removed a section to send out for biopsy.
This is heavy news for Maddy and even as I assure her that everything will be fine, she is struggling to process it. As an adult, I can put it on the back burner until the biopsy comes back, but for a 12-year-old, I can imagine it sounds pretty scary to hear a doctor say these things and to have a big enough section of your instep removed that you are hobbling around on crutches two days later. She keeps saying things like, "What if I get one the day after I'm checked? Then I might die."
While her older brothers and sisters just laugh it off, if I take myself back to 12 years old, I think I can understand. It just reminds me how important it is for us to try to see things the way they see them to our kids and to try to meet them there.
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Comments
It sounds as if you found a real winner in this doctor! Please let Maddy know she is being prayed for in Alabama :)
Also my nearly 3 year-old insisted on knowing "Who is that!?!" and then "What's her dog's name??!" so may we please have the name of the very cute doggy?
Blessings!
Lindsey in AL
Posted by: Lindsey Morrison | January 19, 2006 10:08 AM
This must be scary news but it sounds like you've struck on a great doctor. What a difference that can make.
I have a friend with what sounds like this condition - he's never given me a name, but your description sounds familiar - and in addition to the precautions you've mentioned he also has some clothes made with fabric that is designed with UV-protection. I'm sorry I don't have a brand name, but it's one more thing to think about.
Hope all stays well.
Posted by: swissmiss | January 19, 2006 10:45 AM
I can relate to Maddy, as my skin type and my family history (my brother died of melanoma less than two years ago) puts me at high risk.
One of the strong recommendations our dermatologist gave me is to wear sun protective clothing whenever I am going to spend significant time outdoors. He suggested Solumbra (on the web at http://www.sunprecautions.com/cgi-bin/sgdynamo.exe?HTNAME=_home.htm) but there are other alternatives out there as well. The clothes are a bit of an investment, and I'd hardly suggest getting an entire wardrobe of the stuff, but I did buy the odd swim get-up when we were going to the beach a lot (now when I venture out from under the umbrella I'm usually wearing a wetsuit or at least a longsleeve rashguard) and I bought two shirts, including what they called the active shirt. I also bought a head/neck scarf...and that works well by itself or with a hat.
When we go swimming, I almost always have the boys wear rashguards to keep off the sun. Sometimes people think I'm a bit odd or paranoid; I've noticed that letting them know that my brother died of melanoma --- and he had the "good skin" --- usually makes them stop being critical.
I have the same response when people ask me why I'm pale as a ghost. After all, that's considered somewhat bizaree in California. I will deadpan, "I avoid the evil rays of the sun ever since my brother was diagnosed with melanoma."
For a while, I used self-tanners to keep my legs from glowing in the dark and/or blinding people, but it got to be too much of a bother.
I'm not sure how I would have handled all this at age 12.
Posted by: Rebecca | January 19, 2006 10:52 AM
We are blessed with the doctor. God provided her, I know.
The dog is our beloved Pippin (another pet name I wasn't thrilled with, but I gave up control in that area long ago). Maddy was embarassed by the picture - of him, not her. When Ben got home from college in December, the first thing he noticed was how fat Pippin had gotten. Maddy has been taking him out to run him every day since and he is much more "buff" as the kids like to say. So she wished I had put in a picture of him at his fittest - but no time today :)
Posted by: barbaracurtis | January 19, 2006 11:38 AM
Please assure Maddy of my prayers also : ) As a former 12yo with an active imagination, i can relate to her need.
And Barbara, for you: Just last night a young woman friend, preparing to be a missionary to Muslim women, sent me a questionairre/survey (used by her missions organization) which reveals assumptions Muslim and Christian women hold about each other. It is a significant part of my friend's preparation and research. If you have time (NOT!)or just want to take the survey (or maybe Maddy wants to?)I will be glad to forward the link to you.
Posted by: floorplan | January 19, 2006 11:42 AM
My dad died from melanoma when he was 47. I was 24. Sadly, it's highly curable when caught early. He almost made it 5 years post-surgery, too . . . thought he was cured, but alas, it was not to be.
Knowledge is power, though, and you have knowledge now about melanoma.
Posted by: Mel | January 19, 2006 1:44 PM
Oy. I had a huge one of those myself when I a little girl. A Giant Hairy Nevus was the technical term. It was on my right shoulder, and to this day I've been known to tap that shoulder when trying to remember which is my right side. (we brilliant people can struggle with that, y'know. hee hee) I had it removed - and a skin graft - when I was eight. 63 stitches. I have to admit, you've startled me with this post. It never occurred to me that I might still be at greater risk for melanoma because I had that. Thanks for this post.
And by the way, your daughter is lovely!
Posted by: blestwithsons | January 19, 2006 10:48 PM
