I had a routine molecheck last month and found I had melanoma, and think you should get checked, too. I want to share my story so that will encourage others to get their skin checked out as New Zealand and Australia have very high skin cancer rates.
Routine checkup
It all started when on 1st July I went along to Takapuna Molemap for a routine checkup. The examiner had some concerns about one that had grown in size on my leg, and I got an email from them on the report which said it was an urgent cause for concern and required removal immediately.
Cause for concern
They take removals pretty seriously, as molemap finds 1 in 6 moles excised (taken off) is a melanoma, compared to GPs (doctors) who find melanoma with one in 30 excisions.
Melanoma removal
I went to a North Shore dermatologist skin surgeon who gave me a consult, and said he didn’t think it looked like melanoma. I decided to go ahead and have it removed as the report had recommended I do. I figured what’s the point of having a checkup if you’re only going to ignore the findings? The surgeon said after he cut it out, If that’s melanoma, I’ll eat my scalpel. And it was. The results came back and it was a melanoma in situ so it was in its early stages.
The earlier you catch it the better
Like fillings in one’s teeth, skin cancer is one of those things that’s definitely better caught early. They take a couple of years to develop, so the faster you catch them, the better. My GP had also said it looked fine to him visually, as had my regular dermatologist. It just goes to show that even top professionals can’t pick up everything with the eye and dermascope handheld magnifying device they check you with, but the comparative baseline photos are what caught this one early, as it showed an increase in size from the previous year’s photos.
Cost of mole checks and removals
I was pretty anxious, so instead of going on a public health waiting list for a free excision I went private. It cost $1,500 for the first excision which lasted 20 minutes and $200 for the consult of ten minutes, and $910 for the second excision. It’s not a cheap process; the Molemap itself is $279 Low Lesion Count (0-20 lesions), $319 Moderate Lesion Count (21-50 lesions), and $359 High Lesion Count (51-70 lesions) and for more info see molemap.co.nz It’s not covered by Southern Cross insurance at all, sadly. A molecheck at a GP is often around $65 and other dermatologists range in price for mole checks but are usually around $120 – $250.
How I reacted
I just asked my husband how I seemed to him and how I’d reacted. He replied that I was anxious and worried after the report showed a cause for concern, and then disappointed in the results from the first excision, and subdued, as I am usually really optimistic and positive. I also had a run of bad luck, as the stitches were taken out after just a week and the wound opened so I had to go back a third time (no additional cost thank heavens) and have it re-stitched under local anaesthetic.
The outcome
Now, the skin cancer cells have all been removed, and there are no residue cancer cells at that site. I will continue to have annual checkups. There are still a few non-dissolving stitches in my leg as I type, and I’ll have a scar there. But at least we caught it early through regular checkups.
Megan Robinson
7th August 2014
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