- First there was an irregularly shaped mole, then it disappeared, a white spot remained. After a few months, the birthmark returned, darker and accompanied by a pimple - says Bożena, who won the fight against cancer. It was skin cancer - melanoma.

I have tried to talk about my illness many times. But she kept saying, “Not yet. I can't talk about it. " The situation has changed. - A good friend of mine died of melanoma a few weeks ago. I don't want to keep silent. I will tell you what I experienced - she says in the morningBożena Grela .

- Maybe this will make girls realize that you don't play with the sun.

Such a mole

It was 14 years ago, but those events are still stuck in my memory.

- For many years I had a mole in the elbow - says Bożena. - A cake with a diameter of about 7 mm. It had irregular edges. I thought my hand was disfigured. Sometimes, when I was wearing a wool blouse, something disturbed me about this place. After some time, the birthmark disappeared and a white spot appeared on the skin in its place. I didn't care about it. After a few months, the mole reappeared. It was darker than before. I started watching him. I noticed that a pimple had grown on the side. It was small, but clearly protruding upwards. It didn't even occur to me that this could be anything dangerous. The only thing that irritated me was the appearance of the hand, not the birthmark. How am I supposed to wear a dress or a sleeveless blouse? - I was wondering every day.

Finally Bożena told herself "enough".

- I have to clean up this filth. She made an appointment with a beautician for the procedure. She was very surprised when she was refused to remove the birthmark.

- It's a common mole - convinced the beautician.

- I won't even touch it - she heard.

- How's that? - she was asking her.

- You need to see a dermatologist.

- I was coming home angry - recalls Bożena. - I have an important meeting next week. What will I cover it with? I was driving my car and I was talking to myself: To which dermatologist? What for?

Dermatologist: "it could be melanoma"

It was another 2 weeks before Bożena decided to see a doctor. She went on a private visit because the date in the area was quite distant.

- It was a sign - he says today. - If I had lived to see the deadlinein the district clinic, I don't know if we would talk about my illness today. The doctor examined the hand carefully and for a long time. She stated that a visit to the National Institute of Oncology would be necessary.

- It looks not nice. An oncologist's opinion is needed. It could be melanoma, she said.

- I left the office dumbfounded - says Bożena. - I couldn't believe I had to go to the oncologist. Melanoma? What melanoma? I kept telling myself. What is it anyway? At home, I reached for an encyclopedia … and the world spun. "Malignant neoplasm, malignant neoplasm of skin …" I read the following lines and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

  • How is melanoma diagnosed and how is it treated?
  • What skin changes should worry us?
  • Hereditary melanoma: when are there indications for genetic testing?

How to recognize melanoma? Check it out!

According to an expertMagdalena Ciupińska, MD, PhD, dermatologist

The sun does not always love us

Melanoma is a malignant neoplasm of the skin. Most often it is formed in the area of ​​pigmented nevi, commonly known asmoles . If detected at a very early stage, it can be fully cured. Unfortunately, most people see a doctor when the disease is advanced.

In Poland, over1500 cases are registered annually . The peak is at4.-5. decade of life .

Out of 100 cases of melanoma55 percent ends in death .

Over 90 percent Melanomas develop on the skin, but the cancer can locate anywhere there are pigment cells - inside the eyeball, on the genital mucosa, in the mouth, etc.

The particular malignancy of melanoma is due to the fact that it quickly spreadsmetastasizesto other organs and does not respond to treatment.

People with fair complexion, blond or red hair and blue eyes are at risk - due to the lower content of the pigment (melanin) in the skin, sunbathing in a solarium without moderation.

In addition to exposure to sunlight,genetic predisposition .

is also important for the development of the disease

Czerniak attacks oftenyoung women .

Thereforeit is worth going to a dermatologistonce a year to have the skin checked. People who have a lot of moles should do it more often. Each enlargement, change in shape, color, itching should prompt you to see a doctor.

Pigments must not be frozen or removed with a laser, because the histopathological examination of the removed lesion cannot be performed. It remainssurgical treatment, after which patients are followed for approx. 10 years.

I started to get scared. This is the end, I thought as I found out about medical statistics. The world collapsed, thoughts rattled in the head without order. What will happen to your daughter Agnieszka, a teenager? - Oh, God, what will happen? After all, I just got a job … There was no answer. There was no one to talk to, no one to talk to. Fear paralyzed every move. Sleepless nights, wasted days. Helplessness, anger and fear again.

Skin cancer: it's hard to accept the truth about cancer

- After a few days I went to the National Institute of Oncology - she recalls. - It was de alt quite harshly here. The doctor examined the mole and decided that it needed to be removed with a small margin of skin. A fragment of the skin with a mole was sent immediately for histopathological examination. I heard that it doesn't have to be melanoma because it doesn't have all the characteristics of this cancer. Great hope entered me. I clung to this thought like a drowning razor.

It's been 3 weeks. In a good mood, she went to get the test results. The doctor who saw her did not look heavy.

- I don't have good news. It's melanoma, he said in one breath.

- My hopes are shattered. The doctor explained medical procedures to me. What must be done and why. I heard little and remembered even less. I was referred to the hospital, I was supposed to report in a few days. When I wanted to leave my office, my world turned around. I felt very bad. Fear returned. My blood pressure surged, so I was taken to have an EKG. I don't know how I got home. Everything I read about melanoma stood in front of my eyes. I saw myself suffering from pain, suffering from metastases, and even dying. Nobody or anything could console me. Everything made no sense, I couldn't see the goal. And only this one question sounded in my ears: what will happen to Agnieszka?

Problem

Sun in moderation

Sun contributes to death every year60,000 people- according to WHO data. Most of them die frommalignant melanomas . This does not mean, however, that we should avoid the sun like fire. It is necessary for the proper course of many processes in our body. The latest research proves that its rays can even reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis.

Mole and nodes excision and skin graft

Bożena came to the hospital with a bad attitude. There was no point in re-treatment. It won't work. What is this suffering for? The pressure jumped up and down. The anesthesiologist was tough.

-In such a state, I will not anesthetize for many hours. You need to calm the heart - he said shortly and left the room.

- How was I supposed to calm down? - says Bożena. - The corridor was full of women with bald heads, people walking with drips. Faces with large, frightened eyes on the beds. This is how I will look - I thought. The medications were able to equilibrate the pressure and the day of surgery was set. The doctors took several square centimeters of skin from the thigh, which was to be transplanted onto the hand. More than ten centimeters of the body was removed from the bend in the elbow, and the lymph nodes under the armpit were removed to see if they were occupied by cancer cells. The operation lasted 5 hours.

- When I woke up, everything hurt. Someone quipped, "It means you're still alive." But I wasn't laughing. I couldn't move, breathing was painful. However, each day brought improvement. My arm was supported by a metal splint, under my armpit I had drains with a container into which the liquid from the wounds was dripping. The bandage on the thigh did not allow me to step evenly. Everything was difficult.

No chemotherapy needed

- I can't explain it to myself, but one day I woke up full of optimism - she recalls. It wasn't melanoma, I told myself, and the world took a different color. It will be okay, I kept saying. Now I just have to go home to my Agnieszka. Just let it all heal, it'll be okay. I will not give up. Bożena laughs. He looks straight at me. He's still smiling but the tears are still flowing.

- After I left the hospital, I didn't have rehabilitation - he says. - I only went to the Center for research once a month. It was like a marathon - abdominal ultrasound, blood draw, lymph node check and breast exam. X-ray of the lungs once every six months. After a month, I found out that I was able to excise the neoplastic lesion with a clean skin margin. There were no cancer cells in the lymph nodes. It gave me strength. The doctor said no chemotherapy would be needed. I breathed a sigh, because I was also afraid of that.

Frequent sunbathing is not good for your skin

Bożena never asked: why me? She always knew the answer. She has a fair complexion, so she could barely sunbathe to the brown she wanted.

- I could lie in the sun for several hours without a break - he admits. - I was shifting like a cutlet in a pan. I still had little sun, I was still too pale. Creams with a filter? Who heard about them then. I was sunbathing on olive or cocoa butter bought at the Różycki Bazaar in Warsaw. I was ready to smear myself with pus as long as my skin turned brown. Stupidity. Bożena goes silent. He reaches for the cup again and turns his head. It's going to be oncry.

- Maybe you don't want to continue? - I ask.

- No - he replies. - I have to say this, because maybe one of the girls will understand. Maybe she'll realize it's not worth it. When a person is young, he does not think that he will get sick. But it's not like that. Everything has a price.

- What's yours? - I ask.

- Look, she says. Pulls up the sleeve of her blouse. - It doesn't look pretty. My thigh is also not awe-inspiring. Today I don't worry about it that much, but 14 years ago I looked at life differently. I expected a lot. Today I am at peace, but I have worked hard for it. I don't go to the beach anymore. But that doesn't mean she feels hurt, marked. I think I gave it to myself. A sexy tan shouldn't obscure common sense. It's not worth risking your life for her. But well, I wanted to please. This is the most important thing when you are young. It's a pity.

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