My name is Marki and I live in Nederland, TX. I am 36 years old. I am starting this post to share my Malignant Melanoma experience, to possibly help others and also to make those aware who don't know they may be at risk. I am by no means an expert but I have learned alot in the past 6 to 8 weeks and because Melanoma is such a fast killer I wanted to start this forum. I will be updating from time to time ... Thank you ...

My story began about seven months ago. Mine is a case of the right place and the right time. I decided to let my hair grow out because I had this overwhelming desire to wear a pony tail - imagine that. So after the hurricane in September when I returned to work it was hot. So knowing my hair wasn't quite yet long enough for a pony tail I pulled it up in what looked like a puppy dog tail sticking off of the back of my hair and I was sitting on the curb smoking a cigarette on a break when along comes one of our ERT's at our plant and he said to me "you have skin cancer on your back". I of course said NO I DON'T and left that subject alone. Thank GOD he persisted for the next 5 months to get me to a dermatologist. Finally I gave up avoiding this terrible subject and I made my appointment. Scared to death I even rescheduled this appointment off another week because I was terrified of what the doctor might tell me. So I had my first appointment in February 2009. Again, I was scared but I went and what they did surprisingly did not hurt. They biopsied this area which consisted of removing this ugly little black spot off of the back of my neck. Keep in mind, I had never worn my hair up therefore never saw this spot before that day I wore that pony tail to work. So the doctor said because he only had to cut 1 1/2 layers of skin that there was probably no issue with the spot and it should return a result of benign. About 4 days later, I got a phone call from the doctors office - he says to me YOU HAVE MALIGNANT MELANOMA and you will be contacted within two weeks for an appointment at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

I mean COME ON - are you serious? I was devastated, shattered, scared, visions of my children with no mother, worried about dying and leaving my kids and my family and my friends. I cried for four days straight. I couldn't even focus to the point that I would drive and not even remember driving to get where I was going and surprised I could see through the tears that seemed to endlessly and steadily continuously be pouring out of my eyes uncontrollably.

So about two maybe three weeks later on a Monday, I went to MD Anderson for the first time. I tried to have tunnel vision because I didn't WANT to see. I didn't want to see sick, I didn't want to see cancer, I didn't want to see any of it even though I knew I was there for the very same reason - CANCER. I never understood why people wore those t-shirts that said CANCER SUCKS ... I used to think it was almost dumb. Guess what - now I know why they wore them - Cancer Sucks ...

So here I was at MD and filled out the paperwork and had my appointment with two doctors. I couldn't believe that they already knew that I was going to have surgery. Amazingly I can tell you right now that past the word incision I couldn't hear a word the doctor was saying to me except blah blah blah as I stared blindly at the ceiling feeling lost.

So that was it - I was having surgery. Wide Local Excision, intraoperative Lymphatic Mapping and Sentinel Node Biopsy.

WHAT IS THAT? What are they going to do to me? Well let me tell you, at the base of MY neck / mid upper back area and this is what these people are going to do to me. Also, I was going to have some lymph nodes removed to which I wasn't going to know from where and how many they were going to take anywhere from my neck down to my pelvis until I woke up from surgery.

I realize that my story jumps around just a bit but as I write I think about things.

Remember when I said my first thoughts were of my kids, family and friends. That first weekend after I found out it was Malignant Melanoma I ran through my apartment throwing things away that I knew I didn't want or need because I didn't want my family to have to go through my junk when I was dead having to get rid of things. I went through every single piece of paper that I had making files and sorting through things so that at a glance my family would have everything about me and my life in order for when I was gone to make life easier for them aside from having to deal with me being gone but now to have to deal with all of this. I even went on Forest Lawn's website and planned my whole funeral customized with my own personal preferences of music, clothes, readings - everything down to the limo for my grieving family to ride in on their way to burying me.

I realized something right then and there --- Every morning when we ALL wake up and say I love you and kiss everyone goodbye we don't say OH by the way I am going to get creamed on the freeway today so I am never going to see you again or that today is going to be my last day alive so my point is that we ALL have a responsibility to do these things, make life easier for those around us because none of us are guaranteed another day, another minute, another chance.

Okay, so back to the story. So I went back the following Friday for tests and to see the anesthesiologist. I will tell you now that by the end of that day I was worn out. I had nothing left in me but to lay on my couch from Friday through Sunday afternoon.

I had a chest x-ray, blood work, lymph scan, spec scan and cat scan. The injections the nurse put into the base of my neck felt like four bee stings that made me cry for hour, even though the pain only lasted for less than two minutes if that long. I was exhausted, thirsty, hungry and ready to go home.

So they bring in the paperwork to tell me when I was going in for surgery. March 27, 2009 was the big day - two weeks away. Talk about scared. I had those who babied me, I had those who reminded me that I was stronger than this. I had people that loved me through the fear. I of course try to find the humor in things I mean you almost have too from time to time.

Let me share on funny story - I put on my scrubs and was getting ready for my lymph scan. I go into the waiting room and I look around and wow there was nothing but old men in scrubs with gray chest hair sticking out of their shirts looking at me and I just thought WOW this is strange when all of the sudden a lady pops her head in the door and says to me HONEY you're in the wrong waiting room. I told her that this explained alot and laughed.. So I got up and went into the ladies waiting room ... At this point, again I am tired, hungry, thirsty, starting to get quite moody and what do think happened - The Woman Area Chatting ... LOL - I wanted to go back to the men's waiting room ... See, that was funny ...

So I tried to preplan everything down to the T for this surgery. Thursday night, I dropped my children off at my moms house, my friend went with me on Thursday in the pouring rain to Houston to a hotel 1.9 miles away from the hospital. Wise choice by the way and when I get that part I am going to show you exactly how to get a great hotel rate for MD Anderson. My other friend, the man (who saved my life discovering my skin cancer) drove down Friday morning.

I arrived at the hospital at 10:15AM and filled out some more paperwork. I had about an 1 to 1 1/2 hours to wait. Thank goodness it was really only seemed like about 45 minutes of which I spent playing Tetris on my cell. So at about 11:45AM the staff informed me that I needed an isotope injection - again what the heck is that. See, when I had that first injection, the Bee Stings, I had hoped to NEVER feel that again. Everything in me dropped to know I was fixing to do this again. Well thank goodness God was with me and I knew what to expect and it wasn't near as bad as experience this time. It went pretty fast after that.

They took me to a holding area, gave me a cocktail as the anesthesiologist called it through my IV and I put on my hospital gown, hat and lovely support hose and I was set to go. The nurse comes in the room and asked me what procedure I was having done --- WHAT WAS THAT THING CALLED AGAIN --- LOL ... I remembered enough of it to get me through the surgery door.

I said my good byes and off I went. I don't remember much after that except asking the nurse if they do this particular procedure alot and she ALL DAY LONG HONEY EVERY DAY ... Whoa I felt better. She asked me if I could move myself from one bed to the other - SURE I said ... HA I remember getting about half way and that was it ...

So I woke up and felt nausea and I was so worried about my friends who I knew had been waiting around and probably hadn't eaten or really rested at all while I was in surgery and I tell you I could NOT wake up. So they left me, turned out the lights and I slept for about 2 hours. I woke up and I was great --- ready to go ... I was SO relieved to find out that they were able to take four lymph nodes from the front of my neck near my collar bone ... It was great and I was so happy. The incision on the back ended up being about 3 inches instead of 2 inches but they did a great job ... I am happy to report that all I have taken for the minor discomfort I felt from the surgery was nothing more than over the counter Tylenol. God Blessed Me ...

I was thirsty for a Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper and my friend brought me tator tots and chocolate pudding. I woke up the next morning and ate breakfast and had about three orange juices. I was ready to come home.

So we leave out and we managed to find our way back to Nederland from Houston thanks to GPS ... LOL ...

I felt pretty good Saturday, alright on Sunday and by Monday at noon I was feeling nauseas again. I wanted to go back to the doctor and ya know what --- I did ... I was also having big time problems with the tape that I was trying to cover my incision. I felt hot flashes every single time someone touched the tape. You gotta love allergic reactions - NOT !!!

So I thought --- HA HA --- that I would promptly return to work on Tuesday - just four days after this surgery. Didn't happen - they in fact took me off work until Monday, April 6 ... I was also instructed NOT to cover my incision because the tape was eating my skin. The rash I have from the tape has been keeping me awake at night but today I took a 4MG Chloretrimeton Antihistamine and wow the relief it gave me ...

Well, I am feeling a bit tired right now so I think I will go take a break and rest ...