Hi Everyone
Just a quick follow up to my recent removal of a malignant Melanoma. I mentioned recently a plastic surgeon I was referred to here in a small regional city in Western Australia completely refused to do the wider area excision required to be sure of no spread of satellite cells unless I promptly reduced from 8.5mg pred to 5.0mg. He argued it was necessary for effective healing which he said would be inhibited by corticosteroids. So with no real 'choice' as knowing that was impossible for me (especially in a reprise of PMR/GCA lately) I went back to the referring doctor who then kindly offered to do the surgery himself without me having to do the Pred reduction at all. This helpful doctor also suggested he could do this without having a skin graft the plastic surgeon told me was necessary (which to be taken from my insole).
Well 3 weeks later and after 12 stitches which ended on the side of my foot near my little toe and I am about 75% healed and grateful I found such a helpful doctor. Great news also there was no sign of any spread beyond the wider margins taken - so a lower risk now that the Melanoma will ultimately do me in !!
I have recently also become more interested in the interrelationships between various autoimmune diseases. Apparently Melanoma has also been associated with autoimmune diseases:
qimrberghofer.edu.au/media-...
Also looking for a friend with Rheumatoid Arthritis I see that Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis are more common in people with RA. It also appears there may be a relationship between IBD generally and PMR/GCA - although more research to be done.
I also recently discovered my eldest son aged 49 has another autoimmune disease called Haemochromatosis caused by having excessive iron in the blood. This is derived from having both parents each carrying the significant to genes - (with one gene only neither his father or I have this disease we were just 'carriers').
So lots to learn but these associations and relationships are being slowly revealed with ongoing genetic research.
Best wishes
Rimmy
