We all know Seattle Massage offers great benefits to clients, everything from physical to mental wellbeing, when a massage turned out to be a lifesaver, but I was surprised as a doctor. While giving my fit fireman husband a relaxing massage, a melanoma was discovered by me on the underside arch of his right foot, the last place you would be prepared to discover it. I began my career in massage therapy 15 years ago after many years working as a para medical professional in mainstream and complementary medicine. Imagine my surprise when my husband's dermatologist told him when I spotted something unusual on his foot, that I saved his life. The website was actually a four year-old fire ant sting that had fixed, but altered abruptly. The discovery led to precautionary procedures and many surgeries to ensure the 1mm thick melanoma hasn't spread to the lymphatic system. I, as many massage therapists and practitioners, take Continuing Education classes to keep licensure current, but the quantity of instruction I have received while accompanying my husband, in just one visit to UW Hospital in Seattle was as "priceless" as the Master Card commercial.
"Swelling of the supra clavicular lymph nodes are frequently the very first hint of a problem inside the lymph system of the body," according to Sydney R. Lillard, MD the surgeon working with my husband, at UW Hospital in Seattle, WA. She said, "Massage Therapists spend a great deal of time working in that general region together with the neck and shoulders. An interesting structure of the body is the right node empties simply the top right side of the lymph, while the left supra clavicular node drains the remaining complete body. Swelling or nodules in lymph nodes warrants a physical examination and medical workup by way of a doctor," "Just because you might have sunshine burned your ears, let us say, does not mean that is where a melanoma may develop. Melanoma is more inclined develop anywhere to the body and to develop in the event you have had one or more terrible sunburns in your lifetime may. Places of the skin that may have been injured are also potential melanoma sites." My husband, fair haired serious outdoorsmen, always wears SPF 50, so this was news to us.
What's Melanoma? Melanoma is the most serious sort of skin cancer. But if it's understood and treated early, it really is almost 100 percent curable. But the cancer spread and can advance to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal, if it is not. It causes the most deaths, while it is not the most common of the skin cancers. The number of new instances of melanoma is estimated at 59,940; of these in girls. in men and 26,030, 33,910 will be Melanoma is a malignant tumor that originates in melanocytes. The cells which produce the pigment melanin that shades hair, our skin, and eyes. The majority of melanomas are black or brown. Nevertheless, some melanomas are skin-coloured, purple, reddish, pink, blue or white.* In my own husband's case it turned out to be a dark purplish brown, like that of a blood blister that transformed to black, and grew unusual borders quite fast. As a precaution, doctors performed a process called mapping or Lymphoscintigraphy of lymph nodes to make sure the Melanoma did not spread to some of the closest nodes near where the melanoma has been removed. All of that over a small change in a very old injury. Our Facebook Page.