A mother-of-two who was left with a ‘crater’ the size of a cricket ball in her leg claims doctors dismissed her cancer as ‘flaky skin’ for more than a decade.
Megan Grieves from Leicester first noticed a small mole on her left leg when she was just 15.
But after being urged by her grandmother to get it checked, she says her GP thought it was dry skin and prescribed her moisturizers instead.
Despite the birthmark growing to the size of a 10-cent piece over the course of thirteen years, she was repeatedly given other ointments to treat a flare-up of ‘psoriasis’, she claimed.
It was only after Ms Grieves, then aged 28, was seen by another GP in 2016 that she was referred to a dermatologist and diagnosed with melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.
Megan Grieves from Leicester first noticed a small mole on her left leg when she was just 15. But after being urged by her grandmother to get it checked out, she says her GP thought it was dry skin and prescribed her moisturizers instead.
Despite the birthmark growing to the size of a 10-cent piece over the course of thirteen years, she was repeatedly given other ointments to treat a flare-up of ‘psoriasis’, she claimed. It was only after Ms Grieves, then aged 28, was seen by another GP in 2016 that she was referred to a dermatologist and diagnosed with melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. Pictured is Mrs. Grieves after her operation
After two operations to remove the birthmark and surrounding skin from her leg, she required a skin graft to cover the incision, leaving the permanent ‘crater’ (pictured)
After two operations to remove the birthmark and surrounding skin from her leg, she required a skin graft to cover the incision, leaving the permanent ‘crater’.
Recalling her ordeal, Mrs Grieves, now 36, said: ‘I had a mole on my leg for as long as I can remember.
‘When I turned 15, my grandmother said she didn’t like how it looked and told me to go to the doctor.
‘My birthmark was flaking and pieces were coming off. I think I went to the doctor about 30 times with this mole over a period of 10 years.
‘I kept going back to the doctors and every time I went to the GP they just told me it was dry skin or psoriasis and gave me E45 cream to try and prescribed me a bunch of different things.
‘As time went on, my mole became more scabby and flaky and would sometimes bleed.
‘It started out the size of a large freckle and grew to the size of a 10p piece.’
After her dermatology appointment, she was told to pick up her results at the hospital.
Mrs Grieves, mother of two, said: ‘They asked if I had come alone and that’s when I knew something was wrong.
‘My heart sank, but I was still very naive at the time and didn’t understand what could be so wrong with a birthmark.
‘Then they told me it was melanoma. The diagnosis had a huge impact on our lives. The recovery took a very long time and I was on my feet for a very long time.’
Every year, around 15,000 Britons and 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, the most common form of skin cancer. It is the fifth most common cancer in Britain, and numbers are rising.
Increased UV exposure from the sun or tanning beds is blamed for the increase.
Despite enormous advances in treatment, with survival rates increasing from less than 50 percent to more than 90 percent over the past decade, more than 2,000 people still die every year.
Melanoma often grows quickly and can quickly burrow through the skin and into the underlying blood vessels.
Mrs Grieves, a mother-of-two, said: ‘They asked me if I had come alone and that’s when I knew something was wrong. My heart sank, but I was still very naive at the time and didn’t understand what could be so wrong with a birthmark.’
After Ms Grieves’ second surgery in 2017, she claims she was diagnosed with lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues, and fibromyalgia, which causes pain all over the body. Pictured is Mrs. Grieves as a child with her late grandmother June Evans
Mrs Grieves said: ‘I’ve now had a skin graft put over it so it’s healed, but I have a huge crater in my leg and it almost goes down to my bone. When I knock, it’s unbearable.’ She also never has bare legs in public again after commenting that ‘kids are watching them’
Your browser does not support iframes.
There are three types of skin cancer. Each can present itself in different ways. These include moles that are asymmetrical or abnormal, scaly or dark patches, and waxy bumps on the skin’s surface
Once the cancer cells enter the bloodstream, the disease can spread throughout the body.
After Ms Grieves’ second surgery in 2017, she claims she was diagnosed with lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues, and fibromyalgia, which causes pain all over the body.
She added: “My grandmother has now passed away, but she kept me going. If it weren’t for her, I might never have had my birthmark examined. She saved my life.
‘They (the doctors) said they wouldn’t know how serious it (the skin cancer) was until I had the operation.
‘They cut a circle out of my leg and I was left with an open wound.
‘(During the second operation) they dissected some lymph nodes on the left side of the groin and performed a biopsy on them. Fortunately, I was told that the melanoma had not spread and that I was really lucky.
‘I’ve now had a skin graft put over it, so it’s healed, but I have a huge crater in my leg and it almost reaches my bone. When I knock, it’s unbearable.’
She also never has bare legs in public again after noticing that “kids are watching them.”
She added: ‘I can’t even go to an amusement park with my children because my leg swells when I stand in a queue for a long time. The lymphedema will stay with me for the rest of my life.’
Now Ms Grieves is urging others not to take ‘no’ for an answer from their doctors, or to give up if they think something is wrong.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Your browser does not support iframes.
She said: ‘The GP told me it had been psoriasis and patches of dry skin for 10 years. This is what I tell people, don’t take no for an answer and go back to your doctor.
‘I’ve always covered up and have never been on a sunbed so it shows it can happen to anyone, but not wearing sunscreen and tanning beds increases your risk.
‘No tan is worth what I’ve been through.
‘What they tell you as a melanoma patient is that you should check your skin in the mirror every first day of the month for new moles or changes.’
It comes as scientists revealed last month that the world’s first personalized mRNA jab for melanoma is being trialled in British patients.
The vaccine is tailor-made for individuals who take advantage of the specific genetic makeup of their tumor, giving it the best chance of cure.
It works by telling the body to detect cancer cells and prevent the deadly disease from returning.
The first results of the shot – developed by pharmaceutical giants Moderna and MSD – showed that survival chances drastically improved.