Now what?
You are on this website because your dermatologist just informed you that you have melanoma, now what? We understand what may be going through your mind and the added stress, but we are with you ever step of the way. The First step is to receive your biopsy and doctors note from your dermatologist, we will give you a call to get you scheduled to see Dr. Ritter and his wife Teresa Ritter, RN. You can click the link below to find more information about Melanoma
Is my first appointment going to involve surgery?
For the vast majority of patients the answer is no, although there are rare exceptions when Dr. Ritter chooses to do a procedure in the office during the first visit. These exceptions are almost always for small non-melanoma skin cancers, or are the result of a need for a further biopsy. Most first time appointments are strictly consultation appointments in order to determine the proper treatment, and to set up surgery when necessary.
What does the Consultation Visit look like?
This appointment will be 3 to 4 hours long. The reason being is that Dr. Ritter is very thorough and wants all the testing and examination done in one day so he can focus on performing the surgery quickly. This appointment is not a fasting appointment and Dr. Ritter would like to see all your medication bottles. Dr. Ritter will examine all your lymphnodes and the biopsied site and answer any of your questions to make you feel more confident throught this situation. Then you will go get a chest Xray, EKG and bloodwork done at Lee Health Coconut Point, after your visit. Finally you will see one of our Pre-op nurses to get you scheduled for surgery . If you have not done so please print out the new patient paperwork below