Hi and welcome to the Online Community, a Community that no one ever really plans to see themselves joining, and so sorry to hear about your Melanoma diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis brings a lot of confusion, stress and many questions but talking with other people who are on the same type of journey helps a lot.
I had a totally different type of cancer but the Community has various support groups and I see you have joined our Melanoma and Skin cancer group, this is the place where you will connect with others walking the treatment journey both as patient or family.
Follow the links I've created above then you can introduce yourself and post questions selecting '+New' or '+' (depending on your device) you can also join in with existing discussions by clicking on 'reply'.
Its always good to talk and the Macmillan Support Services provides lots of information, support or just a listing ear.
The service is open every day 8am to 8pm and it's free to call on 0808 808 00 00 have a look by Clicking here for more information.
You can also email them, use the online chat and we also have our Ask an Expert section, but do allow two working days for replies from our expert team.
Our Online Information and Support Section is a good place to find information covering diagnosis, treatments and pages covering most types of cancers.
All the very best.
Hi and a warm welcome to you also and so sorry to hear that your brother is having problems..
The Online Community is organised into various support groups the first list is for our Cancer specific Groups and this second list is for our various our Cancer experience groups.
You may want to have a look through the groups and join any that you think covers your brothers cancer or problem.
You choose ‘click to join' when the group pages open.
You can then introduce yourself and post questions selecting '+New' or '+' (depending on your device) you can also join in with existing discussions by clicking on 'reply'.
Its always good to talk and the Macmillan Support Services provides lots of information, support or just a listing ear.
The service is open every day 8am to 8pm and it's free to call on 0808 808 00 00 have a look by Clicking here for more information.
You can also email them, use the online chat and we also have our Ask an Expert section, but do allow two working days for replies from our expert team.
Our Online Information and Support Section is a good place to find information covering diagnosis, treatments and pages covering most types of cancers.
Do come back to me if you need more information.
All the very best.
Hi and a second welcome to the online community
I see my friend Thehighlander has suggested that you join us over in the melanoma group as that way you'll be able to connect with others who have had melanoma in situ.
The follow-up operation that you're having, called a wide local excision (WLE), is perfectly normal after an in situ melanoma is found. I'm creating a link to the British Association of Dermatologist's leaflet on melanoma in situ which confirms that the procedure you're having is perfectly normal.
Once this has been done you'll probably be discharged as it's very unlikely that the melanoma in situ will come back once it's been removed.
Do you have a date yet for the WLE?
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Thank you so much for replying. Haven’t had a date yet but just stressing that they’ll find more 
. Managed to book myself a private whole body mole check as I have a few others and now stressing there’s others on my body x
It is very rare for melanoma in situ to come back if it's removed completely . Also because it was ‘in situ’, it will not have had an opportunity to spread anywhere else in the body. People who have had a melanoma in situ have the same life expectancy as the general population.
It's probably a good idea to get into the habit of checking your body once a month. When I was first diagnosed with melanoma 4 years ago my consultant got me to take photos of my entire body, ie right upper arm, left lower leg, back, etc and I use these photos to compare my body now with how it was then.
You should also practice being safe in the sun. This doesn't mean that you have to stop doing things you used to enjoy doing in the sun, unless that was sunbathing, but you need to change some things to protect yourself.
When I was diagnosed I was told the following was necessary to protect myself in the sun and thought that you might find it helpful:
The first summer after I was diagnosed was particularly hard as I used to enjoy sitting in the sun. However, I quickly got used to the new regime and have a selection of hats to choose from when I go out. I also decided that I now needed a whole new wardrobe so went on a shopping spree. So, every cloud has a silver lining 
I leave a hat permanently in the car so if I forget to take one with me I know I'll have one. Leaving a tube of sunscreen in the glove compartment is a good idea too.
A couple of years ago I went to Australia to visit my sister and I still went on the beach and swam in the sea. However, instead of sitting in the sun, I stayed in the shade and I only went in the sea for a short time. Ironically it's easier going on holiday somewhere like that because nearly everyone covers up as they're so aware of the damage the sun can do so I didn't feel a freak in long trousers and a hat!
I hope that helps a little but if you want to ask anything else please do.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
No one can force you to stop sunbathing round the pool to get a tan but there are other ways of enjoying a holiday.
You can still sit round the pool but sit in the shade with a nice glass of wine and think how much better your skin will look when you're older than your friends because it hasn't been damaged by the sun.
In your profile you said that you "just feel sick and can't stop crying" after discovering you had melanoma in situ. If you feel like that when you haven't been diagnosed with melanoma try to imagine how you'd feel if you had. I'm sorry if that sounds a bit harsh but in your position I think I'd look at this brush with cancer as a chance to change things for the better.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Hi
I wondered how you were doing and how the whole body mole check went? Do you have a date for your WLE yet?
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
