Hi.
I hope this is the right group to write all of this. I received my cancer support pack on Thursday afternoon.
I've had a stage 1B melanoma removed from my scalp. There is a 10% chance the cancer has spread to my lymph nodes, 90% chance it hasn't spread at all. I need to decide if I want the sentinel lymph node biopsy done on my temple, behind my ear, my neck and face to confirm if cancer has spread or not.
I am due to have a wide local excision procedure where the melanoma was previously cut. I have to choose whether or not to have the biopsies done straight after.
The decision should be easy but, I'm getting married in February and I've just started a new job as a teacher in a special needs school. The surgeon has told me the pathologist needed to do several tests to confirm the lesion was a melanoma, another pathologist may have decided it was non-melanoma.
Has anyone gone through this procedure already? How invasive is the sentinel biopsy in these areas? How was the healing process straight after surgery?
I don't know how to make this decision. Do I find out for certain? Or do I take the relatively good odds and hope for the best over the next 12 months?
Aussie
Hi and welcome to the Online Community but I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis but I do hope you will find lots of comfort and support here on the Online Community.
The Community has many dedicated support groups and so see you have joined and been posting in our Melanoma group as this is a safe place to talk to other people who might have a similar diagnosis or treatment experience.
It’s always good to talk so do call the Macmillan Support Services on 0808 808 00 00 - most services are open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week Clicking here to see what is available. This service provides lots of cancer information, emotional support, benefit and financial guidance or just a listening ear.
To find information covering diagnosis, treatments and pages covering most types of cancers check our Online Information and Support Section.
Always around if you need further help in navigating the community.
All the very best.
Hi again Carlie .
Good to hear you are finding the community helpful. I have been on my incurable cancer journey for over 22 years now and the one thing I learned very quickly is not to try and walk this journey on my own - the road is full of bumps and there is no better way to navigate this than talking with others who have the ‘T’ shirt.
You may want to put some information into your profile (see the link at the very bottom of my posts), you can also view members stories (if they have done them) by hitting their community names.
I wish you well in your journey and let’s look for the bumps on the road to be small ((hugs))
