Hi, I was diagnosed in June with a 0.8mm, non ulcerated, with a matosis 1 Malignant Melanoma on my right calf. Due to my age (37) and being on the cusp, my demotoligist asked the MDT team to rethink thr option of letting me have an SLNB and they decided I can choose.
Having read and being told the risks, i am really hesitant to have this done now and I keep flip flopping between doing it and not doing it. I know it may sound silly but I think I'm more worried of the risks to the SLNB than the MM has spread.
My father suffers really badly with lymphadema in his legs (due to MS/medication and bad circulation from not moving/lympnodes not being able tot drain) that is really is worrying me.
Am i being silly and shouldn't even question not having the SlNB and be grateful they are letting me have it. Or are the risks real..? I'm so torn! I haven't had a date yet for my WLE/SLNB but ho
g it's done soon as I'm driving myself crazy with the constant googling/looking for the magic answer
Many thanks
Hi Butterfly2209 and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
The risk of lymphoedema is real but only you can decide whether to go ahead or not. I've had 2 SLNBs and neither time did I experience lymphoedema.
It might be an idea to phone your skin cancer nurse specialist and chat through the pros and cons with her. For me, I didn't want to risk that the cancer cells had already spread to my lymph nodes and I wouldn't know and be having treatment to prevent further spread if I didn't have a SLNB. Others in the group have opted not to have a SLNB and to rely on check-ups.
It would be great if you could put something about your diagnosis and treatment to date into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
