Hi everyone, I recently found out I have a stage 1b melanoma in my arm. I have been offered a SLNB and I’m feeling very confused and sick about what to do. I’m in the gray area where my 7% chance of spread to nearby lymph nodes is low but above the 5% where it’s not offered and not above 10% where the surgeon would recommend it. So the decision is completely mine with no guidance available. I’m scared of the potential side effects of this surgery such as lymphoedema but I think I’m more scared of the melanoma having spread and not being caught early. I know that the only person who can decide is me and I’m struggling with that. Sending my best wishes to everyone going through a hard time & making tough decisions.
also wanted to add that although I told my GP that I was concerned about the unusual mark on my arm, they didn’t refer me as potential skin cancer and so it took over a year for me to be allocated an appointment at dermatology. That’s worried me even more as it then took 3 months for the initial biopsy result & a further 2 months for the second biopsy results anyone else had a similar experience?
Hi LB78 and a very warm welcome to the group which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
I was diagnosed with a Stage 2a melanoma on my arm eight years ago and, like you, was offered a SLNB to have at the same time as my WLE. When I was diagnosed it was in the very early stages of SLNBs being offered and it really was down to the patient whether they wanted to have one or not.
I read the information I was given and was worried about the possibility of lymphoedema but in the end decided to go ahead with the SLNB. My main reason was that I didn't want to wonder in the future if the melanoma reappeared "what if" I'd had the SLNB, would they have found it quicker.
It sounds like our 'journey' with melanoma was very similar. I went to my GP with what looked like 3 tiny spots close together on my arm in the August of 2016. He didn't think it was anything to worry about, and neither did the consultant, but I had a biopsy in October and then found out at the end of November that it was a rare amelanotic melanoma. I then had the WLE and SLNB in February 2017 and, thankfully, everything came back okay.
If you have a look at other people's profiles in the group you can see if they had a SLNB and what their reasoning was. 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.
Let me know what you decide to do.
Anne x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
