How quick our lives have changed

Hi Tony your wife's situation sounds very similar to mine and I understand that sick feeling.

I had a 'funny pink spot' removed from my arm in July 22 and the result was 'benign' but it can back and September 24 it was removed again

This time it came back as a Spindle cell melanoma 6.2 deep and was mis diagnosed in 22! My ongologist has described this a a catastrophe and is supporting me to take action against the Health Authority

My PET scan was clear but I'm awaiting the results of a brain MRI and 16 /1 will have a WLE and lymph node removal followed by a year of immunotherapy which can cause dreadful side effects 

I've been knocked off my feet with fear and dread although somehow the last few days have felt more peaceful and positive 

I'm angry though I'm going through this, on top of their negligence. 7 years ago my grandson was still born solely due to NHS negligence so my fear factor is real

I find grated fresh ginger boiled in water with a teaspoon of honey marvelous for nausea

Google anti inflammatory diet.. Its essentially a very healthy way of eating that is good for cancer sufferers and if you are going through immunotherapy. Cutting down sugar, alcohol and red smear is key. 

You are on a roller-coaster none of us signed up for and I wish you both the very best

Essex girl,

so sorrry to hear you have been through the same but hopefully this year will prove to be a positive one for you and hopefully a clearing through the fog.

At the moment our focus is on getting diagnosis and treatment started and hopefully for once some positive news rather than all the negative we have been receiving. 

thank you for the dietary advice. When you said cut down or out alcohol, sugar and red smear. Should that have been red meat? 

Tony

Lol yes red meat.. Lots of green leafy veg, beans, lentils and berries. 

Hi. I am so sorry this has happened. It is the most scary thing to hear isn't it! The situation is just like mine. I went to the Dr 4 times and was told 'it's nothing to worry about, keep an eye on it'. I knew it wasn't right! I then went to visit family in South Africa, went to the Dr who said, that needs to be removed immediatly. After the biopsy, I heard those awful words... it's melanoma. 

Mine was at the top of my thigh so they called it 'buttocks' melanoma which I found funny. I suppose I had to try find the humour somewhere. 

A few days later I had surgery to remove it via wide excision and I also had 2 lymph nodes removed from my groin. This is all 7 weeks ago. I am still recovering and have had some complications with the lymph removal as it's in the fold of my leg and so an awkward place. This was because in SA i paid for all of this privatlely. I called the NHS and was told the waitlist would be 18 weeks. I was hesitant to leave SA as my father had gone into hospice care - the reason for my visit. I was also terrified of all the unknowns of the NHS. It was expensive but at the same time reassuring because it was happening within days. I felt I had some sort of control. I think over here, with the NHS, you have no control over the time scale, who the Dr will be and how long it will take for results. That is - for me - the scariest part. Having no control. 

What I find helps me now - and it might help you with the anxiety - is knowledge ... and pushing the doctors for more information. Ask questions. Ask for timelines. Ask for referrals. Be empowered. 

As for eating well; avoid fast foods, foods with sugar or ready meals. These foods are harder to digest, offer little benefit and will interupt your sleep. Rest often. Take naps. If you're feeling a bit depressed - and why wouldn't you - stock up the freezer with healthy foods that you can easily warm up with minimal effort. I made batches of minestrone soup and just ate the same thing everyday. 

Sending you both big hugs! 

Hi, this was me almost a year ago. I have melanoma but it didn’t appear on skin but came up overnight in an enormous lump in lymph node. As it was in lymph node it was considered secondary with no known primary. Trying to sleep was difficult. I tried to remember facts about something to distract me from thinking about cancer. Waiting for results from Ct, scans, PET and MRI scans was so scary. After several delays I eventually had operations last summer and started on immunotherapy in September. I am still continuing on this once a month until August. I’m feeling very positive about it all now. I no longer think about cancer all the time. The immunotherapy is very good and luckily I’ve had hardly any side effects. Hopefully your wife’s melanoma hasn’t spread to lymph nodes but even if it has it is now very treatable.