New here, recent melanoma diagnosis

Hi  and welcome to the online community

I'm sorry that you've had to find us but as you said Stage 1A is the 'best' result, other than it not being a melanoma, that you could get.

Everything that you've been told is correct and hopefully you won't need any further treatment after the wide local excision (WLE) next week.

Hopefully you've been given information on how to be safe in the sun. I found the first summer after being diagnosed the hardest but now I just automatically cover up and wear a hat if I'm going outside. I realised that this was a good excuse to go on a shopping spree!

Let us know how it goes next week and don't forget to ask them how quickly you'll get the results.

xx

Hello,

welcome to the group. I’m so sorry to hear of your recent diagnoses and I hope that you’re doing ok.

Your story sounds very very similar to mine. I was diagnosed with stage 1b 0.24mm deep on my upper right arm in November 14 aged 28. Removed with wide local excision, lymph nodes felt and consultant happy with them so no biopsy required. Had check ups for 1 year then discharged.

Although the prognosis was very good, it’s not impossible for a spread unfortunately. Which is what I’ve found out this week, almost exactly 4 years after my original melanoma was diagnosed, the melanoma has spread to my liver and small area on abdominal wall aged 32. Dermatologist confirmed this yesterday as well as checking all my other moles, lymph nodes etc and confirmed there was nothing else suspicious so accepts that it came from the original one 4 years ago. It looks like we’ve caught it fairly early as I am symptomless. I complained about abdominal pain to my GP a few weeks ago, they took bloods and one of my liver function tests was slightly over the norm so I was referred for an ultrasound with suspected gallstones, that’s where they saw the lesions on my liver. Immediately sent for a ct scan and diagnosis confirmed metastatic melanoma this week. I must add that the pain that they thought was gallstones has completely gone, I feel absolutely fine apart from weakness and tiredness but I’m putting that down to me not eating or sleeping due to the stress and worry. 

Please don’t take this as me trying to scare the living daylights out of you. That certainly is not my intention. My intention is just to make yourself aware of anything, I mean anything you’re not completely happy about be it a little niggly pain that comes and goes, soreness or tenderness anywhere on your body. Please get anything checked out straight away. 

I hope your WLE goes well. From memory I remember thinking it wasn’t too bad at all, the most uncomfortable bit for me were the local anaesthetic injections and the itching of the wound a week or so afterwards while it repairs itself.

sending you massive hugs x 

Thank you Belle I did actually read a bit of your story yesterday and was sorry to hear it had metastised to your liver and I will be vigilant after this next excision. Thank you for your support and hope things go well with you

• Thank you latchbrook that's really supportive, I will keep posted about my next surgery I really don't care how much skin they take its better to take more and make sure it's all gone. Of course I will be so careful in the sun from now on hat and long sleeves, the curse of having such fair skin! 
• I'm not sure how they stage the melanoma though how can they tell it's stage 1a rather than being or c do you know?

Hello , I hope you don’t mind me popping, in you asked about staging of melanoma I’ve given a link to detailed melanoma staging on the Macmillan site below

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/melanoma/treating/treatment-decisions/understanding-your-diagnosis/staging-and-grading.html#306976

Stage 1a being “The melanoma is 1mm thick or less, without ulceration. It has a mitotic rate of less than 1/mm^2.”

Hi KTatHome no i dont mind at all thank you for sending me that link it does make things a lot clearer to me, and reassures me more that my melanoma is very early stage which is a relief. Fingers crossed the wider local excision is all I need and can move forward, cautiously in the sun from now on of course! 

Hi could I please ask how soon you received your biopsy results thanks x

I think it was about a week and a bit, quite quick to be honest. Have you just had a removal?

Hi , my own biopsy results were for a removed lymph node, each time the results were given at an appointment that they had already booked in for me between two and three weeks later. My husband had a punch biopsy a few years ago, it was not suspected melanoma and the results took 9 weeks. By being on this forum for a long time it looks like each hospital has its own timings  and these can vary depending on bank holidays, staff holidays, etc etc, but usually range between 2 to 6 weeks. The best way to find out for yourself is to find a contact number for either the people who took the biopsy or for any keyworker you were allocated to, and ask them how you will be notified of the results and how long the wait will be. Then you can try and forget about them until nearer the time (hopefully). 

I hope the wait isn’t too bad for you.