Melanoma 1A Diagnosis, Treament (WLE) and Healing

Hi - I wanted to share my experience on here of melanoma- particularly those who are about to have a WLE (wide local excision) and want to know a bit more about what to expect.

I am in my early 30s and around 4 years ago I noticed an unusual mole on my ankle. After being seen my the doctor they advised me to photograph it every few months and come back if there were any changes. Fast forward 4 years and I went back as it seemed to be getting darker. I was given a 2 week referral to see a consultant. He took one look and informed me it was probably a melanoma. It definitley needed to be removed. 3 days later and I was at a day surgery having the excision. The doctor stitched it up well and I only had 3 stitches to be removed a few weeks later. I had to wait 6 weeks for the biopsy results which felt like an age. When I finally got my next appointment at the hospital the nurse confirmed their suspicions- it was a superficial spreading malignant melanoma stage 1A. They advised a wide local excision - 1cm all around the original scar. Because of the location it would not be able to be stitched up and so they recommended having an open wound (rather than a graft or flap) which takes around 8 weeks to heal. I had the surgery the week the COVID-19 lockdown started. Being on my ankle it was incredibly painful for the first few weeks afterwards. I couldn't walk the day after and couldn't walk properly for around 2 weeks. I was able to drive after 3 weeks. The wound has now healed up nicely although there will be a scar around the size of a 1p piece when it is all done and dusted. I feel very lucky that this should be the end of my cancer journey. <Edited by Admin>

Hope you are all staying safe xx