I was diagnosed a few days ago with a T2 melanoma after I had a mole removed from my face because it kept changing colour and getting larger in the course of just a few weeks.
My dad and my maternal uncle have both had melanoma and they have large scars everywhere from various removals.
I'm 24 and it just feels like I can't believe this could happen when I'm so young and it's also on my face so I'm scared it's going to affect my self confidence when I get the wider excision and skin graft.
Also it feels somehow worse dealing with cancer stuff in the middle of a pandemic when I can't really see any of my family members or friends I just feel so alone right now.
Does anyone have any tips for how they're managing at the moment not being able to see many support networks?
Hi Gardeningismyhappyplace and a very warm welcome to the online community
I'm sorry to see that your have recently been diagnosed with melanoma and you're waiting for an appointment to have your WLE and SLNB. I've had both of those operations so if you have any questions just fire away.
I was diagnosed 4 years ago so didn't have the same restrictions as you have now. However, I'd still recommend the same things now such as indulging in hobbies, having a coffee with friends (via Skype, etc), anything that you enjoy doing to keep your mind off worrying about the upcoming operations.
Lots of people practice mindfulness and, if this is something that appeals to you, clicking here will take you to the NHS page on mental health apps, some of which are free, which you can download.
My WLE was on my arm so I don't have the same worries as you might do having it on your face. I don't know if you're aware of the charity Changing Faces who give advice on skin camouflage products that can be used to reduce the appearance of a scar. Normally they hold clinics around the country but they've had to pause that currently.
Of course your scar might be so small that ordinary makeup will cover it. The scar on my arm is hardly visible and you'd struggle to see the one under my arm from my SLNB. I'm very grateful that my plastic surgeon turned out to be very skilled!
Let us know when you have a date for the ops.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
