Diagnosed yesterday

Hi Amccl, Since you don't know the stage, I would call the dermatologist and ask her to tell you over the phone or send you the pathology report. This website has good info on what to expect based on the stage. You may be restaged after the next excision, so to prepare for your next visit, I'd write down my questions for the surgeon. For example, ask how large an area of skin on your forehead will be removed, will you need a graft, and will a sentinel lymph node biopsy need to be performed. After your procedure, you will be followed up regularly by your dermatologist every 3 to 6 months depending on the stage. 

Wishing you a good outcome!

Thank you for replying, so my head a skin graft won’t be required a skin flap will be ample was what she said. She did explain the every 3 months back at the dermatologist. My main worry now is the two marks they found during the body check so hopefully these will be further investigated when the surgeon sees me x 

Hi Amccl and a second welcome to the online community and to the melanoma group in particular

I was diagnosed with melanoma over 4 years ago now and I wasn't told what stage I was either, although my consultant did tell me what the Breslow thickness of my melanoma was. It was only when I came on here that I realised that melanoma was staged. I suppose all I was worried about initially was the upcoming wide local excision (WLE), which is the further surgery your dermatologist has mentioned, and whether or not to have the optional sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). I think that the latter is only offered if your melanoma is 0.8mm deep or more.

I had a further lesion removed at the same time as my WLE but it turned out to be totally harmless and I'll keep my fingers crossed that yours is too.

When you meet the plastic surgeon ask how long results are currently taking to come back after a WLE in your area of the country. I find it's less stressful if I know when and how to expect them. The average is about 2-4 weeks and I had mine at the 2 week mark when I went back for the surgeon to check that the wounds were healing okay.

It would be great if you could pop something about your journey so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. 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.

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