WLE

Hi 

Hi there.  I don't have much to offer but I am in the same boat kind of.  I have a shave biopsy in July.  Came back severely atypical.  I just had my WLE done (via local with sedation) in the office.  I am so nervous about getting the results of this biopsy I can barely focus.  What was your initial diagnosis with the first biopsy?

Hi there.  I don't have much to offer but I am in the same boat kind of.  I have a shave biopsy in July.  Came back severely atypical.  I just had my WLE done (via local with sedation) in the office.  I am so nervous about getting the results of this biopsy I can barely focus.  What was your initial diagnosis with the first biopsy?

Hi I had mine done with a local anaesthetic.It was done at the same time as my SNB   It took an hour and a half in theatre but I was ok. I stayed in hospital that night and was told I could go home the following morning .  Hope this information helps you. 

What was your initial diagnosis as to why you got a SNB?

Hi After the diagnosis of melanoma on my thigh I could choose to have aSNB along with the wider incision. They then found slight traces of melanoma in my node and then I had a block groin dissection. Now I think they don’t do this very often. I think immunotherapy is used but I am not sure. 

Hi there sorry to here that, I can totally relate I've not slept for a week

 All a was told was that my biopsy came back as melanoma I haven't been told whag stage or how much is left to take away all I know is I need a 2cm WLE.

My consultant is calling me on Monday, so I can ask him more questions as j was completely numb whe he told me my diagnosis 

Hi there thank you for your reply. Wow 1hr 30 your so brave, I never knew it would take that long. I've not been told about snb I will ask my consultant about this as I am so scared as my melanoma is in my neck and I know my lymph nodes are there too 

Hi Jalc123, 

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. 

It seems like they offer SLNB to people with "stage IB–IIC melanoma with a Breslow thickness of more than 1 mm" as per NiCE guidelines. Maybe your one was smaller /earlier stage?

Mine was 1.1mm and is staged 2a,so I'll get both WLE and SLNB done under general anesthesia next week. If I was having WLE only, I would opt in for local anesthesia and sedation, like you did. 

Hope the consultant can clarify it for you on Monday,

X

Try not to over think things. Have a list of questions ready to ask. I think I had the SNB as my melanoma was over a certain depth as far as I remember. It was over ten years ago and things change. It is a shock when you first get the diagnosis but once the treatment starts it gets better. I have immunotherapy ever 4 weeks but then just try to live as normal a life as possible. Walking ,seeing friends and going away as often as I can.It’s completely changed my outlook on life for the better I think. It’s normal to be numb and not take things in. It helps to have someone with you at important meetings and also ask it to be put in writing so you can read it at ease. Each hospital deals with things differently and it is just over the last 3 years I have had my consultant meetings in written form.Hope this helps. It can feel overwhelming at first. I don’t know whether you work I am retired now and lead an active life.