Hi, I had a melanoma removed earlier this year with clear margins, it was 1.0mm deep. I’ve since had a WLE and I’m waiting on the results. I was unable to have the SLNB unfortunately so I’ve had an ultrasound instead which came back normal. I find myself worrying sometimes that something has been missed and I think it’s mainly because I couldn’t have the SLNB. How reliable are the ultrasounds? I also find myself going down a rabbit hole on the internet reading into things which is obviously not helping my anxiety! I’m so worried it’ll appear again down the line. I have been reassured that the risk of spread at my stage is around 5%-8% but I can’t help but worry! Any advice please and when did you feel like you could move on from this?
Hi Mysticdaisy
I can certainly empathise and it's perfectly natural to worry that the melanoma may recur at some point in the future. I can't give you a timeline as to when you feel you "could move on from this" as everyone is different. Some people naturally worry more than others and I don't think that the 'worry' of a recurrence ever actually goes away, it just becomes less until you probably wake up one morning and realise that you haven't thought about melanoma for a while.
Macmillan have linked up with Bupa to give up to 4 free counselling sessions for people struggling emotionally because of cancer. If you'd like more information about this, and to see if you qualify, just click on the link.
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a negative WLE result.
P.S. I can't answer your question about ultrasounds as I've never had one.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
