Dealing with anxiety following diagnosis

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Hi everyone, 

Following my Melanoma diagnosis in March this year I have not been able to stop thinking about what if it is somewhere else on my body and it just hasn’t been found yet.

My original melanoma was a very tiny dark brown spot - not raised or itchy or anything that would cause me concern. I am paranoid that I have so many other moles and freckles on my skin that any one of them could be cancerous. 

I am still waiting for the results of my wider local excision too and am awaiting a date for surgery to remove a lesion from above my eye. All of the waiting is definitely amplifying how I feel. 

Any tips on how to manage this health anxiety would be greatly appreciated- thanks 

  • Hi  

    I'm sorry to read that since you've been diagnosed with melanoma you've been suffering with health anxiety. As this is something that I've been fortunate not to be affected with I don't have any experience to share with you but I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet. Responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list again.

    Please do consider getting help from your GP, especially if you find that the health anxiety is impacting on your daily life.

    While you're waiting for replies, it would be great if you could put something about your diagnosis and treatment into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. 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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  • Hi. Yes I feel this. Have you got / can you arrange regular mole checks with a dermatologist? I did yearly checks after my first melanoma in situ even though I was told it wasnt necessary if I was vigilant and it's really helped reassure me plus I have someone who knows me if something does crop up.

  • Hi, I'm awaiting the results of my WLE too, and like you have a predisposition to anxiety. I'm managing it by not dwelling on my situation, as I find it I do then my anxiety levels go up. I don't know how I'll react if my results come back positive, but I'll face that then. Sticking your head in the sand is entirely acceptable to me at this stage! Try to distract yourself if you can. Good luck. Xx