Newbie

Hi HelWWFC and a very warm welcome to the online community although I'm sorry you've had to join us.

My honest answer is that I don't know if a dermatologist can be absolutely sure that a lesion is a melanoma just by looking at it but I guess an experienced one can be pretty sure from previous experiences. 

I do know that it can happen the other way around as my dermatologist said my lesion was nothing to worry about but then it came back as melanoma!

I think you're probably right though that they can't be 100% sure until the results come back from the path labs, so I'm sorry that your dermatologist has turned out to be correct. 

You are fortunate to have had your wide local excision (WLE) so quickly as most people have to wait between 2-4 weeks after their excision biopsy.

I'm assuming as well that your melanoma is at an early stage, ie not very deep as you don't mention having a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) at the same time as having your WLE, or did you choose not to have it?

Please don't feel that you're a fraud telling people that you have been diagnosed with melanoma! On the other hand you can choose who you want to tell or not tell. I decided to tell all my friends so they would understand why I was no longer sitting in the sun, etc..

Do you have a date for the results of your WLE?

x

Hi Thanks for the kind words i suppose its a place no one wants to be,

I did not get offered SLNB at the time as my Wle, they initially thought i was just having the "pimple" removed untill he read the notes, (I am waiting on the call from the Lab for my results,) i did ask the surgeon how big it was but he said not that big but i think he was refering to the hole he made as he counted the stitches. The only date/appointment i have is to remove the stitches in probaly a week and a half ( i have to have them in 2 weeks)

I have told 3 of my close friends and my parents so far, i think i still havent really come to terms with it myself yet so will leave telling the rest of my close friends, but i think thats a great idea on how to tell those friends are we go away with them alot so i kinda have a reason to mention it. Its how to brace the subject with people. sorry for the quote thing i dont know what i did.

latchbrook said:

(SLNB)

Hi HelWWFC

I've just looked at what you've put in your profile, along with your posts, and I think I may have misunderstood where you are in your diagnosis.

Because you'd said you'd just had a WLE I thought that you'd already had the excision biopsy and the results had come back telling you that you had melanoma.

So, if I understand correctly, you saw a consultant last Tuesday who arranged for you to have an excision biopsy on Friday. The whole lesion would have been removed, along with an area of healthy tissue, and this would then be sent off to the pathology laboratory to be examined. The laboratory will report back to the consultant the Breslow thickness which then determines what stage the melanoma is. 

I think that you are now waiting for the results of this biopsy to find out for definite if you have melanoma. Have I got this right?

If the results of the biopsy are that you do have melanoma then you would be called back for a wide local excision (WLE). This is the standard surgery done when melanoma is diagnosed and removes between 1-2cm of tissue all around the original excision site to make sure that no stray melanoma cells have been left behind.

If your melanoma is 0.8mm deep or more then you are normally offered an optional sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) where they remove the sentinel lymph node nearest the melanoma to see if it has spread to your lymph nodes.

Clicking on any of the links I've created will give you more information about the different procedures. If you want to ask any questions, or I've misunderstood where you are in your journey please let me know.

x

Hi sorry for the confusion, it's because I am a little lost with it all, I saw my GP, he referred me to dermatology within 2 weeks, that was last Tuesday I saw the dermatologist at the hospital,she arranged for me to have a WLE, I had that on Friday just gone, I thought I was having a biopsy but was second guessing as that's the process I read on the NHS site but when I got there he(surgeon) said it's not a biopsy we are taking the whole thing and the skin around it, they are sending or have sent it off to be tested, they said they were checking to see if it had spread..  can you see why I'm confused as I have completely missed the biopsy but she(dermatologist) did say the surgeon will perform 1 if 2 procedures his choice on the day but when he read my notes it's had WLE.

Hi HelWWFC

It's natural to find the process confusing as you've probably never had any reason to look into what would happen before.

Although you said you've missed the biopsy, I don't think you have as it's normal for the whole lesion plus some surrounding skin to be removed at biopsy stage. This is because the surgeon is aiming to take everything away so that no cells are left behind. 

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that your dermatologist is wrong and that the biopsy results come back showing no evidence of melanoma.

Hi thanks yes I get it, just a waiting game, I'm trying not to believe she is wrong as not to disappoint myself but yes deep down I hope she says it's all fine, thank you

Hi HelWWFC

How are you doing and have you had the results of your biopsy back yet?

x

Hi, I am not doing to bad now, my results are back with the consultant, I have not been told them but have been told she is meeting with a team tomorrow (30th) to discuss my treatment plan. I never received a call from pathology just my consultant receptionist, and I have an appointment on the 6th April at the hospital to go through my results, thank you for asking, I hope you are well x

I'm glad to hear you're not doing too badly now HelWWFC.

It's not normal for the path labs to phone the patient with their findings as they report to the consultant who will then discuss them with you. 

I'm well thank you and just got an appointment through to see my consultant face-to-face for a check-up. This will be the first one not done over the telephone since last May!

I'll be thinking of you on 6th and keeping my fingers crossed.

x

Thanks for the advice it certainly helps to have someone to talk to. I bet you are glad to finally be able to go to face to face, I do hope all goes well for you, have you got long to wait? best wishes x