Hello everyone,
I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma three weeks ago, last week I had a wider part of my skin removed from my upper arm. They said that I should hear back from them within the next six weeks. My family seems to think because its been cut out and I'll be checked on a regular bases that I shouldn't worry but I can't help feeling frightened to what will happen next.
Hi Vcd and a very warm welcome to the online community
I'm very sorry to read that you've just been diagnosed with melanoma. My diagnosis was over 4 years ago now but I remember how numb and shocked I felt when I was told.
It's good that you've already had the wide local excision (WLE) but I know how hard waiting for the results can be and it's natural to feel frightened about what will happen next.
You haven't mentioned having a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) so I'm presuming that your melanoma was a very early stage one. Do you know what Stage you are or the Breslow depth (how deep the melanoma was)? The reason that I ask is that if you are Stage 1A then you usually have between 2 and 4 check‑ups during the first year after your treatment is finished and you may then be discharged at the end of that year.
However, if you are Stage 1B or above then you would normally have check‑ups every 3 months for the first 3 years, then every 6 months for the next 2 years. I am Stage 2A and I'm currently in the last year of my six monthly check-ups.
Many people say how difficult it can be to get family and friends to understand how worried we might still be even when the melanoma has been removed. Of course sometimes people say things like "it's been cut out now so there's no need to worry" either because they are trying to reassure you or because they simply don't know what to say. I guess it's up to us to help them to understand.
Do come back and let us know the results of your WLE and, in the meantime, 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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