Hi - new here - had my melanoma removed and just waiting to meet consultant to arrange wider area excision and lymph node thing. Just worried because everything I read say it's a fast spreader if it didn't all get removed at first excision. Have decided not to share with kids yet as there may be no further tumour and partner not comfortable talking about it.
Hi and a very warm welcome to the online community
I'm sorry to read that you've recently been diagnosed with melanoma and it's natural to worry. I didn't have the same type as you but mine, an amelanotic melanoma, was also considered to be slightly more dangerous than the most common form of melanoma because it doesn't look like the classic mole and can easily be mistaken for other types of skin conditions.
I tried to focus on the fact that my SCNS was able to tell me that mine had been removed with clear margins and therefore she felt there was very little chance that they would find any stray cells when they did the wide local excision (WLE).
I'm not sure how old your children are but if they're living at home with you then you might need to tell them something before you have the WLE and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) as it'll be pretty obvious that you've had operations. Macmillan have some really useful information on talking to children when an adult has cancer which you might like to take a look through. It includes hints and tips on how to tell them depending on their age and clicking on the link I've created will take you to it.
Whereabouts was your melanoma? Mine was on my arm so my SLNB was in my armpit. If you want to know more about the operations and how you might feel afterwards I'm happy to share my experiences with you.
It would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with 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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