Just been diagnosed with melanoma, stage 1B.

Hi Mybow 

I know what a shock that will have been for you as something similar happened to me when I was diagnosed. My dermatologist didn't think my red 'spot' was anything to worry about but decided to do a biopsy to see what it was. Well it was melanoma!

I assume that you're now waiting for a date to have a wide local excision (WLE) and possible sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB)? If so, and you want to know anything about these operations, I'd be happy to share my experience with you.

x

Thank you for responding latchbrook.

I decided against the SLNB, I’ve had my ‘spot’ for several years, saw the consultant about 3 years ago and Covid delayed my initial appointment to have it removed, so thought I’d go for WLE. I’ve never had a GA and am not inclined to have one unless absolutely necessary. I have a condition called Paramyotonia Congenita which can cause problems with anaesthesia.  

My first questions are how long will the WLE take? How long will the scar be? And is it definitely under local anaesthetic ?

I’m a scaredy cat!

Hi Mybow 

If you're not having a SLNB then I think the WLE will take hardly any longer than the original excision biopsy. I say 'I think' because mine was combined with a SLNB.

Depending on the depth of your melanoma, the WLE will take away a further 1-2cm all around the original biopsy site. My scar, although barely visible now, is about 2 inches long as I had 2cm taken away. Usually WLEs are done under a local anaesthetic but it depends where your melanoma was. You could give your SCNS a call to find out if you op will be done under a local.

It would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment so far 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.

x

Thank you for your reply. My Macmillan nurse phoned me after I posted this morning. She has confirmed that it will be a local anaesthetic.
My partner is due for a PET Scan on Thursday to check that the chemotherapy and radiotherapy have got all the cancer following his diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma last year.You couldn’t make it up, just as we were preparing to (hopefully) get the all clear for him, I get a cancer diagnosis!!

Hi was diagnosed with stage 1b , 7 weeks ago and I had my WLE done last week. My mole was on my stomach and the original scar was about 7cm, the new scar about 10cm. It took them about 70 - 80 minutes for the WLE to be carried out, but it was done by a junior doctor being supervised by an consultant, so probably took longer than normal. They have to remove all tissue, layers of fat down to muscle, so it will really depend on how big the original scar was and how deep they have to go. 

Thanks Redlis, that sounds brutal! My ‘spot’ is on the inside of my leg by my knee and will be done by specialist so I hope it will be a bit quicker than yours  Did the anaesthetic need redoing? Hope you don’t have too much discomfort. 

Sorry I seem to have flagged your post to a moderator, my bad. ️

My kind friends kept telling me I getting a  tummy tuck on the NHS. - advice if you are ever thinking about getting a tummy tuck, don't bother as it was painful for the first couple of days. I'm having the stitches out on Friday which I'll be glad about because they are starting to pull. The anaesthetic didn't need re-doing as such, but there were areas where it hadn't quite spread too. The consultant was very good and as soon as I said och, he stopped the operation and gave me some more anaesthetic. I hope everything goes OK with yours.  

Thank you, I’m not looking forward to it but I opted to have it done. Didn’t want to faff about with the sentinel thing. Hope I get a cancellation so it comes sooner rather than later.( I’m retired so my time is my own )