Newbie - Hi!

I had the WLE and SLNB at the beginning of August fortunately it is all clear. I’ve found this forum really helpful I haven’t used the Macmillan nurses but I know that they can be very helpful in answering questions and giving support and advice as needed. 
when I went to GP I was querying  a different mole and just by chance when seeing the dermatologist asked about a different mole, this mole had stage 1b melanoma so I’m really thankful I asked as the first mole was nothing to worry about, if I hadn’t asked I would still be “brewing” melanoma and I dread to think what stage it would be before I eventually had it checked. Good luck 

Hi Fifitrix1 and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

I'm sorry to read that you've been diagnosed with melanoma but it seems that yours has been caught at an early stage.

Melanoma staging is a bit complicated as there are two stages. The stage of pT1b that you've given is the first stage also known as the Breslow thickness. If you click here you'll see that pT1b means that your melanoma was 1mm deep or less. This is then converted to the final stage which in your case is currently Stage 1 as it's less than 1mm thick. Again, clicking here will show you that and explain more about melanoma staging.

You also asked what you should be using a skin cancer nurse specialist (SCNS) for. Well they will answer any questions you have about your diagnosis and also explain what will happen next. They are also your immediate contact if you have any problems, eg. issues with your wounds or if you notice a new growth or change to an existing mole. If you notice any skin changes you don't need to go back to your GP, simply phone your SCNS who will arrange an appointment with your dermatologist.

When you have a minute, it would be great if you could put something about your diagnosis and treatment to date 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.

I hope this helps but do come back if you have any further questions.

Hi!  I love your name!  Do you have cats?  We have a bengal - he's very noisy. Anyway, thanks for letting me know about your recent treatment.  What a co-incidence that our stories are so similar in terms of almost not getting the melanoma moles checked.  Would you mind telling me where abouts on your body your mole was?  And what's your recovery from the procedure been like? I've found just the initial excision pretty sore and it's still healing now at 5 weeks post surgery.  No worries if you don't want to answer those questions tho.

Thank you for this compressive answer! That's really helpful to know about the SCNS role.  My mole was 1.4 thickness so hence the need for the SLNB I think?  Anyway, thanks for the welcome and I will update my profile.

Hi, no I don’t have cats but my daughter has a white British short haired cat called Snowy, as I had to pick a name and I’ve no grandchildren I’m Catnan! Bengals are really pretty!

my mole was on my right arm just above the elbow, I had the initial excision in May  and then the second WLE and SLNB at the beginning of August. It’s now 11 weeks and although the scars have healed I have a lot of nerve pain from elbow to wrist and the 10cm  scar crosses the top of the elbow it feels extremely tight and movement is still slightly restricted. I’m seeing the surgeon next week although I’m not sure why! I hope that you get your date for your op soon. Good luck 

Hi Fifitrix1 

Yes, the current NICE guidelines recommend that anyone whose melanoma is more than 1mm thick is to be offered a SLNB.

I've had a SLNB so I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about the procedure.

Hi.  Thank you for letting me know.  That's useful.  Do you think your surgeon appt is a post op follow up?

Thank you.  I've got the Macmillan book they gave me and their own pamphlet about it but I'm still a little confused tbh.  Do they make an incision in the armpit/groin as well as where the mole was?

Hi, my appointment is probably just to check on the healing process. 
when you have your SLNB they inject a radio active substance around the original excision site and then they track the substance until it reaches the first lymph node, they then mark the skin so the surgeon knows where to cut when the WLE operation starts so depending where the first lymph node , mine was armpit.  They send that lymph node and any others that react to the blue dye that they inject at the beginning of the op (they only took 1 lymph node from me) to the pathologists so see if there are any cancer cells in the lymph node. So yes you have two scars. I had a general anaesthetic for my op and stayed in hospital overnight. 

Hi Fifitrix1 

Catnan has already given a good description of what will happen when you have a SLNB so I won't repeat it. The only thing I'd add is that I didn't stay in hospital overnight.