Hi everyone,
I’m new here and wanted to introduce myself and share a bit of what’s been going on, as I’m feeling quite overwhelmed and hoping to connect with others who’ve been through something similar.
A little while ago I noticed a strange mole on my leg. It didn’t look quite right, which led to it being checked and removed. I ended up having two excisions, one on my leg and another on my arm. The one on my arm came back as fine but the one on my leg has been diagnosed as melanoma.
I’ve been told it is likely melanoma in situ (stage 0), which I understand is the earliest stage, but hearing the word melanoma has still been quite a shock.
I’m due to have a wider excision on Tuesday 28th to make sure everything is fully removed.
Alongside this, I’m also dealing with a number of other health issues at the moment such as a back injury, which has made everything feel a bit more difficult to process both physically and mentally.
One thing I’m unsure about is scans — I haven’t been sent for any, and I’m wondering if that’s normal at this stage or if it’s something I should be asking about.
I think what I’m really looking for is:
- reassurance from others who’ve had melanoma in situ
- understanding what the process was like for you after the wide excision
- whether anyone else had scans (or didn’t) at this stage
- and just generally connecting with people who understand how this feels
It’s all happened quite quickly and I think I’m still trying to get my head around it.
Thank you for reading, and I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with similar experiences.
Phil
