Diagnosed yesterday

Welcome, and sorry for the results. I was extremely shocked as wasn’t expecting a melanoma diagnosis.

I was diagnosed in March with Stage 1B and have the wide local excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy last week. So waiting for the those results now!

Hope you don’t have to wait long.

sending positive vibes your way

Kate x

Thankyou x I hope your results come back OK. I got a call today and I'm booked in for 21st May for the WLE. How was the operation? Are you still in pain now? I'm absolutely dreading it. I wish you a speedy recovery and good luck with the results. Xx

That’s good, not too long to wait.

The WLE has been fine, located on the left forearm. It’s the SLNB that is causing me discomfort more than pain and sensitivity.

I have kept dosed up on ibuprofen and paracetamol and have a family support.

I hope yours goes well x

There are stories of melanoma recurring as later stages, but there are so many more success stories where it doesn't recur at all. And the treatment options keep improving year on year, thanks to ongoing research.

I completely get how you're feeling, it takes a while for the news to sink in, and to process it, and to tell people close to you. It does get easier - be kind to yourself and give yourself time as you deal with the initial shock.

My WLE wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, and it has healed quite quickly - I just keep focusing on how lucky I am that it was caught early enough. 

Thinking of you! x

Hey Shiv84x 

Just popped in to say I was diagnosed with stage 1b on my calf in October 2018, had WLE & SLNB in December 2018 with clear results and have had no melanoma recurrence to date (touch wood!). Those late stage recurrences can happen even years later it's true, but it hasn't happened to me (as yet, still touching wood!) and it won't necessarily happen to you either.

I know it's scary and probably feels like a bit of a whirlwind at the moment so take some time for yourself to process it all. The time off work was a good idea - I took three days off after my diagnosis to focus on getting my head around it.

Also try to let go of what you can't control like your previous sunbed use and take control of what you can, like making sure you keep appointments and communicating openly with loved ones.

It's such great news that your WLE is only a few weeks away as I've seen some horrendous wait times reported recently. My WLE was very simple and straightforward with virtually no pain and great healing afterwards. As OneCatMe describes, it was the SLNB that caused the most pain!

I hope your surgery goes well and you're finding support where you need it. All the best. x