Hi,
I had a wide local excision for lentigo maligna just under 4 weeks ago. The scar runs from under my inner eye down toward my lip, about 2 inches long. On the surface, it seems to be healing very well, but I’ve started getting very tiny bits of blood spotting from inside the top of my nostril. It’s not heavy, just small amounts on tissue now and then, but it’s been happening even after resting all day. It’s making me anxious, especially as I don’t know if it’s normal or something to worry about.
On top of that, I’m feeling extremely stressed. I’m due to go back to work next Saturday, but emotionally and physically I just don’t feel ready. I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and struggling to get through the days. Part of me just wants to stop working altogether, it feels too much.
I’m also scared about the results. In case I need another op. Has anyone else experienced this, either the bleeding, the fear of results, or not feeling able to go back to work? How did you cope?
Thank you so much for listening.
Hi Flowersshine 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 Anne, one of the Community Champions here on the Online Community and I was diagnosed with melanoma nearly 9 years ago now so I know how unsettling having treatment can be.
The good news for you is that lentigo maligna is the earliest stage of melanoma. It is also referred to as melanoma in situ because the cancer cells have not had the opportunity to spread anywhere else in the body. There are cancer cells in the top layer of the skin (the epidermis) but they are all contained in the area in which they began to develop. They have not started to spread or grow (‘invade’) into deeper layers of the skin. This is why some doctors call in situ cancers ‘pre-cancer’.
You mention that you are getting
very tiny bits of blood spotting from inside the top of my nostril
so my advice would be to give your SCNS (skin cancer nurse specialist) a call on Tuesday and talk this through with her/him.
You ask
Has anyone else experienced this, either the bleeding, the fear of results, or not feeling able to go back to work? How did you cope?
and the best place to connect with others who have been diagnosed with lentigo maligna is in the melanoma group. To join, just click on the link I've created and, once you've joined, you can start a new post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
It would be great if you could put something about your diagnosis and treatment 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.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
If you don't have a SCNS Flowersshine then phone your consultant's secretary and she should be able to point you in the right direction.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
