Hi,

I'm sorry you are both going through this long wait after your daughter's diagnosis.

A Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy has to be done at the same time as the Wide Local Excision. It involves dye being injected into the site of the melanoma & it's tracked to the node to the nearest node(s). The node is then biopsied. This procedure needs a radiologist and this causes the delay - unfortunately this is a countrywide problem (pre Covid this procedure would have been carried out within a month of diagnosis).

Some patients decide not to have the SLNB, either because of the delay or because of the possible side effects it can cause (which should have been explained to your daughter). Instead, they rely on 'watch & wait' with regular ultrasounds of the nodal area. 

The SLNB is a Staging Tool and isn't treatment, although a positive SLNB will hasten a treatment plan. The wait for these procedures is excruciating and the only advice I can give is that your daughter tells the hospital that she's happy to take a last minute cancellation (if she's in a position to drop everything at short notice). Sometimes cancellations come up so she may be lucky. 

Good luck to you both & please let us know how she gets on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

Thank you so much for your detailed response - a cancellation would be a good option for her so I'll mention that to her. 

She had since told me that the consultant she saw did feel her groin error and was not at all worried by anything but the sooner the better really. 

I see you have been stage 3 since 2009 - how is your treatment progressing - are you stable? 

I think my daughter is stage 2b 

Thank you so much again

Thank you so much for your detailed response - a cancellation would be a good option for her so I'll mention that to her. 

She had since told me that the consultant she saw did feel her groin error and was not at all worried by anything but the sooner the better really. 

I see you have been stage 3 since 2009 - how is your treatment progressing - are you stable? 

I think my daughter is stage 2b 

Thank you so much again

Her consultant said ultrasound was unreliable but also they get cancelled and pushed back a lot and then you have to have a further appt for any nodes to be removed