Hi need to talk to someone with skin melanoma. How did they cope up with their diagnosis and long NHS wait. Did it affect their prognosis due to long NHS waiting for treatment.
Have you been diagnosed with melanoma recently or are you awaiting a biopsy or the biopsy results? If you have been diagnosed, what stage are you as this will affect the type of treatment needed.
Sadly, NHS waiting times for appointments, biopsies, results and the start of treatment are longer than they were before Covid. No one can definitively say that the wait for treatment has caused any spread they may subsequently experience, because the spread could have happened before the patient saw their GP, or whilst waiting for the referral appointment or whilst waiting for the removal or even after removal. A cancer cell can break off from the tumour at any time & lodge in a node or travel slowly in the lymph or blood system and not be found until either it shows on a scan or the patient finds a lump or has an unexplained symptom.
My personal experience was that I had a mole on my shin from birth. At age 39 I noticed it turning dark but didn't see my GP for a year! Saw a dermatologist 2 weeks later, the mole was removed 4 days later & the diagnosis, Stage 1b melanoma, was given 2 weeks later. Further surgery was done (no sign of spread) & I was then regularly checked by the dermatologist for 5 years & was then discharged as 'cured.' That was 28 years ago. Fast forward to 13 years later and a lump appeared in my groin - it was the melanoma that had quietly sat until it suddenly decided to grow in my lymph node. Surgery also showed it was in a node in my pelvis. None of my medical team could say whether it had spread before it had been removed or since - that's the unpredictable nature of melanoma.
If diagnosed, the best way to deal with it is to take one day at time - deal with what you and your consultant already know and don't jump to conclusions because every patient's journey is different. Don't google either, stick to the best websites if you must google - this CRUK forum and the Melanoma Focus website are the best for information. I hope this helps,
It's good that you don't have too much longer to wait for your surgery now. The WLE should deal with the scar tissue as they will be removing more of that area. Perhaps ask them for advice in case the WLE also causes a problem with scar tissue (they recommend massaging the area with bio oil or similar but only after a certain period). Feeling aches & pains whilst going through all this is natural and 99% of the time is due to stress. Try to find ways to relax and distract yourself to help with the stress.
I've sent you a friend request so that, should you have any further questions, we can chat by private message. Good luck on Saturday & please let us know how you get on.
