Hi Towpath

Sorry about your diagnosis, the club no-one wants to join. I haven't been here long but people are kind and understand how you are feeling. I hope everything works out for you. X

Thank you so much for your reply. It is much appreciated. . 

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

Was it an existing mole/lesion or a new one? Have they given you a Stage yet? How deep was it and have they told you if it was ulcerated, as the depth & any ulceration affect the stage.

The best internet resource is this site and the Melanoma Focus website which is very thorough.

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

Hi Angie. When I got the first diagnosis they told me it was 6.5mm deep. I have now got the pathology report which says it is pT4a and  It’s non ulcerating invasive spindle cell malignant melanoma. Braf gene info isn’t through yet. Thank you for your message. 

That means you are currently Stage 2a unless the SLNB shows any spread. I've sent you a friend request. If you accept it I can send you some more information.

Hello. My facial melanoma diagnosis was on 22nd August. My subsequent MRI and CT were clear but because it was a deep melanoma at 6.5mm they want to do the sentinel lymph node biopsy and WLE to see if it has spread locally and also to determine what further treatment I need. I haven’t got a date for these procedures yet and I because the other scans were clear I am not sure the proposed surgeon feels it is a priority.  Generally the info seems to say it should be within 4-6 weeks of the diagnosis but I am at 4 weeks now and no sign of the surgery appointment. Is this normal? . Thank you 

Delays for treatment are occurring and vary around the country. The Faster Diagnosis Standard states that treatment should start within 31 days of being told the treatment plan so you are coming up to the 31 day target. I suggest you give your CNS (Cancer Support Nurse) a call (if you were given their details) or the consultant's secretary a call to ask when you can expect the surgical appointment through. Sometimes you have to pester them to get it sorted quicker - what my dermatologist used to call 'patient empowerment' which she was fully supportive of !! Good luck.