Hi Heather,

That's a lot to take in & you will still be in shock for a while. You should have been given the contact details of the specialist nurse so that you can ask them anything you are unsure of.

I had a melanoma removed from my shin & I managed to get away without having to have a skin graft so I can't speak from personal experience. However, I do know a few patients who have had skin grafts on their lower limb & I know that the recovery is much longer as the graft has to 'take' & it takes longer to heal than a straightforward excision. This is mainly due to it being weight bearing which doesn't help the healing process. Hopefully they will give you some crutches. The graft site also takes a while to heal so it's a bit of a double whammy. Expect to take a few weeks off sick and to spend most of it sitting down with your leg elevated.

I've sent you a friend request so that, if you accept it, I can pass on more information about the procedure by private message. Good luck,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)