Hello Lucky

Nice to see you here but sorry about your diagnosis at the same time. 
 

You must be so relieved to have been given a 1A diagnosis. Thank goodness this was spotted as it's a funny place to be aware of a mole, on the sole of your foot. 
 

Sounds as though they've sorted you out already and want to do the follow up surgery as a precaution - makes sense and small price to pay for peace of mind, so you can throw yourself back into enjoying life again! 
 

There are some people on this forum who have melanoma. I hope they will be able to join in on this thread with any advice and experiences! :-)

Take care xxx 

Hi Lucky,

It's so good of you to post your experience on the forum as many people are going through this but very few come on the forum and share their story.

I'm so glad that your melanoma was caught early and I hope you aren't waiting too long for the WLE. 0.2mm thickness is the shallowest I've ever heard it being caught at so well done to you & your GP for catching it so early. Also, moles on the sole of the foot or the palm of the hand are usually treated as suspect as it's not normal for them to appear in these areas (I had one removed from there & thankfully it was benign).

Good luck for a quick recovery from the WLE and please keep us up to date in how it all goes,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient)

Hi Citygirl, 

Thanks for your reply. Yes, definitely feeling very grateful that it got spotted in the first place! My spouse has had multiple mole biopsies, all of which turned out to be either benign or mildly dysplastic, so we're both pretty sun- and skin-aware. But the bottom of our feet is certainly one neglected area. I'm hoping people reading this will also check their feet and between toes as well!  

Lucky

Hi Angie, 

Your posts have been some of the most helpful for me over the past few weeks. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and wisdom. 

I'm really shocked by how early we caught it. It was a relatively small lesion, too, barely 6 x 3 mm at its widest points. The histology margins came back clear at 1.7 mm around the lesion and 4.2 mm on the vertical dimension. For these reasons my wide excision has been classed non urgent, and I've been told the wait is up to 3 months, but I don't know what the wait time for a more urgent case is like for comparison. I'm just glad to know the thing is out of my body. 

So, all in all, I am feeling unlucky but lucky at the same time. Just trying to keep positive. 

Lucky

Hi Lucky,

The wait times for urgent cases & pre-Covid were about 3 or 4 weeks. Sadly Covid is having an impact on surgery. Biopsy excisions are being done quicker than the norm but non urgent surgeries are taking longer. The thing to remember is that the biopsy excision got rid of all the melanoma. The Wide Local Excision is just a 'belt & braces' procedure to ensure that nothing broke away & lodged in the tissue nearby. Because your melanoma was so small & the original excision was so large, there is very little chance that anything was missed so that is why they aren't classing it as urgent. I know it's better for your mental welfare to get it all done & sorted quickly but try not to worry about it. Tell them that you are happy to go on the cancellation list should any occur - that way you may get it done quicker. Keep positive & keep us up to date. We are here if you need us x

Hi! I was recently diagnosed with stage 1a melanoma, mine was 0.4mm and at the back of my arm. I was also classed at non urgent and was told to expect to wait, I got a phone call in the same week to go in the following week after my covid swab etc everything went great and I got the results back within 10 days, the waiting is awful but I feel very lucky I've been seen and sorted quickly!

I am in constant fear (I do suffer anxiety too), I'm having good days where I hardly think about it then I'll have a day like today where it's constantly on my mind and I'm reading up on everything and getting very emotional. 
hopefully you don't have to wait too long for your WLE either xx

Hi Lucky/everyone 

Can i just ask what did your mole look like (difficult question i know!) 

Just my GP sent me for a 2 week referral to dermatology after reviewing my tiny mole on the sole of my foot. I first noticed it last year and at the time seemed light in colour with unique darker brown lines through it. Now it seems slightly darker to me and the colours more merged together? Now i do have a history of bad sunburns and being a sunbed worshipper which i always worry about. I have a single 'ugly duckling' mole on my left shoulder which they say seems ok. The dermatologist today said she would remove the one on my foot and we could either monitor my shoulder or have it removed at the same time. I think through pure paranoia i asked for both to be removed. Ive had a phone call this evening offering me an appointment next week for removal. I know the sole of the foot is unusual but 'how' unusual. Has anyone been told by dermatology that the sole of the foot should be something to worry about?? 

Hi Tracey 

I had a mole removed  from my right palm of my little finger and waiting results it was 2mm I am scared. Apparently you can have moles anywhere on the skin