Thank you for sharing Aaron. We get many people on the forum who post about worrying moles & getting a referral but only a small handful return to give us their results - in the main it's because they received clear results &, quite rightly, have heaved a sigh of relief & moved on with their lives. But it's those left behind, still going through the procedure, that need to hear the different experiences, whether good or bad.

I was initially diagnosed Stage 1b in 1996 (aged 39) - a changing mole on my shin that I had left a year before seeing a GP. It was Breslow 0.07mm, non ulcerated - Clarkes & Mitotic Rate weren't used in those days. After excision I had 5 years of regular follow ups & was discharged. I wasn't offered a Sentinel Node Biopsy as it was under 1mm in depth.

Within the following 6 years my brother & niece had dysplastic moles removed by the same dermatologist so we all became involved in her research programme for Familial Melanoma. I resumed 6 monthly check ups for the research and this saved my life! A week before a check up in 2009 I found a lump in my groin. My GP referred me for an ultrasound thinking it was a muscle injury, however one look by my dermatologist rang alarm bells. The next day I had a fine needle aspiration biopsy and an hour later I was told I had Stage 3 melanoma in my groin node. The bottom fell out of my world. My response was 'No, you're wrong, after 13 years?' to which the Professor replied 'I have a patient whose melanoma returned 25 years later.' My abiding memory though, and I share this with newly diagnosed melanoma patients, are her next words 'A Stage 3 melanoma diagnosis isn't the end of the world' and she was right, at least in my case.

So 3 weeks later I found myself having a full clearance of nodes from my groin and pelvis - melanoma was found in a node in each area. In those days surgery was the only treatment and the possibility of a drug trial - I unfortunately wasn't eligble because my surgeon, on a hunch, also removed the pelvic nodes & for a second time my life was saved as the malignant pelvic node hadn't shown up on the pre-op scan. He fought tooth & nail for me to get on a trial but his action went against their trial protocol. So 11 years of regular checks and the odd CT scan followed, firstly with Oncology until the lesion the scan showed on my liver was found to be benign on the next scan. I then transferred to my life saving Plastic surgeon's care (my Dermatologist is now only research based). In that time I've had 6 more lesions/moles removed and all were benign, thank goodness.

I was discharged last year but with an open door policy. I'm currently awaiting the results of a fine needle aspiration biopsy on a lump but we are hoping that it's Covid vaccine related. The full nodal clearance surgery left me with lymphoedema in my leg but it's a small price to pay for 12 years of being NED (No Evidence of Disease - the melanoma equivalent to cured in early stage patients and remission in Stage 3 & 4 patients). Over the last few years I've seen the drug trials turn to licensed drug treatments for Stage 4 patients and later to licensed adjuvant drug treatments for newly diagnosed Stage 3 patients (I didn't qualify because i had been diagnosed 9 years before)! So the treatment landscape for melanoma has changed dramatically and is showing great promise. 

I knew nothing about melanoma when diagnosed in 1996. By 2009 I knew a little more so over the years I joined Internet forums to try and share my experience and help others. With the help of my old dermatologist I help advise melanoma patients regarding Vitamin D & it's importance to melanoma patients (she is a world expert on the subject) and I attend the annual Melanoma Patient Conference that a friend started in 2016. I like to think that, if I can't answer a question I know a man who can!

Good luck with your treatment & I look forward to your updates.

Angie