Hi,

Your long wait is sadly a combination of a referral to a second consultant and then the Covid delays to surgery. Pre-Covid the wait would average 3 weeks for the WLE and SLNB - if also referred to another consultant it would be another week or two on top of that. During Covid the wait is averaging 6 weeks & then add another 2 or 3 weeks on top for a referral with another consultant. Obviously every hospital trust is different so these waiting times can vary.

The MacMillan nurse is quite correct when she tries to allay your fears that the wait will have little or no adverse effect on the chance of spread. The melanoma was reasonably shallow (being under 2mm) & has been removed so is no longer a threat. However, in a very small number of cases, cells could have already broken away before the removal & are lodged in the surrounding tissue or the lymphatic system - these will be found with the WLE & SLNB, no matter how long they are delayed  - but the majority of cases come back with clear WLE & SLNB results.

I have sent you a friend request so I can give you more information by private message if you wish. Meanwhile, I hope you get your appointment through very soon & all goes well. Please let us know how you get on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient)