Diagnosed with Melanoma Stage 1A - my wide local excision story... see previous mole post on this blog

Hi Readers,

Apologies I have been off this blog recovering. My shave biopsy came back from the lab (8 weeks later and I guess I should have updated this blog huh) anyway it was a Stage 1A Melanoma so the previous article I had posted on here showing my ugly duckling mole was in fact the start of Skin Cancer and not a non-active melanoma. Thankfully I caught it in time or so they believe.  Pathology Report came back as follows: The Breslow Level was 0.6 mm and it was superficial, Clark Level 2. No mitosis (spreading) was found thankfully. If the Breslow Level had been over 1mm then I would possibly have needed to do a Lymph Node Biopsy (possibly through the groin) in addition to the Wide Local Excision as my bad mole was just above my knee. So I ended up doing a Wide Local Excision operation a week ago and they took 7mm of skin and drew margins around where this mole was so I now have a 7 mm line where the mole was in order to stop a possible recurrence of melanoma. The scar is neat enough but I had to see a plastic surgeon on this occasion. He did an Aberdeen knot and sewed me back together again while two young students peered over watching, learning from my case. The worst thing about the Wide Local Excision (for me anyway) was getting the Local Anaesthetic in. It was v painful. The worst bit of the operation. He drew what looked like an American football or rugby ball around it and then proceeded to pierce the whole circle in stages. It felt like he was cutting my skin and when he finally finished getting it all in I realised he hadn't even started the operation so I was like oh no!! anyway I was numb by this point (yay) and he continued and the rest of the operation was thankfully straightforward. Took one hour to do. I'm happy I did the wide local excision. I just have to wait 3 weeks now to know if this has cured it or not. Fingers crossed it has. So I now have to see the dermatologist/surgeon/consultant who did my biopsy every 3 months after that just to keep an eye on me. As I hobbled out of the operation room, the plastic surgeon turned around and said now that you have had one melanoma you could get another...depressing. Hopefully not! I am thinking now to just go and do a mole mapping. I have learned that with skin cancer the quicker you are seen the better! I also hope they make further developments with T Cell Therapy. Right now, well I have been laying low as am also pregnant as well which did not help. I had to wait until the second trimester to do the operation safely otherwise it could have caused possible risks to the fetus because of the local anaesthetic. I asked if the baby would be affected. They didn't seem to think so as I had thankfully got the cancer out during the inital biopsy. It was you could say, a close shave!!!

Anyway, I hope this helps someone who may be possibly going through this right now or possibly has gone through it. I never saw this happening at 35 but its apparently better to have youth by your side...