› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Nodes clear but still paranoid
- This topic has 6 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 11 months ago by
WiseGirlM.
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- April 14, 2015 at 11:08 pm
I recently had a WLE and SLNB for stage 1a melanoma, right ankle, and received great results! Everything came back clear with no risdual melanoma from the excision site… But I am still sooooo paranoid. I spend hours every day/night examining all freckles/moles/new spots… Is this normal?
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- April 14, 2015 at 11:48 pm
I don't think there is a "normal". But truthfully, I'm not sure why they even did a SNB on a stage IA lesion. That's definitely NOT normal and way beyond protocol.
1. Stay off the internet – it only increases anxiety. You only see the "exceptions" or worst case scenarios here. You don't see the vast majority of stage IAs who go on and never deal with melanoma again. They have no reason to post!
2. Get photos taken of your moles. Watching daily is counterproductive — you will NEVER notice change. Monthly comparisons against existing photos is a much better way to check for change.
3. Less than 10% of all melanoma warriors EVER get a second melanoma primary. Your odds are good. Your odds of a recurrence are even less.
4. The first year is always the toughest – trying to get used to the new normal. Do the things you can control – sun safety, MONTHLY skin checks, periodic doctor visits. Even alternative stuff like diet if that would give you more peace of mind. Then try hard to let everything else go. Worrying about what you can't control is only letting melanoma win even if it never comes back. Live life NOW and enjoy!
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- April 14, 2015 at 11:48 pm
I don't think there is a "normal". But truthfully, I'm not sure why they even did a SNB on a stage IA lesion. That's definitely NOT normal and way beyond protocol.
1. Stay off the internet – it only increases anxiety. You only see the "exceptions" or worst case scenarios here. You don't see the vast majority of stage IAs who go on and never deal with melanoma again. They have no reason to post!
2. Get photos taken of your moles. Watching daily is counterproductive — you will NEVER notice change. Monthly comparisons against existing photos is a much better way to check for change.
3. Less than 10% of all melanoma warriors EVER get a second melanoma primary. Your odds are good. Your odds of a recurrence are even less.
4. The first year is always the toughest – trying to get used to the new normal. Do the things you can control – sun safety, MONTHLY skin checks, periodic doctor visits. Even alternative stuff like diet if that would give you more peace of mind. Then try hard to let everything else go. Worrying about what you can't control is only letting melanoma win even if it never comes back. Live life NOW and enjoy!
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- April 15, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Thank you, Janner. The reason they decided to do the SNLB is bc of my family history with metastatic melanoma. My aunt had a very small melanoma, had it removed, and within 1.5 months it had spread to her lymph nodes. Thankfully, she has been in full remission for many years now.
Again, thank you for your kind words and helpful advice. I know that it will get easier, it just all happened so fast. I was in the office for a rash on my arms, not a tiny freckle on my ankle. Thankfully, I had my dermatologist check it out bc it had changed slightly.
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- April 15, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Thank you, Janner. The reason they decided to do the SNLB is bc of my family history with metastatic melanoma. My aunt had a very small melanoma, had it removed, and within 1.5 months it had spread to her lymph nodes. Thankfully, she has been in full remission for many years now.
Again, thank you for your kind words and helpful advice. I know that it will get easier, it just all happened so fast. I was in the office for a rash on my arms, not a tiny freckle on my ankle. Thankfully, I had my dermatologist check it out bc it had changed slightly.
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- April 15, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Thank you, Janner. The reason they decided to do the SNLB is bc of my family history with metastatic melanoma. My aunt had a very small melanoma, had it removed, and within 1.5 months it had spread to her lymph nodes. Thankfully, she has been in full remission for many years now.
Again, thank you for your kind words and helpful advice. I know that it will get easier, it just all happened so fast. I was in the office for a rash on my arms, not a tiny freckle on my ankle. Thankfully, I had my dermatologist check it out bc it had changed slightly.
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- April 14, 2015 at 11:48 pm
I don't think there is a "normal". But truthfully, I'm not sure why they even did a SNB on a stage IA lesion. That's definitely NOT normal and way beyond protocol.
1. Stay off the internet – it only increases anxiety. You only see the "exceptions" or worst case scenarios here. You don't see the vast majority of stage IAs who go on and never deal with melanoma again. They have no reason to post!
2. Get photos taken of your moles. Watching daily is counterproductive — you will NEVER notice change. Monthly comparisons against existing photos is a much better way to check for change.
3. Less than 10% of all melanoma warriors EVER get a second melanoma primary. Your odds are good. Your odds of a recurrence are even less.
4. The first year is always the toughest – trying to get used to the new normal. Do the things you can control – sun safety, MONTHLY skin checks, periodic doctor visits. Even alternative stuff like diet if that would give you more peace of mind. Then try hard to let everything else go. Worrying about what you can't control is only letting melanoma win even if it never comes back. Live life NOW and enjoy!
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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