Stage 3

Melissa,
Just take a breath and try to get your feet back under you. I’m sure the surgeon is going to suggest a clnd. They wont be able to accurately stage you until they get the pathology from that surgery. There is quite a bit of difference in stage a,b,c and I’m sure the doctor will go over it with you. It will be difficult to get a direction until surgery is done and I know that is hard. I am stage 3c diagnosed in april and still trying to get on the right path. There are things to treat this… just remember people ARE surviving it.

Melissa,
Just take a breath and try to get your feet back under you. I’m sure the surgeon is going to suggest a clnd. They wont be able to accurately stage you until they get the pathology from that surgery. There is quite a bit of difference in stage a,b,c and I’m sure the doctor will go over it with you. It will be difficult to get a direction until surgery is done and I know that is hard. I am stage 3c diagnosed in april and still trying to get on the right path. There are things to treat this… just remember people ARE surviving it.

Melissa,
Just take a breath and try to get your feet back under you. I’m sure the surgeon is going to suggest a clnd. They wont be able to accurately stage you until they get the pathology from that surgery. There is quite a bit of difference in stage a,b,c and I’m sure the doctor will go over it with you. It will be difficult to get a direction until surgery is done and I know that is hard. I am stage 3c diagnosed in april and still trying to get on the right path. There are things to treat this… just remember people ARE surviving it.

Melissa, so very sorry you received this news.  I know how devastating it is.  I can't speak as to what to expect since I was Stage IV at diagnosis but I will echo what Jamie said as there are people living long and productive lives even after a Stage IV diagnosis.  If it is possible for them then it is possible for you.  Best of luck to you.

Melissa, so very sorry you received this news.  I know how devastating it is.  I can't speak as to what to expect since I was Stage IV at diagnosis but I will echo what Jamie said as there are people living long and productive lives even after a Stage IV diagnosis.  If it is possible for them then it is possible for you.  Best of luck to you.

Melissa, so very sorry you received this news.  I know how devastating it is.  I can't speak as to what to expect since I was Stage IV at diagnosis but I will echo what Jamie said as there are people living long and productive lives even after a Stage IV diagnosis.  If it is possible for them then it is possible for you.  Best of luck to you.

Hi Milly,

Sorry about the result. After my SLNB finding two positive nodes, I was sent for a CAT and PET scan to we if there were any more areas of concern. Afterward, I was given the option of a complete lymph node dissection or to take no surgical action and instead be monitored by ultrasound.  I had the CLND and had no other positive nodes.  As mentioned by the others, this is a long process and there are more treatment options available for melanoma than ever before.  Make a list of questions for your doctor ( best to have a melanoma specialist), and be an active participant in your care.  Good luck and hang in there. Myoure being treated at a great medical center!

Hi Milly,

Sorry about the result. After my SLNB finding two positive nodes, I was sent for a CAT and PET scan to we if there were any more areas of concern. Afterward, I was given the option of a complete lymph node dissection or to take no surgical action and instead be monitored by ultrasound.  I had the CLND and had no other positive nodes.  As mentioned by the others, this is a long process and there are more treatment options available for melanoma than ever before.  Make a list of questions for your doctor ( best to have a melanoma specialist), and be an active participant in your care.  Good luck and hang in there. Myoure being treated at a great medical center!

Hi Milly,

Sorry about the result. After my SLNB finding two positive nodes, I was sent for a CAT and PET scan to we if there were any more areas of concern. Afterward, I was given the option of a complete lymph node dissection or to take no surgical action and instead be monitored by ultrasound.  I had the CLND and had no other positive nodes.  As mentioned by the others, this is a long process and there are more treatment options available for melanoma than ever before.  Make a list of questions for your doctor ( best to have a melanoma specialist), and be an active participant in your care.  Good luck and hang in there. Myoure being treated at a great medical center!

My heart sank when I saw the thread title. I had been hoping for some good news for you.

Perhaps my best piece of advice is to try not to let your imagination go to all the worst-case scenarios (easier said than done, I know). But your thoughts can make this a tougher process, especially before you have the complete picture. You may have no other nodes positive!

As others have said, expect the surgeon to suggest a complete lymph node dissection. Whether you have it is ultimately your decision. There is a large clinical trial ongoing to determine if the procedure actually improves survival versus nodal observation. Unfortunately we won't have the results for a long while. I decided to do the CLND, and I had the surgery exactly 2 weeks after my WLE and sentinel biopsy. I stayed one night in the hospital, but I found the pain to be pretty manageable. I was very torn on whether I wanted to have the surgery, but I'm glad I did since one more node was positive for melanoma. I would describe recovery from this procedure as "inconvenient" because of the JP drain that comes with it for 2-4 weeks (or perhaps more), and you do have a 20-30% or so chance of developing life-long lymphedema (which I did), but that can be managed and kept at bay. Yours was upper body, though, right? I believe the lymphedema risk is substantially higher for the inguinal nodes in the groin (which is where my surgery was).

Happy to share more or answer more questions as you go along. If you haven't gotten one already, I'd ask for a copy of the pathology report on your lymph node (and of course, your primary, too). Not all tumors are created equal, and you can glean a lot of information from your path report!

My heart sank when I saw the thread title. I had been hoping for some good news for you.

Perhaps my best piece of advice is to try not to let your imagination go to all the worst-case scenarios (easier said than done, I know). But your thoughts can make this a tougher process, especially before you have the complete picture. You may have no other nodes positive!

As others have said, expect the surgeon to suggest a complete lymph node dissection. Whether you have it is ultimately your decision. There is a large clinical trial ongoing to determine if the procedure actually improves survival versus nodal observation. Unfortunately we won't have the results for a long while. I decided to do the CLND, and I had the surgery exactly 2 weeks after my WLE and sentinel biopsy. I stayed one night in the hospital, but I found the pain to be pretty manageable. I was very torn on whether I wanted to have the surgery, but I'm glad I did since one more node was positive for melanoma. I would describe recovery from this procedure as "inconvenient" because of the JP drain that comes with it for 2-4 weeks (or perhaps more), and you do have a 20-30% or so chance of developing life-long lymphedema (which I did), but that can be managed and kept at bay. Yours was upper body, though, right? I believe the lymphedema risk is substantially higher for the inguinal nodes in the groin (which is where my surgery was).

Happy to share more or answer more questions as you go along. If you haven't gotten one already, I'd ask for a copy of the pathology report on your lymph node (and of course, your primary, too). Not all tumors are created equal, and you can glean a lot of information from your path report!

My heart sank when I saw the thread title. I had been hoping for some good news for you.

Perhaps my best piece of advice is to try not to let your imagination go to all the worst-case scenarios (easier said than done, I know). But your thoughts can make this a tougher process, especially before you have the complete picture. You may have no other nodes positive!

As others have said, expect the surgeon to suggest a complete lymph node dissection. Whether you have it is ultimately your decision. There is a large clinical trial ongoing to determine if the procedure actually improves survival versus nodal observation. Unfortunately we won't have the results for a long while. I decided to do the CLND, and I had the surgery exactly 2 weeks after my WLE and sentinel biopsy. I stayed one night in the hospital, but I found the pain to be pretty manageable. I was very torn on whether I wanted to have the surgery, but I'm glad I did since one more node was positive for melanoma. I would describe recovery from this procedure as "inconvenient" because of the JP drain that comes with it for 2-4 weeks (or perhaps more), and you do have a 20-30% or so chance of developing life-long lymphedema (which I did), but that can be managed and kept at bay. Yours was upper body, though, right? I believe the lymphedema risk is substantially higher for the inguinal nodes in the groin (which is where my surgery was).

Happy to share more or answer more questions as you go along. If you haven't gotten one already, I'd ask for a copy of the pathology report on your lymph node (and of course, your primary, too). Not all tumors are created equal, and you can glean a lot of information from your path report!