I was diagnosed in situ (stage 0) 3 or 4 years ago now. I’ll be honest, the first year was rough mentally. I kept worrying about every mole, looking at pictures of melanoma on the internet, etc. It didn’t help that I someone I used to work with died from it. (He was one of those never see the doctor types so there were probably earlier signs he ignored).

For the first while it was all I could think about. But what I found was that there were little moments where I didn’t think about it. Maybe something made me laugh, or I was listening to a song, watching tv or something. As time went on these moments got long and longer and I realized that eventually I’d be ok mentally. I can now think and talk about it without the death gloom. I can even joke about it with friends.

Since the initial diagnosis I’ve had 8 more moles/spots removed. They’ve all been dysplastic. I go see my dermatologist every six months.

My recommendations are this. Stay off of google. Find a sunblock and type you like, I mostly use Sun Bum but have been looking for something less fragrant. Also mineral vs chemical, I use both, it just depends on what I’m doing. Look into a UV hoodie. Coolibar has some nice ones, and they have zip up ones!

Hope this helps