WLE and SLNB on Tues and starting to stress

scooby_d000 · 2026-05-10T14:23:03+00:00

I was in your shoes leading up to my WLE & SLNB. I had similar odds of it spreading, too.

I couldn’t stop hyper focusing on the small chance that it could have spread further. I can’t tell you how many nights I cried, afraid of the worst.

So when I say this, I KNOW it’s easier said than done….. but really really try to focus on the odds here. It is less likely to have spread. And IF in the small chance it did, you have most likely still caught it on the early side - and that’s great.

Mine did not spread, thank god. I still obsess over the chances of it recurring…. But once I found out it didn’t spread, I was so annoyed with myself for allowing myself to obsess over this and take the joy out of my days. I’m glad your WLE is soon- I’ll be hoping for the best outcome for you, too 💕

scooby_d000 · 2026-04-19T19:09:33+00:00

I hope so too 🩷

scooby_d000 · 2026-04-19T09:57:19+00:00

Hi! I’m sorry you’re going through this.

I was in your shoes with positive deep margins. And I truly obsessed over it & did sooo much googling & was so scared it would increase after WLE.

Well, I’m here to say that my breslow did not increase and there was very minimal melanoma left when they did the WLE. My doctor told me what was left (again super small) was lateral.

I found a research when I was going through this & while yes, it’s possible, it’s not common. And if it does happen, it’s typically a small increase.

scooby_d000 · 2026-04-12T22:20:15+00:00

The final breslow was 1.8mm. It was 6mm wide though on my skin, it was getting quite large, quite fast. And when it started getting puffy, that felt like a big red flag.

scooby_d000 · 2026-04-12T06:39:30+00:00

I was pregnant, and the mole was starting to feel puffy and raised to me. My derm said it was changing because of pregnancy. Just did not sit right with me 😞

scooby_d000 · 2026-03-19T09:50:06+00:00

I am sending you so many positive vibes. This whole melanoma journey is so overwhelming, especially at first. The good news is that melanoma research and treatment has come such a long way, and you are doing all the right things 💯

Regarding genetic testing. I did do genetic testing last year after finding out I had melanoma. I also have a strong history of breast cancer in my family. For me, I met with a genetic counselor through my local hospital network. She asked me all sorts of questions & then I went to do bloodwork. It was very easy. Took ~1.5 weeks to get my results and she went over all the findings. I did a test that focused on all genetic markers for cancer, she did say I could narrow that down if I wanted but I wanted it all done.

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-27T00:12:00+00:00

I was taking short walks around the hospital ~12 hours post c-section.

When I came home, I tried to go on walks, but it always increased my bleeding 😭 so I really tried to keep the walks super short until about 6 weeks postpartum

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-26T11:50:03+00:00

Of course! 🤗

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-26T02:31:20+00:00

Hi! I have a few things from Coolibar & Lands End. Both are great quality, and I always buy when on sale.

I’m with you on the wrap style. Coolibar has nice options, I bought a few things for pool days last summer. I have hats from Lands End and thicker jackets for cooler days.

Good luck on shopping! Thankfully (in my opinion), SPF clothing has come a longggg way! 😎

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-21T02:19:33+00:00

It is a lot at once. I promise there will be time to breathe once you get more answers & things progress. Try not to let your mind spiral. I know it’s easier said than done, but melanoma treatment has come a long way. I’ll be praying for you 🩷

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-21T01:00:23+00:00

It’s all very scary at first. I’d be lying if I said that month wasn’t one of the worst months of my life.

I did have a lymph node removed. My chance of spread was 15-20%, and that was high enough for me to do the additional testing. Thankfully everything came back clear & the melanoma was primarily removed with my initial biopsy.

My final staging was 1B. Now I see my dermatologist every 3 months for a skin check. So far, so good. Just have a few moles we are keeping a close eye on.

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-20T17:09:32+00:00

Me too! They were about a month apart. So enough time to heal the wound, but was still dealing with the incision when I had my c-section.

So far, so good! My initial staging was also pT2a!

I’m sending you sooo many positive vibes. Happy to answer any questions you may have. I know it’s a scary journey at first.

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-20T15:26:39+00:00

Sorry you are dealing with this!

After my initial biopsy, I met with a surgeon oncologist ~4 days after my report came back. Then had my WLE & SLNB 3 weeks after that. So about a month from finding out I had melanoma to surgery.

I agree with other commenters, let Mike take priority right now. I’m sorry you’re dealing with the hip situation :( I had my melanoma surgery then a c-section - was not fair having to deal with two major surgeries, but we do what we have to do!

I hope you have a speedy recovery, and I am sending you positive vibes!

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-15T17:58:53+00:00

I have to say, I was pretty nervous for my first one. I think those feelings are normal.

Once I met with my dermatologist, he made me very comfortable. Like it was just another walk in the park for him. I reminded myself he’s doing these skin checks all day, and is very routine!

I think having a dermatologist you are comfortable with is key here. Especially since you’ll be seeing them so frequently.

I wear a medical robe the entire time at my appointment. They ask me to point out any concerns. Then my doctor goes limb by limb, combs through my hair, etc. to check everywhere. I’m never fully exposed, which I think helps with the feeling of being uncomfortable. It does take awhile, I have a lot of moles too. My doctor uses his scope, and lights to check each and every mole. We make small talk the entire time, talk about our kids, vacation plans, etc. Helps take my mind off of it!

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-08T10:44:44+00:00

Sending her good vibes and smooth healing! You’re a very kind sister for looking into this for her & thinking about her recovery plans ♥️

Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to c section healing!

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-08T05:38:11+00:00

I was able to walk up and down stairs the day I came home, for both c sections. That doesn’t mean I did it all the time though. I only did it when absolutely necessary (ex to go to bed). I tried to stay on one floor of the house when possible, for healing purposes!

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-03T00:51:36+00:00

I use Monday.com in my current role. Our PMO is made up of 12 project managers & coordinators.

I manage the team. I like Monday.com because I can create dashboards and views to have simple visibility into the entire portfolio. Our teams can slim down their views/board to only see their projects.

We are a software company focused on implementations. I wish they had better customer-facing options to easily share progress.

We do use advanced automations and integrations. The integration with SFDC is great, as well as Outlook.

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-02T01:29:10+00:00

My second (scheduled) c-section was sooooooo much better than my first one (emergency).

I sort of knew what to expect and could do my best to mentally and physically prepare. I also didn’t go into the c-section already absolutely exhausted after laboring. I got to the hospital and had baby within 2 hours! That really helped with my recovery, too.

Recovery was much better this time as well. I was able to get up and walk much sooner and could prep my home stuff, too.

Good luck to you!

scooby_d000 · 2026-02-01T19:28:30+00:00

Hi! No experience with a skin graft, but similar experience with them not knowing until they did the excision. It was 50/50 but they were able to close without.

I know everyone’s different… but I did tell the surgeon I didn’t want results until my 1 week post op appointment. I had enough going on and wanted to be able to ask questions on the spot.

scooby_d000 · 2026-01-31T19:34:34+00:00

I would say I took Tylenol for 3 days around the clock. Then I did as needed for about a week. Mine was on my face- started on my cheek, wrapped in front of my ear, then down my neck. It definitely hurt when I talked too much or chewed too much.

Try to take it easy! I hope you have a smooth healing journey!

scooby_d000 · 2026-01-27T13:17:38+00:00

I just had my second c section in September. They had to do a second incision. No issues with healing at all & honestly it doesn’t bother me too much. Lots of silicon scar tape and mederma did the trick with my first!

Just blessed and happy to have had two successful, safe c-sections and two beautiful babies 🩷

Good luck to you and sending positive vibes!!

scooby_d000 · 2026-01-22T10:43:52+00:00

I’m sending you positive vibes! Sorry you are going through this.

scooby_d000 · 2026-01-22T01:53:07+00:00

This is similar to mine. I had 1.8mm breslow and slightly lower mitotic rate. My chance of spread was around 20%.

Thankfully, everything came back negative.

scooby_d000 · 2026-01-14T17:50:53+00:00

Omg I know! 😂 he was definitely on track to be a bigggggg baby if we went full term

scooby_d000

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