Not So Patiently Awaiting Hubby’s SLN Biopsy

You would think this would all be more urgent? Right?

I think there is a wide of range of experience about this phase. My WLE/SLNB was like 6-7 weeks after diagnosis. Maybe someone has the cite, but the medical literature was clear that greater urgency had no bearing on outcome for a really ridiculous time beyond that, IIRC.

I got results a week afterward b/c I was still rather oblivious to what was going on. Imagine that. You really are stressing now due to your better vigilance where it isn't "technically helping right now". So you are being well adequate vigilance-wise if that helps you take a breath.

Neither the WLE nor SLNB required more than a day recovery in my case. Having the weekend was nice though. The surgical burden on the SLNB was so minor that having it done for the benefit of more staging information somewhat undermines the idea that it is unlucky to be "just over", even if smaller is always better.

Treatments don't quite rise to the level of "hell" IMO. Purgatory of waiting, absolutely. 

The fact that you may not ever hear the B word (beat), should not be concerning. Perhaps others feel differently, but I'm not sure it is in the melanoma doctor's vocabulary, for reasons that we do need to understand.

Good luck through the wait. May your faith be strengthened through testing. After going through this phase, it's just not quite so….(word of the day)…Manichean.

Hi J and welcome!  I trust you'll find this a place of wisdom and an occasional laugh or two.  A really fine group of people are on this board.

Yes, waiting is the pits!!  And I'm sorry to say that while it might get a tad easier with time and practice, that tad is very small.  Waiting just sucks.

But if it's a comfort, there's no evidence that rushing to do a WLE and SNB stops further growth.  For the most part, melanoma at this stage is relatively slow growing.  So a week or two or three doesn't make a big difference on the outcome.  Just on the heart and emotions of the patient.  Yes, it still sucks.

And of course as you're finding,  waiting is no fun and  not fo the faint of heart and mind.  Like you my Christian faith has been the foundation of my getting through this. In clinging to Jesus and taking my tears and fears with me  I have had to rethink and reexperience my theology of suffering and look at my expectations of what it is to be a follower of Jesus. It has been good, but of course, hard.  I much prefer the comfortable life as the sheep at ease in the green pasture  than the follower whose leader says "In this world you will have trouble, but have hope I have overcome this trouble" (my paraphrase).  

While I don't believe there is some mystical goodness or wisdom cancer sufferers have just by the fact of having cancer, there are some things you can learn.  Suffering is just a great teacher.

I have also earned to listen to and translate some of the awkward (and sometimes ridiculous) things people say into the expressions of love that their heart was trying to say but their mouth got in the way.  And the in the process learned to call BS.  I've found new friends and depth in old friends I didn't know existed.  I've learned which of my friends will stand with me in this new place and who's good for sitting in silence (because words just do the silence justice) and who is good for a hug and laugh.  Of course I've also found who can't handle my anger and doubt.  Lean into your community.  You may be surprised what you'll find there.

Ok this is long enough, and not really what you asked for, but know you have friends here and no matter what happens, God is with you, and that is enough.

May you find new depths of Joy and Peace running to the God who is with us.

Shalom,

Julie

It's been 16 years since we had the surgery, so things may have changed.  As I recall, they did a quick check of the SNB immediately, so that if there was melanoma they could take out the adjacent nodes and not have to do another surgery.  In our case, melanoma was found in the node when they did a microscopic analyis.  I think the second surgery was ~2 weeks after the first.

With your husband's mole on his back, I wouldn't think that there will be much recovery time. Do you know if he will be getting a skin graft?  Ours was on the front of the ankle, which has no "flesh" to support the graft.  David's graft became infected, and we did not know what to watch out for and he lost the graph.  Ultimately we allowed the skin to grow back on its own.  You shouldn't have those issues with the mole on the back.

I feel your pain with this diagnosis while you have such a young family.  We found out about the melanoma and our first pregnancy on the same day.  Crossing my fingers that the SNB is negative!

Hi there.  I had the WLE and SLNB done about a year and half ago.  I think it took about an hour and half.  The recovery from it was really  no big deal.  It was about a week before I got the results back on the biopsy.

Hi Jmp 0513, here is a link that explains the process of getting WLE and SLNB and the reason for doing them. The presentation is by a surgeon in Michigan and the first part of the video covers the history of development of surgery on sentinel nodes. I hope you find it helpful!!! Ed   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_T186r5gIE