[JessicaV]

Thanks for your kind support.
Becky, the biopsy removed all the lesion for testing, so it should be all gone, and they have enough for staging if it is malignant. If it is not melanoma, there shouldn't be anything left to morph into something bad; if it is, they will go in for a much bigger margin cut soon.

I have a good (brave) friend whose treatment for mycena gravis has stuffed her telemers and she pops out a few melanomas each year, which puts it into perspective somehow. She is doing another PhD while she's sick. Like you, she said "get it cut out, don't mess with melanomas."

The funny thing is that now I know I have lined up a good skin cancer surgeon/dermatologist, and a good GP I am feeling relatively happy and very much alive, and not scared, though I was terrified for so long with Breast Cancer. Not sure if this is because it is familiar territory, or because I am assuming it'll be ok until I know otherwise, or a naive confidence of having survived last time so thinking that means this monster can't/won't kill me. It is actually a surprisingly ok place to be. But I am a depth psychologist, so I have to ask myself whether maybe I am in denial, repressing anxiety and failing to really keep on top of the play because of this.