I was diagnosed with stage 2 melonoma on my leg back in May after a mole was removed. Doctor was shocked as she was certain it was fine and it was only after I 'politely insited with some f-bombs', that she removed and biopsied it.
I got the diagnosis a week later and met with the plastic surgeon and oncologist later that day to go over the treatment plan and set a date for the surgery. Surgery was scheduled for the following week and a week after that I was given the all clear (no evidence of disease). So from diagnosis to all clear was 2 weeks.
Surgery was big though. I needed a huge piece of my calf down to the muscle cut out and a skin graft put over it. As it was stage 2, they also removed 2 lymph nodes from my groin.
3 months later at my mole check, they cut another one off my shin (same leg) and that was found to be stage 0. I then needed another skin graft, but much smaller this time, to cover that.
If you've ever had melanoma, it's also important to have your kids checked out as well as there can be genetic links. The day after my 2nd operation, my son was diagnosed with stage 0 melanoma on the top of his ear. He too needed the wide local excision and a skin graft to rebuild the top of his ear.
If you notice any changes to a mole, insist that it's cut out. Don't take the doctor's word for it that it's fine just because it doesn't look like cancer. At my last mole scan/check I had 4 cut out as they had changed a little bit. All came back clear. We've got our next 3 month mole check in a couple of weeks and I'm sure there will be more to be cut out.
Me and my son now have our moles photographed every 3 months, then every 6 months from September. My 8yr old daughter, has hers photographed every 6 months.
Whilst melanoma is very aggressive and later stage prognosis is not good, it's one of the easiest to detect. If you catch it early (stage 0, 1 or 2) then treatment is simple and 5 year survival rates are very good. But you absolutely HAVE to be vigilant and aware of any changes to your body.
The easiest way to prevent it is of course sun cream and covering yourself. I play a lot of golf and would often forget to reapply suncream or not bother as I was playing late afternoon/early evening and I didn't think I needed it. Now I always play in trousers, long sleeves, wide brimmed hat, wear suncream and stay under my umbrella as much as possible.