Hi,

I'm sorry that you are waiting for this appointment and that it's making your health anxiety worse. I can explain what will happen on the 28th and hopefully it will help. A dermatologist will examine the mole, probably using a dermatascope (handheld magnifier) which will show any odd cell activity. Hopefully it will show nothing suspicious but if the dermatologist is unsure they will arrange for it to be removed for biopsy. This usually takes place a week or two later as a day patient - it's done under a local anaesthetic - it only takes about 15 miniutes but you wait around a bit before & after the procedure. The results then come back about 4 weeks later.

If this is necessary it will all be explained at your initial appointment. I suggest you take someone with you to this appointment - as a distraction whilst waiting and to remember anything that's said that you might miss. You are very young to have a melanoma, especially one that you've had for a while, so hopefully you will be one of the 7 or 8 in every 10 that see a dermatologist that get a clean bill of health! Don't beat yourself up about leaving it so long - I left mine for a year and it grew very slowly - I'm still here 23 years later (with good NHS care) so be kind to yourself! Good luck and please let us know how you get on,

Angie

Hi Angie,

Thanks for your reassuring words and thanks for explaining the process to me a bit better. At least I know what's coming now. Glad to hear you're ok 23 years later - that's amazing. 

My appointmentment is on the 28th so I will definitely update after then.

Thanks so much sweet

Update:

Today is 28th October 2019 and I have just seen the specialist dermatologist.

She inspected it and kept mentioning "pigmented lesion"? 

She said that due to the nature of it, the whole thing plus 2mm around it needs removing for testing in the lab. 

My next appointment is on the 8th November to have it removed. Bring it on. I want this thing off me right now. 

Really quite worried but still trying to look on the positive side. It really doesn't help when you're a bit of a hypochondriac. 

I'll update on the 8th. 

my husband has a suspected melanoma and has an appointment Thursday . we have only been waiting since last monday but it feels like a lifetime.

It does doesn't it? 

The waiting is the worst part of it all. Best of luck for the appointment on Thursday I hope it all goes well for you both. 

My dad lived in the sun as part of his 9 year stint in the Army he was sent all over the world with no sun protection. It was just by luck my mother noticed a possible skin cancer mole on his back in his mid 70s. It did not bother him at all. 

I examined it as a ABCD (abnormal irregular borders, varying colour/pigmentation, diameter at least over the end of a pencil) potential melonoma, and I made sure he got referred on the 2 week cancer rule from primary care to hospital.  

After reading up on skin cancer this it seems that how raised the mole is on discovery determines its staging - i.e. if it has likely spread. His was about 2mm thick. We didn't get a stage from the consultant. But he had it confirmed as maligant by biopsy when it was excised a few weeks later. That was 3 years ago and there is no sign of the cancer coming back.

I used to watch Emily Hayward's youtube channel, who sadly died of melonoma and documented her journey. Her mole grew on the back of her calf, until it was noticably raised and bothering her before she got referred.  

From just spotting a potential melonoma mole, its therefore most likely your okay and it hasn't spread. It's probably worth asking if they can tell you the potential staging from the examination.  

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your story. 

Mine feels very raised to the touch but when actually looking at it, its only raised about 2-3mm. 

I dont have contact with the specialist but I will ask when I see her to have it removed. 

I'm absolutely praying that even if it is skin cancer that it's treatable as the mole doesn't look bad at all and I feel good in myself.. but i know that usually means nothing in these cases. 

I'm just absolutely praying that my results will come back clear after the excision. We can only hope.

If it is under 4mm it will most likely not have spread. There is actually a guide on here www.cancerresearchuk.org/.../stage-2

Thank you so much. 

Hopefully it's not even melanoma in the first place but ome can only hope.

Hi,

It's good to hear your dad is doing well. I just want to correct one small point that may confuse people - it's not how far above the skin that the mole is raised that determines staging - it's the depth that the mole has grown under the skin - so the 2mm thickness that your dad had meant it had grown 2mm down into the skin's layers. The deeper it grows the more chance that cells will break away and enter the lymphatic or blood stream and then spread around the body. I hope your dad continues to stay well xx

Angie (melanoma patient)