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‘Potential’ melanoma and constant back pain

ashur
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Hi

i have only just found the potential melanoma 5 days ago. However I dont feel I have time to wait and want to know who can help me or what I can do with regards to my symptoms if a life threatening illness.

I found out today the referral the GP/nurse i saw on Friday who said she’d send the referral to the dermatologist that day actually only sent it this morning and didn’t send a referral she sent a request for advice ‘to put my mind at rest as she was very anxious’ it said in the notes. I only found that out because I needed to call dermatology unit to let them know of my quite rapidly worsening symptoms…

My legs become incredibly weak that I MUST sit down when I walked for about an hour yesterday and the day before. As I’ve not been very active recently I’d not noticed it like this but had felt very unusually fatigued. It had happened about two weeks ago when I was working in a new job that was lots of walking and I had to take two days off my new job and got sacked cos it was first month of the job.

Today I haven’t done any walking but I tried some seated yoga where I twist the wrists around to stimulate pranayama and helps the lymphatic system and my body started shaking, although I’m cold, it’s strange that when I start moving it got worse even my teeth started chattering, like it went into shock and parts of my abdomen organs felt completely full of this hardened energy. I also had a moment where I felt a quick sharp pain under armpits like the energy/bacteria was attacking me there. 

MOST WORRYINGLY I have felt my spine feels gradually weaker the last few days. Last night I had a bath and once I got out I had to lay down I couldn’t stand or sit and my back and spine felt so weak and tender I just needed to be flat I was crying in discomfort it felt so strange. This morning although I’ve been upright by whole back has been painful tender and tight especially spine feels like there’s a lot of energy in it and moving my shoulders forward made the melanoma area feel bruised as it’s on middle of back. 

i have informed GP surgery today of worsening symptoms and that I want a proper referral and they have passed this on to the GP/nurse who I saw which I hope she won’t just go by Google images to make her own decision. I also called cancer research helpline as I thought they might listen but she said none of my symptoms are like cancer. but I know they are and I’ve never ever felt like this and it’s all around this big mole. 

I cannot understand why they are so resistant to help. I know a lot of people that have been through similar so why GP’s and nurses keep saying ‘it doesn’t look like one’ when not many peoples confirmed skin cancer looked like ‘one’.

I’d like to know what anybody else knows based on experience or knowledge an whether there is anybody who I can get to treat my case  differently to ‘just an anxious mind’. 

thank you 

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    Hi Ashur,

    I saw your comment on my post. I am very prone to anxiety myself - and I will say that most of what you are describing sounds like an anxiety/panic response. I have had this very same response in my body as a result of suspecting something sinister going on - like almost down to the exact symptoms you are describing. At least for me, it was so real that it "confirmed" my suspicions. Turned out I was wrong.

    A few thoughts: Melanoma is rare. It of course happens, but more often than not, suspicious moles are benign. I've not heard of someone having the symptoms you describe based on a skin lesion - it would have to be much further along and it seems very unlikely that it would be causing what you are experiencing. 

    Having been there myself - I know what a struggle it is to get ahold of our panicky thoughts. We have to find the line between advocating for ourselves appropriately (i.e., making sure we get the appointments) and going too far overboard. It's such a hard balance - at least it was for me.

    Anyhow, you are in my thoughts today. I hope you get an appointment soon and your mind can be put at ease. No matter what the doc says, please come back and let us know!

    Fred

  • in reply to ffauth

    Hello Ashur and thank you you for posting. 

    I am sorry you are having these concerns around your health and you have taken time to tell us your history.  Unfortunately I am not sure how we will be able to help you. We are unable to diagnose or say what might be happening and we do not have access to doctors to treat people. Others on this forum may come forward with their own experiences, but these are going to be individual to them. 

    There are many things that can happen within the body and your GP is there to hear about your symptoms and assess what is happening. Here is some advice from the Patient Association on how to make the most of your doctor appointments in case helpful.

    Take care Ashur and I hope you get the information you need soon.

    Sarah.

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    Hi Ashur,

    Fred & Sarah have given you great advice and I can only add the following. 

    Can I just ask, did your GP/Nurse look at your mole using a dermascope (hand held scope that can take pictures)? If they didn't & you can't get them to make a referral to dermatology, I suggest you ask your GP surgery for an appointment with a GP that is trained to use a dermascope. This piece of kit shows any possible change in the cell structure of the mole & they then know whether a referral is necessary. They can also take photos of the mole & send them to dermatology for their advice if the GP is unsure about referring the patient.

    Please be assured that clinicians do not make assessments on moles from how melanoma looks on Google. In fact, all clinicians deter everyone from comparing their mole to Google pictures as no two people's melanomas look alike - Google just inflames peoples anxiety.

    Don't be afraid to ask your surgery for a second opinion re a referral. The only other options available are to either pay for a skin check at a private mole clinic or to download a skin check app (such as Skin Vision) and check your mole on the App. If it shows as 'of concern' it will strengthen your request for your GP to refer you to dermatology.

    Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

    Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

  • Offline in reply to AngieT

    Thanks Angie! She didn’t use a dermascope and she did use an internet search engine to show me quick melanoma examples as to why mine isn’t anything like those. She used my iPhone camera phone to take a pic of it and as I didn’t have a signal she told me to text the pic to her when I’ve left and have a signal so she could send it that day, I sent it within 2 mins of leaving but found out she didn’t send it to dermatologist 5 days later, hence my panic that the only person I’ve been able to find to help isn’t at all helpful. I will call and see if I can speak to GP regarding it. Thank you so much for your help and for taking it seriously. 
    I do feel a lot better today I do a lot of meditation and reiki and stuff like that and did some last night for myself for a few hours and feel much better today, back doesn’t even ache as much. I suppose without negative energy circulating through my body if it IS cancer it still can’t overpower other parts of body or travel as well and I feel if it is then it currently feels isolated to the mole but still feels likely to have got under the top layer of skin.

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