Hi I know how you feel, my doctor has also referred me to the hospital under the two week rule. It's been five days and I'm hoping I'm going to get an appointment through for next week. It's really hard to focus with all the what ifs. Just keep talking to your husband and do

let me know how you get on x

Hello Smith, and thank you for posting.

You were exactly right to get checked out when you noticed something on your body didn't look or feel right, or was different from normal.

The GP has sent those photos off and now it is the difficult period for you of waiting for more information. This of course is bound to cause worry and it is always tricky for people when you are between appointments. The mind can race with all sorts of different scenarios.

The important thing is that the mole is being checked and you will know more soon, so all you can do now is to keep busy to try and distract your mind. This is often easier said than done, but is the only way time will pass quicker.

I would also advise you to try and not google too much if you can. The internet isn't a doctor, and it can sometimes cause unnecessary worry.

Take care, and hopefully you will know more soon.

Sarah.

Thank you for replying it helps to talk to someone who knows how it feels. I will keep you posted, let me know how you get along too xx

Thank you... I've been keeping busy as we are decorating our living room! My husband is a professional decorator so hes keeping me on my toes! X

Hi,

You have been given great advice from Sarah & I'm glad you are keeping yourself busy and distracted decorating. I know it's normal for the mind to drift to the 'what ifs' but try to stop it in it's tracks because you can't answer those questions and you will just make yourself ill with worry. The waiting for appointments etc is the hardest part of this journey so you have to find a way to deal with it that works for you. 

75% of patients that are referred to dermatology by their GP are given a clean bill of health. 25% have the mole removed for biopsy and of those,roughly 20% are found to be dysplastic (atypical, pre-cancerous). The remaining 5% are melanoma, however the majority of them have been caught early before they grow deep into the skin - two lots of surgery and a period of regular checks and they are successfully treated. It's only a very small percentage that may have further problems (like me) but treatment these days is showing great results (as opposed to a few years ago) so the 'what if's' may never happen.

I find decorating very therapeutic so maybe move on to another room once you finish :happy:

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

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)