Hi DMorag,

OK, first - take a few deep breaths to try and calm your anxiety which is definitely in overdrive. Then I hope some of my answers will help you to clear your worries a little.

You have always had this freckle between the toes but only noticed the change recently. Your freckle will have definitely been fine before it changed and there is still a chance it will be fine because it could have changed due to other reasons - either a fungal infection that is common on feet (it would cause it to peel etc) - or pregnancy (hormones changing can cause new moles to appear & existing ones to change but it doesn't mean they are all cancerous. My niece has dysplastic - dodgy looking - moles and some of hers changed when pregnant - they were fine). 

If it is melanoma, surgical treatment will not harm your baby. If it has spread internally, you will also be offered drug treatment, but by the time you've had surgery & got to the point of drug treatment your baby will probably have been born - if not, they will delay the drug treatment until after the birth. 

Hopefully you will have heard from your doctor today. Most hospital dermatology departments are still seeing their referral patients within the 2 week pathway or shortly after. Just check that your GP has referred you as urgent (the 2 week pathway) so you aren't left waiting because of your anxiety. Sadly, blood tests don't show any markers for melanoma (Australian doctors are currently trialling a test that may be able to do that in the future). The dermatologist will look at your freckle, usually with a dermascope which shows if there are any unusual changes in the freckle/mole cells. If they can't say it definitely looks OK from this examination they will arrange for it to be removed for a biopsy - don't panic, many biopsies come back clear (I've had 7 and only 1 was melanoma). 

To get through the waiting I suggest that 1) you do not look at Dr Google as this is why you have become more anxious. It's out of date (lots of research & treatment recently means melanoma is much more treatable now) and it gives worse case scenarios instead of the success stories! 2) Try doing some meditation, mindfullness or yoga to calm yourself a little - lots can be found on YouTube. Take a walk in the fresh air - exercise & fresh air will help you sleep. Pamper yourself with a head, neck, shoulder massage to ease the stress in the upper body. 3) Try not to jump to the worse case scenario - concentrate on your dermatology appointment & no further, after all, one look & they may be able to tell you it looks fine & nothing to worry about.

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

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient)

Hey Angie thanks so much for the reply! It defiantly helps speaking about it! 
I had my midwifes appointment this morning and she was so great just listening to me offloading abit and being generally calm and positive. 
She managed to grab one of the gps after and he fit me in for a chat. He had a look at all my moles and the bad one on my toe. He at first didn't seem to phased but by the end he did he it could be melanoma etc which I expected. I even managed to get fit in for some bloods as my mind is in over drive. I know it won't come up with melanoma but maybe any hints there's anything off balance in my body. I've been have severely sweaty feet and hands and other symptoms. I know this could be down to anxiety though. So hopefully I shall get them back in a few days. It makes me feel better something is happening I think. Sitting around waiting isn't great is it! 
Oh and I phoned dermotology again and managed to get an appointment for next Tuesday so I am greatful I haven't had to wait long! Either way i suppose I will find out what's going on but I need to try some of your positive pills :) and take it step by step! 
Thanks for the reassurance on baby! Hopefully they will be ok! 
Wikl defiantly take some of your calming tips! And try to relax! Thanks Angie! I hope your keeping well to! 

Hi DMorag,

A very warm welcome to our forum. I am sorry to hear about your concerns and fully agree with all of Angie's good advice. I am also glad that you managed to get so much sorted today and that you  managed to get a dermatology appointment for next Tuesday.

I just wanted to confirm that not all suspicious looking moles turn out to be melanoma. I've had 3 on different parts of my body. My Dermatologist and Plastic Surgeon were both convinced that they were melanoma, but fortunately all were fine when my results came back from Pathology after they were removed.

I understand just how scary this is, especially when you are expecting and, I sincerely hope that all turns out well. Please let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Morag,

It's great that you have an appointment date now & that you don't have to wait too long. Your GP & midwife sound to be gems too! I hope you manage to relax over the next few days & please let us know how you get on at your appointment,

Angie x

Hello! Thanks for the reply :) 

So I went to my appointment today with the dermatologist. She checked the main bad mole on my toe and asked for a second opinion , then agreed to whip it off. So very chuffed to get a biopsy then and there as they were free. I really didn't care I just wanted it gone! 
So tbh feeling a lot better even having it removed , I know it could still be a bad outcome. They didn't give too much away and because it has been abit irritated etc. 
I just hope and pray it comes back not awful - prepared for melanoma as I think it just looks too dodgy! But I hope it's not too deep!  

Anyway will try and relax abit as it could be a wait until then. 
 

Morag 

Thanks Angie! 
I feel a lot more relaxed after getting the biopsy- it's knowing I don't have to physically see it I think! 
just hoping the results come back not too sinister! Will have to hang tight for now- easier said than done! 
Sorry I replied above to 'Jolamine' was meant to reply the same message to you! 
Thanks again for the lovely support! It's actually so nice just speaking to people about this. ( not just family friends) 

Morag 

Hi Morag,

Many thanks for the update. I know the feeling of relief when the mole is removed there and then.  I've had 3 of these and all of them were removed as soon as I saw the plastic surgeon. At that stage, I thought  that if there was anything untoward that I would deal with it, but fortunately, I didn't have to.

I sincerely hope that all is the same for you when your results come back.

Please let us know the outcome. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hello again! 
Just a wee update - I received my results from the mole biopsy and it is benign! Absolutely in shock and so relieved as the mole had all the tell tale signs! 
I had a few other moles photographed so I shall be going back to get those checked again, they are sending out an appointment. 
Thought it would be good to post a positivite outcome for others. I will be checking my freckles and moles from now on! 
Thanks again Angie and Jolamine for your positivity and kind words!
 

Morag  

That's wonderful news Morag and thank you for taking the time to share your news. It helps enormously for those going through the same worry and it shows that, no matter what the mole looks like, there is still a chance it will come back benign. It's also good that they photographed your other moles so that they, and you, can keep an eye on them. Best wishes,

Angie x