Get an appointment with your GP tomorrow. 

I wish I could but they are closed tomorrow, so having to sit with worry and fear. Just worried with how fast over night with the change in my mole

I had the same thing happen a few years ago and I was absolutely terrified so I know that nothing I can say will put you at ease but see your GP as soon as you can, tell them it's urgent and you need a same day appointment, more to calm your fears than anything. I had basal skin cell carcinoma on my shoulder and Squamous cell carcinoma on my face, neither of them are particularly serious but the speed that I was seen and treated was amazing. I had 2 minor operations and it was completely sorted. The mole, or beauty spot as my Mum tried to convince me it was on my face had started to bleed occasionally and the shape changed quite dramatically over a very short period of time so I got it checked out immediately. I remember my GP telling me that it was highly unlikely to be cancerous and that moles do change over time but it's always best to get them checked. I wish you the best of luck and hopefully we'll hear back from you very soon with some good news.

Thank you for that. I know they say the worse thing to do is Google, but I just had too. The fact that my mole has changed so much so fast is given me the fear. And all I can think about is my kids. What scares me the most is, what if the doctor wants me to get it tested and how long will a even wait for the appointment to be given to me. And what if it is cancer and it spreads so fast

Did you spend any time in the sun yesterday? Even if it was just a few minutes or you had your car window open with your arm resting on it and the sun shining in? I'm very moley and even with SPF50 on my moles can change after being in the sun for a very short time. Doctor Google is the worst thing of all except for the NHS, Cancer research and Macmillan websites, their help and advice is the gold standard. I looked at so many pictures of moles online that I convinced myself I had malignant melanoma and I was in a right state to begin with. My experience with my GP was fantastic, he looked at my face with a little blue light, checked his computer and asked if I'd be able to go in the next morning at 8.30 because he wanted to remove it in the treatment room and send it off for testing. He did that and 8 days later he called me at home after evening surgery to tell me that it was cancer and I'd need more excised but it wasn't at all life threatening and was extremely slow growing. I had an appointment 3 weeks later with a plastic surgeon and I showed him my shoulder and he told me that I'd need surgery on that too and 5 days later it was all done but I had to have another operation on my shoulder because after it was biopsied it showed there was still a small bit there. The speed that it all went at was quite dizzying to be honest, luckily I didn't have to much time to dwell on it. I know what you mean about your children, I've recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and even though mine are all grown up I'm petrified thinking about how they'll cope without me if the worst happens, we can't help it, our default setting is to think the worst. My ex husband had a suspicious mole on his back that seemed to change on a weekly basis but it was absolutely fine. A really big positive is that the change has only happened today and you've caught it already. Telling you not to worry is like telling you to not breathe but get it checked asap, tell them that it's urgent and make sure you get a same day appointment. My thoughts are with you and I really hope that you get the all clear.

I know it's difficult but please step away from Dr Google - it's not helpful as melanoma doesn't always fit the images shown online and the information is not up to date so it just frightens you more than it helps you. As already mentioned, if you must Google, only look at this website or Melanoma Focus which is a brilliant resource run by melanoma clinicians.

Although your mole has changed overnight it doesn't necessarily mean it's cancerous or, if it is melanoma, that it will spread within days or weeks. Although another 24 hours wait to make an appointment is mentally crippling, it doesn't mean that the mole will be physically getting worse. So try and put it to the back of your mind for today as you will drive yourself mad with worry. Tomorrow, get a GP appointment sorted out & it's worth asking the surgery if there is a GP there who is trained in dermatology. More surgeries now have one GP who has trained to use a dermascope (a magnifier camera which shows up the cell structure of the mole). They can then tell if the mole needs checking at the hospital dermatology department. If they don't have a GP that does this, they will see if the mole scores points on the ABCDE chart. If it scores 2 or more points you will be referred to dermatology where a dermatologist will check it with a dermascope and decide if it needs removing for a biopsy, as a biopsy is the only way to 100% diagnose melanoma. 75% of patients referred to dermatology are given the all clear.

The fact that you've noticed it quickly is in your favour, should it be melanoma. So try & keep busy today, keep away from Google and tomorrow make that appointment. Good luck and please let us know how you get on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

I

Had a sore on my nose for 3 years it kept coming back about every 5mths the gp said it was my reading glasses rubbing finally saw a locum gp who referred me for a biopsy which has just confirmed basal cell carcinoma I'm waiting for mohms surgery but am worried it could have spread with being undiagnosed for 3 years

Hi,

I'm sorry it's taken so long for the GP to recognise it looked suspicious & needed removing and I understand your anxiety after 3 years of suffering from this.

Please take comfort in the fact that Basal Cell spreads on the skin's surface, it rarely spreads down below the epidermis. It can't spread to other areas of the body when it stays on the skin's surface (epidermis) as the cells need access to the lymphatic or blood systems in order to travel around the body and these systems are deep below the epidermis. The problem with BCC is that, if left over a long period, it will spread and look very unpleasant on the skin's surface. I know that the wait for removal & treatment is worrying but I'm afraid that the wait is longer for BCC than for melanoma because of the fact that BCC doesn't spread internally like melanoma does.

I hope you aren't left waiting too long for surgery and I'm sure that it will be successfully treated. Please be aware though that, once you have a basal cell carcinoma, you are at a higher risk of getting another as it's caused by historical UV damage.

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)