Hi Kelly. Thank you for the message of support. This forum is amazing. I've been hovering around in the back ground for a couple of months reading all the support and encouraging comments. I waited 6 weeks for my results. I was told 4 weeks by the consultant surgeon and 2-3 weeks from the nurse. When it got to 5 weeks I phoned my gp to see if they'd got results back which they hadn't. Then a couple of days later I got the call from dermatology saying they wanted to see me. They suspected melanoma from the very beginning so it was a case of preparing myself for how bad it was going to be. I was relieved once I knew what I was dealing with. It's the waiting and not knowing that is by far the worse. I wish you the very best of luck and hope you get your results soon. Take care x 

Hi Kelly,

I was told it would be 6 weeks, and the surgeon who removed it said 'I'm already predicting you will just get a letter from me saying it's a simple Basal Cell Carcinoma and there is no further treatment required, don't lose any sleep over this'.

So I put it to the back of my mind. 3 weeks later I got a letter asking me to come in to discuss the results, so I suspected at that point it wasn't a BCC. It was a weeks wait until that appt, and my mind was wandering, but I just read up on the possible outcomes familiarised myself with the different stages and treatments for each, so I felt really prepared when I went in for my appt. I was sat in the waiting room and the clinic assistant came out to say there was a 45 minute delay, then wrote down the names of the staff in the clinic on the board. There were 2 CNS' so with time on my hands I googled what that meant, (Clinical Nurse Specialist) and pretty much knew walking in it was already a melanoma. The consultant asked what I had been told it may have been, so I explained I'd been told it was most likely a BCC and he winced so I knew at that point. I went into practical mode and said 'I take it from your face it's not-is it a Melanoma?' And he said 'I'm sorry yes it is' then I just started firing questions at him, like did I need my lymph nodes removing, would I need any radiation/chemo' and he seemed most taken aback that I knew all the potential scenarios! 

He explained all the information very clearly to me, did a full body exam looking for other suspicious moles and checked all my lymph nodes, then I was taken through to speak to the CNS who went over it all again and gave me loads of information to take with me, including a contact card for her and two other colleagues so I can call them any time with any questions.

I was told the WLE could be 6-12 weeks but got a call the next day to offer me a cancellation so it will happen tomorrow, just a week after my diagnosis! It's all happened so quickly and I feel fortunate for that.

I'm actually quite grateful the previous surgeon told me he thought it was a BCC, as it (wrongly) put my mind at rest for the 3 week wait, but I was able to busy myself to think about other things! Lol. We all react differently, in my mind knowledge of the possible outcomes was reassuring, so I'm pleased I read up on it, but others would find that adds to their anxiety so are better not to. 
 

I hope your wait for results isn't too long. Always here to chat if you need x