Hi Kelly they had said it could take several weeks but i then got an appointment through the post the very next week for the result. When they took the biopsy they said they did not expect it to be melanoma so it came as a big shock when it was. In fact several of the team in dermatology said they thought it was not presenting as melanoma but they did a biopsy just to be certain. I hope you get the results as soon as possible. Wishing you and all suffers of this ghastly disease well.

Hugs

Val

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