Hello!

I went to the GP to report 2 new strange patches / plaques, one on my hip and one on my back / shoulder blade. The GP just said "I'm referring you to dermatology on an urgent 2 week wait referral for suspected skin cancer"

He suspected the same thing I had been suspecting, cutaneous Lymphoma. Anyway I had my dermatology appointment and the man I saw seemed pretty clueless and asked his colleague to take a look, she seemed much sharper and said I needed a 4mm punch biopsy of both areas, he went off to check if they could do it then and there and came back and said they had no availability, shooed me out saying I'll receive a letter, I asked how long the wait will be and he said it will be urgent so around 2 weeks but no later than 28 days and off I went.

2 weeks later I received my appointment letter and the cover letter for the GP stating Mycosis Fungoides is suspected but that my biopsy appointment wasn't for another 4 weeks on top of the 2 weeks I had already waited! Now I am quite an anxious person and I just wanted the biopsy over and done with so that I knew either way if this is CTCL or not particularly as I had suspected Lymphoma in 2016 and was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Dermatomyositis instead (which is linked to cancer).

I decided to phone the dermatologists secretary and query why there's a 6 week wait as I was told it would be an urgent Biopsy, also my prominent patches were becoming less so (I have had them for around 4 months now) and they are starting to fade, she spoke to the dermatologist and called me back saying they can't fit me in before then, which I don't believe for a second!.

During this waiting period I had 2 weeks of a huge outbreak of smaller patches all over my breasts, armpits and upper thighs which have come and gone (I took plenty of photos)

My patches are fading day but day and I don't believe that there will be anything left for them to see at my biopsy appointment in 3 weeks and I know how much anxiety it will cause me if they say they will have to wait until more appear again

I also know having spoken to others with CTCL that it can be normal for the skin patches / plaques to come and go.

I am so frustrated that they are making me wait so long even after phoning to inform them that I'm concerned there will be nothing left to biopsy by then.

My patches and plaques are completely asymptomatic and non scaly.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Charlotte x