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Subungual Melanoma referral

louiseandfin
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Hi, I'm new here and worrying like mad. I had a fungal nail on my thumb with a light black line down the side, I went the docs twice and they said it's more than likely fungal as the rest of my nail was yellow brown and crumbling off. I was told to use a home remedy of nail applicator which can take up to a year. They don't like to give pills for fungal nail as I would need a liver function test due to the strength of them apparently. 

Anyway, I just carried on with my home treatment for nearly a year now, the black has thickened and is starting to raise my nail bed at the side. At the weekend, blood was spurting everywhere from and it was seeping blood all weekend. my nail went flat but stayed black. it's now raised up again with what looks like a lump of skin (I thought it was a blood blister) but smelling so I went to my gp again to treat infection if I had one.

saw a different gp and he agreed I had an infection and gave me anti bs. He then said he was referring me to a specialist and to expect an appointment within 2 weeks to be tested for menalona! 

straight away I went to Dr Google, I cannot sleep with fear, I'm 40 with a 6 year old son and no other family. I'm petrified that the black line has been there for well over a year and nothing has been done and it could potentially now have put my life at risk. Can somebody advise me or help me relating to this I'm so so scared waiting for an appointment and all I'm doing is imagining the worst.

Thankyou 

  • Offline in reply to louiseandfin

    Hi Louise,

     

    Good to hear from you, I am so pleased to hear you now have NED. I followed your story since before you were diagnosed as I was just starting out my investigations on what thankfully turned out to be benign. 
    I am now awaiting a referral for a second lesion. 


    Can I ask how long you had the lesion on your thumb before diagnosis? Was it a line or more a streak? What I find strange is how my new streak wasn't there 3 months ago ( it's on my toe and I didn't re paint my nails for a month yet it was just there!) 

    I thought they had to grow all the way up the nail which would take months??

     

    Has anyone else just had it appear or have you noticed it start from the nail bed and grow up? 
     

    thanks

     

    sharon 

  • Offline in reply to Tillybobs123

    Hello lovely 

     

    Sorry to hear your going through more investigations. Fingers crossed everything will fine, you know the odds are in your favour! 

     

    I honestly cannot remember how long I had mine, looking back on photos you can see a tiny black speck on my nail and I mean pin ***, quite surreal to see, further photos show a line, the line then disappeared and a bluey black bruise appeared on my nail about half the size of an eraser on the end of pencil. My nail then started crumbling and lifting and a wart like growth started to push my nail up and bled which is when I went back to drs asking for anti bs as my fungal nail was infected lol.

     

    Mine was so small to start it was unnoticeable, its only now when I zoom in on pics and how educated I now am on Acral Melanoma I see the signs. I must have had it at least 2 years and touch wood I have been lucky so far it hasn't spread to organs but I have just completed a years immunotherapy (March) to help tackle any stray cells that may be lurking.

     

    Try not to worry ok, you got this xx

  • Offline in reply to louiseandfin

    [@louiseandfin]‍ Great to hear you're ned - how often are your check ups now? 

     

    [@Tillybobs123]‍ mine was a line all the way from cuticle to top of nail when it first appeared, but incredibly faint. Over the last year it's got wider and darker, especially near the cuticle.

  • Offline in reply to LWAFC

    My checkups are every 3 month a full body CT, every 6 months a brain MRI in between I see plastics every 6 months for wellbeing and skin check, these are at a hospital in Manchester and I see a derm at my local hospital 

  • Offline in reply to louiseandfin

    That's very good aftercare, thank god for the NHS

  • Offline in reply to LWAFC

    Yes indeed, cannot fault them one bit 

  • Offline in reply to louiseandfin

    Hey Louise,

     

    I'm glad to hear that you are doing okay now after your diagnosis. I just wanted a bit of advice, I stabbed myself with a pin about a year ago and it left a faint black line down my thumb nail from the tip to the cuticle, I spoke to my GP and he told me to keep an eye on it and if see if it grows and he'll send me to a dermatologist, it's stayed the same, however my thumb starting to hurt on that side, it's like cold/numb with pain, could you give me some insight into your experience? 

  • Offline in reply to Nado792

    Hello

     

    My oncologist did say he believes my melanoma was caused by some sort of trauma, however, nobody cam be sure with this type. How long have you had the line? After quite some time mine did start to hurt but my nail started to lift after a year and it looked like a bruise. 

     

    Remember how rare this is, keep an eye on it, and if you are still concerned please go back the gp 

     

    Regards 

  • Offline in reply to louiseandfin

    Thank you for the reply Louise

     

    I've had it for about a18 months now,  my thumb has started hurting I can't quite tell if it's my thumb itself or the nail, all I know it's on the side with the line and I've done some googling like we all do and scared myself silly, I've read it's prominent in Carribbeans, which I am descended from, I've contacted my gp and they are going to send some photos of to a dermatologist, hopefully I can get some answers and relief the stress.

  • Offline in reply to Raymond41

    Hi Raymond, I hope you do not mind me messaging..

     I too have a similar case to yourself. I noticed a few months ago a brown streak in my thumb nail and have referred under the two week rule to a dermatologist. 
    I have another week to wait and it's driving me crazy not knowing. I have looked back through some pictures and can see the line up to a year and half ago! 
    So interested to find out how you got on with your results and how you currently are coping? 
    thanks Kayleigh 

     

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