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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 Nado792

    Hello

     

    If you have had it this long then I would ask your gp to send you for a biopsy, I had to see 4 different GPS before the last one took it seriously. Mine did go red on the side and hurt when you touched it, kind of like a thrombin pain. You need to be your own advocate in this game and unfortunately a lot of GPS don't know much about the warning signs, please keep making appointments until someone takes it seriously. If only to rule it out, please keep me posted x

  • Offline in reply to louiseandfin

    Hey,

     

    I spoke to my GP, she said that the lines in melanoma are darker than the one I have on my thumb, but she is going to send the photos I sent her off to a dermatologist for a second opinion and it is a throbbing pain that comes and goes, but it's in the side of my thumb 

  • Offline in reply to Nado792

    Hello

     

    Mine was extremely faint, then it disappeared and I had a kind of bruise on my nail at the bottom but no line where it hurt. Just go with your gut, if it doesn't feel right, pursue it x

  • Offline in reply to kay85

    Hi Kay - you are welcome to contact me

     

    I had my 2nd appointment this past Monday with the dermatologist. The consultant felt it was Longitudinal Melanonchyia and didn'trequire a biopsy but would monitor and be followed up in 4 months.

     

    The Dr did say if I wanted she would request a biopsy. So for the past 48hrs I have been wrestling with this dilema - do I trust the instinct of the Dr or do I book a biopsy which apparently is very painful, will possibly put me out of work for x amount of time and possibly deform the finger. I'd obviously prefer the latter if the Dr turned out to be wrong!

     

    The line is 1mm wide, very uniform in colour (a greyish/brownish colour) and straight with what appears to be no Hutchinson sign. I chopped a bit off the end of the nail and the line stopped where I cut the nail suggesting it is in the nail and not the skin? Obviously I have no idea.

     

    So that is where I am at. If I was giving advice I'd probably say get the biopsy but when do we listen to our recommendations?

     

    Part of me thinks I am overthinking but there is only one way to be certain here....

     

    As to your situation. is the line darker/thicker etc? Mine appears to have not changed since I noiticed it 9 months ago but I cannot be sure. 

     

    If you wish to message me privately I can send a picture of my nail (if this is not allowed then my apologies to the mods).

     

    It goes without saying that you should follow the advice of the experts and not any of us but I'm definitely happy to share as much info as I can with you from my experience. 

     

    It is scary. I've kept it to myself as my loved ones would panic. I'm not sure if that was for the best or not  but I can say I understand your concerns.

     

    I am happyto talk any time.

  • Offline in reply to louiseandfin

    I'm definitely going to pursue it, I'm just waiting on the dermatologist second opinion, all I can do is just keep an eye on it I guess, will keep you updated x

  • Offline in reply to Raymond41

    Thank for your  reply! 
    glad to hear they do not think it is serious! I do feel for your dilemma but if you think it will cause you more long term Damage in terms of the worry it may cause you and worrying what could be then I would say to do it.

    How long do they say it will put you out of work for?

    my band is around 1.5-2mm in width and a brown streak but it isn't really dark as in black. Although I think it may have got darker as that's how I noticed it was there. Going through pictures it does look lighter in the past but hard to tell

    properly from a photograph. 
    please let me know how you get on and good luck with your journey!
    ​​​​​​​

  • Offline in reply to Raymond41

    Hi Raymond,

     

    Firstly - I'm not a medical professional, so this is just my experience and opinion. 

     

    I had a thin brown line on my index fingrnail appear around a year ago, was barely visible and I assumed I'd perhaps stained the nail with ink or similar. It got darker, and I saw my GP who referred me onto dermatology. They thought it was melanonchyia but took a clinical picture for observation. I went back in August as the line had doubled in width and got darker. 

     

    I had the Biopsy in late September - it was painful for a week or so, I couldn't type. It's much better now, doesn't look very pretty but no pain. 

     

    I don't have the results back yet, so I don't know if it is cancerous or not (I have previously had Basal Cell Carcinoma and am high risk for more of those) but I'm glad that one way or another I'll know what it was and it's set my mind at rest as it's difficult not to catastrophise and think the worst. 

  • Offline in reply to LWAFC

    Still no results, my appointment was set for today and Surgeon called to say they want to do a further round of testing on the Biopsy Sample

     

    I asked if that was a good thing or not, and apparently it just means it's not very obviously cancer, but likewise it's not very obviously normal - so another 2 week wait, and fingers crossed when I have my next appt in 2 weeks the results will be back fully. 

  • Offline in reply to AngieT

    Omg I have just had surgery for the exact same thing. Can you advise me on this as I am terrified of lymphediemia!! Thanks x 

  • Offline in reply to lau2022

    Hiya everybody ..I am having a big toe looked at under nail black blue and brown fir over 4 months no recollection of injury? It throws and tingles I have had antibios incase it was an infection but that was over phone with gp (covid) grr...I saw gp face to face and within 2 hours she had me an appointment at hospital tomorrow:0 what should I expect?? Will they biopsy first appointment 

    ? I have read all your brave posts and hope my outcome will be good x

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