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Worried about melanoma & lymph node involvement

jemimapuddleduck
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Hi all,

Hoping to to gain some insight into what I should be doing about this...

I have always been very 'moley' and have had several moles checked by GPs in the past. None of them have ever been deemed suspicious enough to be referred on. However, I currently have a raised, hot and very itchy mole on my upper left arm. I originally wasn't too worried, until I realised I could feel a couple of enlarged lymph nodes under the same armpit. 

I intend to make an appointment next week but I have very little faith in my GP surgery. I also suffer with health anxiety and am very worried I will be dismissed as 'over-anxious' and worrying about nothing.

Does anyone have any words of advice about how to go about speaking to a GP? Or perhaps reassurance about a similar occurence? I have scared myself silly reading about melanoma staging and survival rates once cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope to hear from some of you.. 

Jemima

Parents
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    Hi Jemima,

    Please get the GP appointment made and don't Google - it's not up to date and worries you sick. Also, don't poke about in the node area as prodding too much can actually make the nodes feel worse. 

    Write down what you have found, when it started and if it's changed since then. Take a photo of the mole and, if your appointment takes a while to come around, take another photo to see if it's changed again. Also explain your anxiety. Hopefully your GP may be trained to examine  the mole with a dermascope (a type of microscope). These show up any change in the mole cells. If the GP thinks it looks OK and you aren't happy with that, it's worth asking to see another GP at the practice for a second opinion which you are entitled to.

    Hopefully it will be fine. Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

    Angie (melanoma patient)

  • Offline in reply to AngieT

    Thank you for your message. I saw my GP who referred me straight away. She felt my nodes and said they could be normal. She didn't use a dermascope but she did examine the mole and said she felt it was not likely to be melanoma, but she wasn't 100% sure. She said I should have an appointment in 2-3 weeks.

    Hope you're ok Angie.

Reply
  • Offline in reply to AngieT

    Thank you for your message. I saw my GP who referred me straight away. She felt my nodes and said they could be normal. She didn't use a dermascope but she did examine the mole and said she felt it was not likely to be melanoma, but she wasn't 100% sure. She said I should have an appointment in 2-3 weeks.

    Hope you're ok Angie.

Children
  • Offline in reply to jemimapuddleduck

    It's good to hear that your GP is following NICE guidelines and referred you because she's not completely sure. Hopefully the dermatologist will give you a clean bill of health and you can breath a sigh of relief. Please let us know how you get on. I'm fine thanks - I've been a patient for a few years now and thankfully I'm Ok.

    Angie

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