Hi stu135,

I'm sorry you have found yourself in this position & hopefully I can calm your mind a little. Firslty, don't overthink it and don't Dr Google as it's out of date and only gives worse case scenarios. If your mole had changed some time ago I'm sure you or your partner would have noticed it sooner, so there is every chance it's been caught early. Your GP is quite correct in referring you under the Cancer Pathway because NICE guidelines tell them to do this with moles that meet one or more criteria of the ABCDE rule. 

The appointment should be within 2 weeks and the dermatologist will look at your mole through a dermascope which will show any cancerous cells. If they aren't happy with it they will arrange for it to be removed - usually in day surgery and under local anaesthetic a week or two later. It will then be sent for biopsy as this is the only way it can be 100% as melanoma - results take about 4 weeks.

Having said all that, of all the referrals that are made regarding dodgy moles, only about 20% are found to be melanoma, so the odds your's is fine are good. Also, in the time it takes to have it removed (if required) it will not change or get worse, so don't imagine that's it's growing or spreading over the next few weeks because it takes a long time for this to happen (I left mine a year before I had it removed and it hadn't grown any deeper in that time).

How to calm down - spend time doing lovely things with your 2 year old and partner, if you have a hobby you enjoy find the time to do it - even if only an hour here or there it helps. If you get particularly anxious, try meditation (get a CD to listen to) or yoga or tai chi. Treat yourself to a massage - head, neck and shoulder ones are great to release the tension that stress can cause. Most of all, don't project your fears too far ahead - think only into the next two weeks to your appointment. Once you've had that they may say your mole is fine & any worry past that point was a waste of your energy and time (that you can't get back). If a removal is required, just project as far as that. Dealing with waiting is the hardest, so taking it a chunk at a time is more manageable. And if it's found to be melanoma don't panic - treatments for melanoma are moving apace these days and are having great results so it's not as desperate as it was when I was first diagnosed 23 years ago.

Good luck at your appointment and please let us know how you get on,

Angie

Thanks for your reply. 

I have suffered with, and being treated for, anxiety in the past so I know what my mind is doing and my thoughts are just running away with themselves and imagining worst case scenarios. I also need to step away from Dr Google as comparing other images to my mole and focussing on the bad news stories isn't doing my state of mind any good at all.

It's reassuring to know I will see a Dermatologist in the next 2 weeks so at least i will feel like 'something' is happening.

Apologies for replying to my own topic again but I'm a bit confused.

I got home from work today to find a letter marked NHS. I assumed it would be my appointment letter but upon opening the letter, it informed me that Dermatology had received my GPs referral, that I was now on a waiting list and they would be in touch 'in due course'.

Does this suggest my referral has been classed as 'non urgent (if that is the correct term)? Or will I likely hear from them again imminently and still be seen within the 2-3 week timescale? 

I would contact your GP and ask if your referral was under the 2 week rule (especially as they mentioned the cancer pathway to you). If an error has been made and the referral has gone through as non-urgent the GP needs to chase it up and get you an appointment asap. 

Angie

Got my appointment and saw the Dermatologist on Sunday. The whole appointment just seemed a bit bizarre to me. 

He asked me what the problem was so I showed him the mole, he had a look with the naked eye and ran his finger across it and said 'it's a bit raised but I think it looks ok, a bit irregular and abnormal looking so maybe best to remove it but ok'. He then measured the mole and said it was 7x4mm. Finally he looked under the dermoscope and I'd be being generous if I said he looked for 10 seconds and again repeated 'I think it looks ok'. He then asked me if it has changed over a period of years (I don't know),  changed in recent weeks since I've been aware of the mole (no, I don't think so), family history of melanoma (none), sun beds (no, never) and sunburn (once or twice). He then said again it was probably best to remove it and said he would see if it could be done that day. A nurse was sent to ask the lady who was supervising the clinic and returned and asked if it was urgent, she was told 'no, not very urgent' so I was told I'll receive a letter to get the removal done at a later date. 

Before I left I was told it would be a small area around the mole that will be removed and again it was repeated it was 'probably ok' and if it was 'more serious' a bit more skin would be removed.

On one hand I'm quite comforted that the word OK was repeatedly used but the appointment wasn't anything like I was anticipating. I was advised by a few people the dermoscope examination would be relatively lengthy and it literally took seconds. I suppose it's just the start of another waiting game. 

Hi Stu,

I can only say that when my consultant has checked any of my moles in the last couple of years, each mole check with the dermascope has only lasted a few seconds. It shouldn't be lengthy unless more than one mole is being checked or the doctor hasn't been trained for long. Dermatologists, with experience, have a reasonable idea as to whether something looks suspicious, but on many occasions they still arrange for it's removal because only a biopsy will give a 100% correct result. For every 10 removals only 2 will be positive so the odds yours will be ok are fine. I hope you aren't waiting too long for the excision and results, and that it's found to be benign. Please let us know how you get on x

Hi Angie,

I messaged you the other day about my skin cancer worries and I've been trying some mindfulness in the meantime.

however, today my raised mole on my left arm is itching and I'm extremely worried it's skin cancer. It changed about 3 years ago so I've definitely left it too late :(

what do you think? I'm so anxious