Hi,

It's really difficult to say what a nodular melanoma looks like because not all look the same. They tend to stand off the skin rather than being flat, and they can be bulbous, sometimes shiny but not always. They can be any colour, black, brown, red or pale (skin) colour. Because they can look different they can sometimes be mistaken for other skin growths like an angioma. Hopefully your husband's is a benign growth and the dermatologist is just making sure it's nothing serious. Hopefully he won't have to wait a full 6 weeks & the results come back a bit quicker. 

Try not to Google as it will drive you insane - Google is behind the times & hasn't kept up with the everchanging landscape of melanoma research & treatment - the stats it shows are frightening because they are old - treatment is improving all the time now & showing great promise. So, should the results be positive for melanoma, please don't pay any attention to what you have read on Google!

While waiting, try & find a coping mechanism to distract yourself otherwise you will make yourself ill. It's easy to say but you need to try & put this to the back of your mind until you know exactly what the position is. It's the lack of control that is debilitating - once you know the results, even if positive for cancer, you will be given more information re treatment etc & you can both gain back some control over what is happening. So try some meditation, mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, massage, or just long walks in the fresh air to clear your mind. 

Good luck & please let us know how your husband gets on,

Angie (melanoma patient)