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Dermatologist appointment and none the wiser?

Beckyxuk
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hi, just looking for peace of mind if any nice person could help :)

i was at the GP end of jan/start of feb for something growing on my back that's been itchy sore irritating and sometimes painful, it started off like a skintag or papilloma as my doctor said, but it changed ALOT since the beginning of jan, and grown twice the size, its half flat half raised and flaky. It's been through about 6 different cycles of changing so far.

GP sent me for an urgent referral to a private dermatologist's a while away from me, which is strange because we have the NHS, it was covered by the nhs still. I had this appointment today, and was supposed to get a lady doctor (name, pic, all her details and appointment details sent by letter with a map of where I'd to go), but instead I got an older man, and nothing that I was expecting- he wrote a sentence in my file before looking at me, then he looked at the thing on my back for less than 30 seconds, signed the page he wrote on(couldn't understand his writing to see what it said) and then told me to come back in 3 months - said absolutely nothing about what I was there for or anything.

i left more confused and none the wiser than what I was before and now I have no idea what my next point of call is. 
I've been in and out of the GP for over a year with one thing after another wrong with my health and just constantly fobbed off with 'viral' 'cold' etc then feel like I'm getting somewhere just to end up back at nowhere again. I've had a cold for a year straight it's getting a bit much as I've 2 kids to look after and the eldest is 7 and severely autistic, so if anybody has any advice I'd really appreciate it as I'm stressing about as much as one could be lol, should also mention my age has been a problem with me in my GP- I had a severe prolapse for 3 years before they would believe me and check just because I'm only 26. I'm also red headed and light skinned and blue eyed though and my GP did ask if I'd ever gotten blistering sunburn in my life, which I of course have had, being ginger lol.

thanks in advance! 
rebecca :)

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    Hi Rebecca,

    The consultant you saw doesn't sound to have any personal skills when dealing with a NHS patient. From what you have said - your GP made an urgent referral to dermatology about 6 weeks ago? My thoughts are that the dermatology clinic at your local hospital must be inundated with patients. The urgent referral is to see you within 2 weeks (sometimes it may stretch to 3 weeks) so I think you were sent by the NHS to see a private consultant because they couldn't acheive the target of a 2 week appointment (this happens quite a lot). The name of the consultant on your appointment letter doesn't always mean that you will see that person - they are the head of the clinic/practice & you might see one of their partners or their junior.

    The treatment you received at the appointment sounds to have been very lacking. My opinion, sadly, is that you got a private consultant that just went through the motions with a NHS patient. You should have been asked questions about any past sun damage (like your GP asked) and he should have looked at any other moles you may have. Most dermatologists use a dermascope to look at odd moles/lesions which it sounds like didn't happen in your case. He should then have told you what he thought it was & what needed to happen next (either treatment or discharge if he felt it was benign). Sending you away without any information was wrong.

    He will send a letter to your GP with the details of the 'examination'. I suggest you leave it a few days &, if you haven't heard anything from your GP by Friday, contact them & ask about the outcome. If under the NHS you would receive a copy of the Consultant's letter to the GP, however this private consultant may not have copied you in to receive one. Your GP is the only one who will know what the result was. If you are unhappy with the result from the dermatologist, please make your feelings known to the GP as your treatment has certainly been substandard.

    Good luck. Hopefully it will be a benign lesion that needs no further treatment. Please let us know how you get on,

    Angie (melanoma patient)

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