Hi, I'm in a similar situation to your husband. I had what I thought was a bruise appear on my big toenail overnight about 6 weeks ago. I hadn't had any trauma about it but wasn't concerned so did nothing. Then about 9 days ago, I saw my consultant dermatologist for my ongoing psoriasis treatment and she noticed it and was very concerned. She told me that I need an urgent biopsy by a plastic surgeon and that she would be referring me on the 2 week cancer pathway. I have my appointment with the plastic surgeon tomorrow.I told her that I had PMI but she told me to stick with the NHS until I get a diagnosis as she suspected it would be quicker as a lot of the private clinics close for 2 weeks over Christmas and some of the private hospitals currently have reduced clinics as they are sharing premises with NHS clinics due to CoVid. Therefore it might be worth you husband getting an NHS referral too.

Hi Tracey

thank you so much for your reply. He's ringing the private insurance this morning to see what they have and if nothing soon he will also ring the nhs gp to try and get a referral. 
mite frustrating that we will have to go via dermatology first to get a referral to plastics. Did you wait long between the two referrals for your appointment? I feel it's going to be weeks before we get anywhere. Did you have to have Covid test before they booked you in for biopsy? 
 

sending lots of luck for your appointment. Really hope it's nothing serious. Please update when you can. 
 

lisa 

Thanks. I have a list of calls to make tomorrow with AXA PPP being top of the list!

I also need to get hold of the referral letter from Dermatologist to Plastics somehow to skip that part of the process. The hospital have it but won't email to me because of GDPR! They will post tomorrow but our post is taking ages at the moment. There seems to be an obstacle every way I turn!

GP might have a copy but I've looked at my online account & nothing on there at the moment so that's another call tomorrow.

Your GP may have a copy and might emaiL it to you or let you collect a copy. Mine has done before.  The phoning around is not ideal we did it last week but hopefully they will get you seen soon. I've just had a google and it looks like some nhs patients paid privately to have urgent procedures done that were left by the nhs during the height of the first wave of Covid. A terrible situation but good that you have private healthcare and proof that private ops took place last time despite nhs cancelling them. 
good luck. I hope you get seen really soon 

Thank you. Yes very lucky to have PMI to fall back on. Just wish I had done it on 10 December when I was first referred instead of trusting in the 14 day pathway x

Hi Lisa

its been a stressful few days but I had my private consultation this morning and she did the biopsy there and then. I'm so relieved to have had it done.

I’ve got to keep it elevated for 5 days and go back next week for wound check and the following week for results. Initially she said it looked very suspicious but when she had the nail off most of the discolouration was on nail and only a little bit on skin so she is not so sure now. If it is suspicious, its not gone very deep so that’s a big positive x

Fantastic news Tracey! So pleased you got a biopsy straight away. Was it the dermatologist that did the biopsy? Or plastics? 
please keep me posted. Any idea how long you have to wait? It sounds reassuring from what you've said. 
 

my husband was due for his nhs appointment tomorrow but has cancelled it as he's being reviewed privately in 3 months. We've been monitoring the nail and it's not got any worse / bigger / darker. Still early days to see if it's growing out or not though. 
we contemplated being seen on the nhs still but it was the same clinic the private dermatologist works at so figured they would all have the same kind of ethos and thoughts over it and to monitor for now. Fingers crossed it all works out ok. 
 

lisa 

Hi Lisa

The biopsy was done by a plastic surgeon but she is also a skin cancer specialist based in London.

She is hopeful that I should have results on the 21st.

I think you are right with your husband not to attend the nhs appointment. If he does need a biopsy in the future, I would go for private as you have PMI as the results seem much quicker. The NHS plastic surgeon I saw said 4 weeks for results. 
I had mine over 8 weeks and she said she would have expected it to have start growing out by now which it hasn't. Hopefully you will see your husbands start to grow out soon.

Tracey x

Results due tomorrow ~ feeling nervous!

Hi Tracy 

so sorry for lack of response on here I got no email notification at all abs came across your message as was popping on to see if you'd had results back yet. How did it go? 
 

kind regards 

Lisa 

Hi Lisa

No suspicious cells detected!! So relieved. The plastic surgeon just wants to see me in three months to check on regrowth.

thanks for asking.

any changes to your husband's nail?

Tracey x

Ahh that is amazing news!!!!! So relieved.  You can finally relax now. 
 

no change here. He's been measuring it and we think it might be starting to grow out but it's hard to tell as toenails take so long to grow. It definitely hasn't got any worse though he is due for a follow up appointment March time. 

lisa 

Ahh that is amazing news!!!!! So relieved.  You can finally relax now. 
 

no change here. He's been measuring it and we think it might be starting to grow out but it's hard to tell as toenails take so long to grow. It definitely hasn't got any worse though he is due for a follow up appointment March time. 

lisa 

That's good news Lisa. Let me know how he gets on in March x