Hi everyone,

I don't have any question - I just want to share some positivity to anyone who is waiting for results. It is really scary and long to wait for results and you can't help but google the worst case scenario. I stumbled across this forum and I found it to be really helpful. To end my journey I just want to share my story here hoping, it'll help people.

So I had a mole on my big toe for a couple of years now, probably 5-6 years (I'm 25 btw). I wasn't born with it and when it appeared I found it funny because a friend had a mole at the exact same spot. I've got a lot of mole on my body, my mum made me go to the dermatologist every now and then. Never really understood what a "bad mole" could really do to you, and the time frame it needed to be dealt with. 

2 years ago, I bruised my big toe and a few bruised appeared under my toe nail. But I first assumed it was the mole growing under the the nail... I started panicking about possible melanoma.

I went to the dermatologist and he said it was fine and it was just blood under my toe nail and the mole looked ok to him, and if it worried me I should keep an eye on it and take pictures.

Fast forward to october 2020. Middle of a pandemic. I've got a lot of time on my hand. Too much time. And I start looking at this mole again and I look back at the pictures I took 2 years ago and I feel like it might have grown a bit... But I'm not sure. Just slightly. Anyway I just think, just book a dermatologist appointment, last time it was fine, it'll probably be the same this time, the end.

So I get referred to a dermatologist and they look at it. But this time they don't say it's fine, they look a bit more concerned. They say it’s a tricky one because it doesn’t look great (it’s not symmetrical, it’s quite dark with different shades and it’s 8mm big), but it’s so close to the toe nail that the biopsy needs to be done by a plastic surgeon and they’ll probably need to cut some of my nail but they’re not really sure it’s melanoma or any other skin cancer, it could just be an ugly mole… Long story short : it won’t look good and it might be all for nothing.

I still decide to have it removed as it was not the first time I was worried about this mole.

I get referred to the plastic surgery and I wait and wait and wait to get an appointment. Come the end of November I still don’t have an appointment.

One small issue : I was due to go to France for the month of December to visit family for Christmas…

Still no appointment, I go to France and I was planning on resuming the whole situation when I came back in January but I get a phone call appointment from the plastic surgeon on the 2nd of December.

During that phone call I basically get told off for going to France and they ask me to come back to the UK to have the mole removed. Or to have it removed here (when I ask them if it’s possible and if they could refer me to anyone the surgeon just tells me ‘well they’ve got surgeon in France, don’t they?’ - I mean yes they do but it took me 2months to get to that point I can’t go through it all again…). I also get told that if it comes back as skin cancer, they’ll remove my toe completely. 

It’s probably in my top 10 worst conversation I’ve ever had, her points were very valid but it was still very difficult for me to make a decision.

I chat about it with my mum and she said I should try to see someone here in France and they might be able to help.

She gives me the name of her dermatologist and I try to phone her. No appointment before 24 January 2021. But when she hears I needed a biopsy she ask me to send her some pictures of my mole and she’ll refer me to a plastic surgeon if she judges it needs to be removed.

Aaaaaand…

She also said it didn’t look great and it needed to be remove. She referred me to a plastic surgeon she knew and she said he does wonders! And oh boy she was right! I had the mole removed 12 days after.

It was removed under general anesthesia as he said it was a very painful part of the body to have surgery done on. He didn’t touch the nail. And even after the surgery I didn’t feel any pain. A-ma-zing!

I was able to spend Christmas with my family. Obviously I didn’t have the result yet but it was good to know that the mole had come off.

They phoned me today to inform me the mole was benign.

I feel so relieved and privileged more than ever. 

And I just want to say how amazing the community is, always looking after one and another.

I just hope my story gives a bit of reassurance to anyone waiting for result. I know every story is different and just because mine is a happy end doesn’t mean it’ll be a happy end for everyone… But I know reading stories with a happy end, really helped me so I hope my story will help you!