Hi,

OK, take a deep breath & try not to project to the future until you know if you have a problem. 75% of patients seen by dermatology get a clean bill of health so it's not a foregone conclusion that you have melanoma or even if you have, that you are going to die from it.

I can't comment on how your mole now looks as melanoma comes in all shapes, sizes, colours etc. Even a GP and a dermatologist can't tell with the naked eye. Your GP should refer you to dermatology & they will examine it under a dermascope which shows any cell changes. If they think it needs removing for biopsy this is because it's the only 100% way of diagnosing melanoma - many who have a biopsy get benign results (in the 7 I've had removed one was melanoma and the rest were benign). There is a chance the change could be due to trauma but it needs checking out. The good thing is that you've only had this problem for a month - you are getting it checked out pretty quickly (I left mine a year & am still here 25 years later) so if it is melanoma there is every chance it's early stage and can be successfully treated. Not all melanoma patients die, in fact new treatments mean that many late stage patients are living for years with the disease, so don't think it's lights out if it's cancerous! 

Stop reading Google - it's feeding your anxiety and it's out of date - statistics are old and treatments have moved on. To get through the anxious wait try to distract yourself with meditation, mindfulness, exercise or just a long walk in the fresh air to clear your thoughts. If your anxiety becomes too much, try ringing your GP to see if they can bring your phone appointment forward.

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

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient)

Many thanks for your input it does help me to ease up on the panicking a little! I will monitor it while I wait and try not to be too obsessive. I think I need to try and do something about my health anxiety as it's always something that I convince myself must be cancer!

I'm extra aware of melanoma as I'm pretty sure that's what one of the bosses at work mentioned having and having a terminal case and you wouldn't know as he looks as healthy as ever.  Maybe this was something else though, I wouldn't pry. 

Thank you for this reply has massively made me calm down about my mole that has changed colour and was itchy. I am going to get it checked but as you said google has filled me with terror! Much appreciated hearing your thoughts and experience.

Hi Jack,

I'm glad my reply has helped and I hope your appointment goes well. Please let us know how you get on.

Angie

Still slowly making my way through the process after finally getting that second phone consultation last Friday.  The mole itself just basically looks slightly darker/redder than it did before I think (or it's my imagination) but definitely does get a fair bit darker/redder in bouts, depending when I look at it.   It's like it has flare ups.  Some photos I take of it do look pretty normal compared to when I took a photo of it a couple of weeks ago during one of the reddest looking bouts (it's an obvious difference on screen, so that much is not my imagination).  It just bothers me why would there be flare ups unless, well, unless cancers grow in bursts or something. 

The first GP I had spoken to questioned why I'd come back to him about it (he seemed a bit irritated but maybe this was because I was flustered and not answering very well), but flagged it up as a change of appearance and set me up with a same day face to face appointment with GP2. 

GP2 was going to take some pictures with her phone to email the dermatologist with but realised I take better pictures myself and to be honest the face to face appointment turned out it could have been done over the phone after all but anyway...

Her comments were that they'll either ask me to monitor it or ask to see me but that normally if it's anything nasty it'll just get progressively worse rather than going back and forth between shades.  So once again this eased my mind a little bit.

New call just now: Dermatologist has now replied and they want me to come into hospital for a better look and to probably take a sample and will send an appointment out sometime next week. 
Naturally this has me thinking "oh no the derm must be worried" (when the hospitals have such a backlog right now, I'm thinking to pull me in is actually quite alarming) and I'm starting to get distracted from my work with anxiety again. 
 

the wait continues...

edit: I re-read the previous response and am at least trying to calm down a touch. Sounds like referral to the derm is the correct routine and a much better idea than emailing iPhone photos around.

Derm appointment today, he did note that there was an unusual amount of vascularity (maybe caused by the trauma maybe not) and that he considers it a dysplastic nevus "as in its misbehaving".  He offered the choice of leaving it and monitoring it, or having it removed, totally my choice.  I asked which he would do in that position and he said remove, so that's what I went for.  

now the wait continues, about 4 weeks for an appointment for the surgery, then the wait for the results. 

I asked how worried I should be in the meantime and was hoping for a comment like "don't be too worried, I doubt it's serious and this is mostly a precaution" but such reassurance wasn't forthcoming, more a comment that well, it is dysplastic so it is a worry.  I  imagine if cancer was strongly suspected he wouldn't have given me a choice though. 
 

It'll be an excision biopsy rather than a shave type, I don't know if that is an indicator of its risk.  Will need stitches and leave a scar

Thanks Angie I appreciate the extra knowledge of how it all works, I know nothing is 100% (hence it makes sense that the consultant doesn't want to give false hope) and there is still a chance of bad news but it sounds promising enough to hopefully stay out of the panic zone in the meantime!

Will update in a little while when the op is done and the results come through

Well, it's out. Results in 6-8 weeks (COVID delays etc). I was at a more local hospital, different derm... initially he said "this looks like it'll come out positive, when did you first notice it?" (wot no notes?) but once I said at least a decade ago and he knew it was an existing mole not something that has popped up recently his tune changed to "oh, well looking at I don't expect it to be anything nasty", he was very friendly and reassuring and told me not to lose any sleep over it while waiting for the results. 

Excision biopsy and 3 stitches.  Dressing to be kept over it for 2 days then removed for airing. Leg to be kept elevated (I'm trying!), I didn't ask how long for but Dr Google suggests a few days.  Stitches out after 10. Advised not to drive at first and got a lift home but to be honest it's my left leg and I have no clutch (electric) so happy to do the 1.5 mile drive to work.  Can't put my foot up in the car so makes no difference. 
 

The only thing that concerns me is it's been 13 hours now and it's not hurting at all.  The site under the dressing still seems numb.  Nerve damage maybe?  All I can really do is be careful, knowing that I might not feel any damage I'm doing. 

Hi,

I'm glad to hear it's now been removed & that you are fine post surgery. Keep it elevated for 48 hours or longer if it appears to swell or bleed. 

Any surgery that requires cutting deep into the tissues means that some nerve damage will occur so temporary numbness is usual but the nerves should start to recover over the next few weeks. Sometimes they never recover but that's when the surgery is extensive. As for pian - I had no pain from the melanoma that was removed from my shin or from any of the excisions I've had over the years - I think that's probably due to the location & the size of the excision. I think I must also have a high pain threshold because I needed no morphine or pain killers after my full node clearance from my groin & pelvis (a 15 inch scar)! So just be careful not to knock the area until the stitches are out!

Hopefully the long wait for the results will be worth it & they bring good news. Take care & please let us know how the results go,

Angie x