Hi Kay,

I can tell how anxious you are getting by your writing - take a very deep breath & exhale slowly..........

Now read your second paragraph - you say you have been having problems SINCE - and that is the important word. All these problems are being caused by the stress you are under since youir dermatology appointment and can be firmly put down to that. It's only natural to be stressed out with worry and the stress has to come out in some way so your breathing is probably shallower than it should be (anxiety means you don't inhale enough air) and your digestion will be affected. Every little ache & pain (which pre appointment you hardly noticed) becomes a huge worry. But looking at it logically for a moment & we can see it's down to our anxiety building up. I get bad stomach problems along with head & neck pain when I start to stress about my health - we melanoma patients have nicknamed this 'melanoia' - paranoia about every little health issue being melanoma. 

There are no symptoms for Stage 3 melanoma other than a swollen lymph node that may appear. Stage 4 patients usually know they have melanoma (because of an earlier mole that's been removed) before they get any other symptoms. For those that have symptoms before they are diagnosed Stage 4, the symptoms are very obviously serious (sudden onset bad pain that gets worse etc). 

Please try to help your anxiety by learning some breathing techniques - take a look at Mindfullness on YouTube - there are several videos you can follow that will help calm the anxiety & get you through the wait for your results. 

Good luck,

Angie