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Melanoma worry

APB00
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Hi All,

Let me start off my saying I've read through threads on this already and all info has been super helpful, I guess I'm seeking reassurance/advice regarding my own personal scenario.

I recently noticed a mole between 2 toes. I don't know how long it's been there, genuinely haven't a clue. You could tell me it's been there since I was 10 and I'd believe it.

Naturally enough, as a worrier, I went to my GP who referred me to a dermatologist who I visited today. She gave me an all over quick scan and said all my moles were fine but spent a bit of time on this one between my toes. 
 

To make a long story short, she said she isn't overly concerned but because of its location, is sending me for a biopsy just to be sure and when I say I'm sick with worry, id be putting it mildly.

I'm suddenly planning my funeral at 29 and wondering how my 3yo son will manage without me. I hate being like this :(

I know odds are usually good with regard melanoma but needless to say, I will convince myself that I'm 100% the exception. 
 

She said I should receive an appointment for approx 6 weeks time but with how quickly melanoma spreads and considering I've no idea how long it's there, I feel like that's so far out?? Or am I wrong in thinking that?

It's a very a typical looking completely flat mole. It could be there 10 weeks or 10 years I just don't know, very obscure place between toes that you wouldn't see unless you were sitting there checking by separating them all. Which I'm ashamed to say I never do. Any advice from anyone been in a similar situation would be really appreciated. 
 

A

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    Hi,

    I know that this is sending you off in a tail spin & that's quite natural because you don't know how long you've had this mole. A similar thing happened to me. I was diagnosed with melanoma on my shin & because of this I've had 6 other suspicious moles removed over the years. Whilst on the operating table for a mole removal from my back, the surgeon spotted a mole on the sole of my foot & asked how long it had been there. I wasn't even aware of it, never having checked the soles of my feet. They wanted to remove it there & then but said it would be too much with the back excision so 2 weeks later I returned for the mole on my foot removing. In that 2 weeks I panicked - I already had melanoma but I thought it had spread & that the mole on my foot could have been the precursor to the shin mole & could have been there years. 

    The outcome - it was absolutely fine! The location, and the fact I was a melanoma patient, were the only reasons for them wanting to remove it.

    It's the not knowing it was there & the guilt of not knowing that eats you up. So you need to take a deep breath and explain to yourself that, if it was malignant & had been so for a long time, you would have known about it because you would have displayed several unpleasant symptoms by now! 

    The dermatologist, like all skin experts, is just erring on the side of caution because of the location of the mole. There is a 75% chance that it's benign but they have to remove it to be on the safe side. If it does come back positive for malignancy, there is still a very good chance it has been caught before it could grow deep enough to cause any future problems and if it is deep, there are now treatments that are showing great results for melanoma patients. So it's not game over by any means. 

    Try to take this one step at a time & don't jump to the future 'what if?' because you can't affect what you don't know about! Don't Google, it's old information & doesn't reflect the current landscape of melanoma treatment. Keep yourself busy & distracted and your mole will be history very soon. 

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

    Angie (melanoma patient)

  • Offline in reply to AngieT

    Hi Angie,

    Thank you so so much for your reply and very reassuring words, I've seen your replies on a few other relevant threads and your info and kind words are undoubtedly invaluable to so many of us.

    Your message meant a lot and certainly calmed me down. It'll be approx 6 weeks, according to dermatologist, before I have it removed so I'm taking comfort in the idea that perhaps if she felt it was in anyway sinister and the fact I've no idea how long it's there, she'd have pushed for it to be a bit more urgent. She said she wasn't very concerned but me being me, I take that with a pinch of salt.

     

    Thanks so much again and I'll be sure to post any progress!

     

    A

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