Hi,

I have been through this hell many times.

I've also googled.... please don't do it anymore, it just fuels your anxiety.

It sounds by what you've said that the Drs didn't see anything that worried them and the moles were removed 'just in case'. I'm sure they would have been honest with you if they were worried by any of them. They do tend to be 'straight to the point and come out with these things'.

Try to keep busy until you get your results, they don't tend to rush with them, I'm sure if anything bad was found they would be intouch pretty quick.

Let us know how you get on but sounds pretty positive to me xx

Hi,

I agree with what has already been said. The dermatologists sometimes remove moles to be on the safe side - not necessarily because they think they are malignant but because they may be dysplastic. Dysplastic (atypical/pre-cancerous) moles look dodgy but are benign. However, their cells have the ability to slowly turn cancerous so it's better to remove them before they get the chance. This may be why they want yours removing.

I know it's hard not to compare stories of patients with the same cancer but please don't. Every melanoma patient's experience is different. Some get melanoma when young & go on to live a full life whilst some don't. It depends on many factors including the speed that it's been caught and treated, family history etc. Also, up to recently there was very little treatment for melanoma other than surgery. Now there are several drug treatments which are showing great promise, so in all the years I've been a patient the landscape of melanoma treatment has vastly changed.

So don't Google - it's scaremongering and it's behind the times when it comes to statistics and treatment options. Don't compare moles online either. Moles, whether benign, malignant or dysplastic come in many shapes and sizes and two patients with the same type of mole can end up with different diagnoses. Just try and distract yourself and take note of what the consultant said - they are the expert.

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

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

Thank you for the replies. I'm trying to stay positive and Google less. Just a feel something else is a symptom so I Google. Next thing you know I am looking at cancer again!!!

I have however managed to actually eat something today. Might even get some sleep tonight too.

I really hope dermatologists are good at Thier job. I mean I'm an aircraft fitter,and would consider myself an expert in my field at noticing things wrong. So im sure they would see anomalies too. 

Hi. Nobody can say anything to you to alleviate your anxiety except the person telling you your outcome.

If your anxiety is really bad then ask your GP for a short term solution to help you through.

This will relax you, enable you to sleep and receive your results without feeling like a zombie.

Been there. Done it. Got the T.shirt.xx

It's been almost a week. I have up and down moements. I keep thinking that I won't be hear for my daughter. I've googled Everything i need to know about Superficial spread Melonma. I've researched all about how good a Dermoscope is at detecting Melonma. I've looked up the Sizing of most Superfical Spread Melonma. 

I keep comparing moles online. I'm sure mine just looked one colour,round and dark brown. But it's always been a mole,just grew. 

The stress and anxiety build up is making me check my lymph glands in my neck!? Are they swallen? Do they hurt? I think so. But maybe becusse I keep touching them.

I called up the Clinic and asked, in the nicest way, how good is Thier dermatologist. And they ensured me they are the best.

So I'm just sat on the fence. Stressing

Morning guys.

My doctor has prescribed me Diazpram to help with my anxiety. It's getting worse,I had an Anxiety attack this morning. Not good when I spend all day looking after my little girl,then head off to work in the afternoon.

Keep checking my body for symptoms. My lymph glands in the neck are slightly swallen,and I have a sore throat. Can't sleep,can't eat,can't exercise. This is hell. 

I'm trying to keep positive but my head is playing games with me. A week or so more and I get the results

It's good that your GP has prescribed you something for your anxiety. Sometimes the anxiety can be worse that the news you're waiting for! Slap your hand every time it moves towards your lymph nodes - it really doesn't help to prod and poke them. It's natural for us to think every ache & pain may be cancer but 99% of the time it isn't. I hope you manage to have a good weekend with your family & then you will be a lot closer to an answer and hopefully it's one that will put your mind at rest,

Angie

Hi, FlyingCatfish,

You left a comment in my thread, but I wanted to reply to you here to make sure you saw it. :)

I'm so sorry you're going through this, and I completely understand how you're feeling. I was also terrified that I could get a late-stage melanoma diagnosis and envisioned leaving my family behind. A couple of times after reading discouraging info on Google, the room literally started spinning on me and I started to have panic attacks.  

I cannot promise you that you won't get a melanoma diagnosis, but I can tell you that, from what you've written, it's unlikely. In my case, my GP and my dermatologist were obviously concerned about the appearance of my mole and thought that it looked very dodgy. After viewing my mole under a dermascope, my dermatologist even noted some blood vessel and colour features that, according to medical journals on Google, were particurlaly indicative of melanoma. So I just KNEW I had cancer. To me, it was just a question of how bad it was. 

But as you read in my thread, it wasn't cancer. It was a dysplastic mole that could have turned into cancer and, therefore, needed to go, but it wasn't cancer. 

My point is that, even if a mole looks dodgy, like mine did, it's not necessarily cancer. And it sounds like yours didn't look nearly as concerning to your doctors as mine did, so your chances of getting the all clear are even better. 

And if you do get a melanoma diagnosis, the chances are it will be early and you'll be just fine. If it's a bit later stage, there are lots of wonderful new treatments available, so you still have a great chance of being just fine. 

I don't know if you've ever tried meditation, but I found it really helped me calm down while waiting for my excision surgery and biopsy results. There are several great meditation apps like Calm, Headspace and Insight Timer (which is free) if you'd like to give it a try. 

Stay off of Google, breathe, and try to keep busy with things you enjoy. When your mind starts to wander into anxious territory, gently push it back to the present moment, even if it's chopping vegetables for dinner, and focus on that instead. You're going to get through this. 

All my best to you.

Hi Amy.

Thank you for replying to my thread. It's nice to hear from you. 

Im glad you got the all clear. Im hoping mine are dysplastic moles went and got my stiches out today and was hoping the results would be there. But they weren't! So more days if worrying for me!

Haven't tried any meditation. But to be fair my head has been all over the place. I pretty much convinced myself it's Stage 3 Melanoma!!! There are times at night I just cry and don't want to chat to anyone. 

It's definitely made me changed my behaviour in the sun tho. And I use sun cream regularly now tooo. 

Hope you are well,and happier with your diagnosis. X

Hey! 
Thought I'd pop on to see if you've received your results yet? I'm 3 and half weeks removal and still not heard anything.