Suspicious mole

Dear Jodie

Welcome to our online community and thank you for getting in touch, I am glad you reached out to us for support. My name is Gemma and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurses here at Macmillan.

It is completely understandable that you would worry after being called to the hospital for an appointment next week.  Often people are called to clinic appointments when a situation needs more in-depth discussion.  This does not necessarily always mean the worst-case scenarios that you may have in your mind.

In truth we can’t predict what will be said to you at the appointment; the only people who will be able to tell you are your own hospital team. It is possible that the person that called you today might be a member of the administration team and have no access to the medical part of your record.

Having an appointment in person often allows things to be discussed with the correct people and in greater detail. You may be able to take someone with you to help remember what is said and to ask questions.

It is only natural that you feel that you can’t think clearly. You will likely have all sorts of feelings and emotions until you find out your biopsy results. One thing that will make you feel worse is doing any of your own online research. It can be very tempting, but often leads us to read worse case scenarios as we look for answers. This is because we all have unconscious bias, and until you know the facts you might be tempted to fil in the gaps with situations that may never happen.

Something you might find helpful though is to spend a bit of time preparing for the appointment itself. The NHS website has this checklist of things you may wish to consider beforehand, and tips for the appointment itself.

You may find speaking to one of our nurses helpful. We can take the time to talk through how you are feeling and hopefully give you some reassurance.  We are open every day of the year from 8am and our lines don’t shut down until 8pm.

Best wishes