Waiting Biopsy

Hi Weeble and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

Thankyou Latchbrook, I read your profile , and am thinking of getting a private consult, couldn't afford full treatment (if needed) but could afford consult and hopefully biopsy, I'm a bit worried it would mess up my red flag referral through NHS though. Where you able to go back to NHS care okay after going private ?

I didn't have a problem getting treatment through the NHS. I told my GP that I was going to have a private consultation because the wait was so long and they gave me a letter to give to the consultant.

The private consultant said that as I didn't have insurance he would write to my GP and ask him to refer me to his NHS clinic.

So I continued my treatment and follow-ups with the consultant I'd seen privately but in his NHS clinic.

Most private consultants also work for the NHS so you might also stay with the same one if you go privately for your initial consultation.

Thanks for the quick reply x Il have a look at the private consultants and see who does NHS work as well, it is listed on their profiles x

Hi Weeble from across the puddle!

I had squamous cell cancer. Mine was about 1.25cm in diameter and itched like crazy! It had a 'deep' itch/pain, so I went to a local dermatologist, they took a small piece for biopsy, then a week later another doctor there did the surgery. I took lots of pictures of what my nurse friends call surgery porn. 

I later learned to my dismay that if people REALLY let it go it can spread, but the way it felt, I can't imagine just letting it go. Oh, mine wasn't a pimple, but more of a slightly darker spot, round, and very slightly in depression.

pat :-)

Did you see the dermatologist privately? How long did it take you to get biopsy and results?

Oh Weeble,

Across the puddle, our systems are at times better, and certainly worse than what you have. Everything we do here is privately, but subsidized by insurance companies incented to not pay out, with procedures approved by those with no medical knowledge. Here, the insurance companies determine your medical care, not the physicians or other medical experts.

To answer, with those disclaimers in hand, it was 2 weeks from initial visit to removal day. I took many pictures of the process, and you can visually tell that it was all removed without going deep. I think they say it has a 'root', like a plantar wart, and as long as it is gotten before the root makes it's way to the bloodstream, you're fine. 

They said that by the time it is too late, it would have been driving me crazy with itch/hurt for a long time. This is why I wouldn't be too concerned until you know for sure. I suggest reading up on it as much as possible, with the Internet being the best free library of modern medicine around!

pat :-)

I thought I mentioned it in the above post/reply, but PM me if you'd like to see pics. It doesn't look like TPTB would like that sort of thing here...