New diagnosis and really don't know anything

FormerMember
FormerMember
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I will start by apologising, I'm not sure if I'm in the right place.

Last Thursday I was diagnosed with skin cancer what the hospital can't tell me is if it a BCC or a MM. I really was not expecting this as I thought that it was a angry looking mole. Apparently its not a mole it's a growth which bleeds and is now starting to ulcerated. I am having an removal operation next Thursday. 

I am really struggling with how to deal with this as I just don't know anything. I feel like a fraud as I'm not ill I just have an ugly growth on my face, the next I'm crying like a baby. I can't even face work.

Please can someone help. I just need to know how I should be feeling if anything. I very confused

  • Hello , I am one of the community champions from the melanoma group, I can understand that you are feeling very anxious and upset at the moment but I need to take you back a step.

    Malignant Melanoma’s are diagnosed after a biopsy is completed, when the pathology report comes back. A suspected melanoma is usually removed under a two week rule because of the ability for melanoma to spread, this means that when the melanoma is diagnosed the melanoma has already been removed which often causes a whirl wind of emotions, during the uncertainty of the wait and at diagnosis. You mentioned that yours was on your face so that brings a different factor into the mix until it heals

    My feeling is that next Thursday you will be having a local excision biopsy to remove the angry looking mole, to have it tested in a pathology lab to check if it is cancerous. In the melanoma group we have had people where the biopsy has come back as negative as there are other non cancerous conditions that look like melanoma (perhaps a seborrheic keratosis), others that come back as melanoma but it has been removed. We also have people like me in the group who’s melanoma has spread. 

    You may want to have a bit of knowledge of what your going through so I’m going to put some information links in.

    https://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/skin-cancer - I’ve put this link in as you mentioned BCC as a possibility, and it has a really good video on the page which has someone I think you will identify with.

    https://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/melanoma/diagnosing/how-cancers-are-diagnosed/tests-and-scans/being-diagnosed-melanoma.html - I’ve put this one in as you mentioned MM malignant melanoma, and the fact that you are having the excision  next week. You will find information about a local excision and also about a wide local excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy. 

    To find people who have been through what you are feeling right now we have two groups, I will leave you to choose which one is more suitable for you, but generally when people think they might have a melanoma they join the melanoma group. You may want to ask for tips of what to ask at the excision stage. 

    https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/melanoma/discussions

    https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/skin-cancer/discussions

    I am so sorry you are feeling very tearful and confused at the moment I hope talking with others eases that for for you.

    Best wishes

    Take care KT

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember in reply to KTatHome

    Hi KT thank you so much for this info. 

    Your explanation has helped a lot. I am having the removal within the 2 week window you mentioned. 

    There is a lot of info to keep me going. Thank you so so much xxx