Hi everyone. A couple of days ago I had a surgical excision of a suspicious mole on my lower abdomen and the anxiety of waiting for the results back is killing me.
I’m really unsure how likely it is that the mole will have been cancerous. I’m only 17, never sunburned and always wear lots of sunscreen when I go out. However I have a couple relatives who suffered skin cancer, I’m very pale and I have lots of atypical moles.
My worst fear is that I’ve left it too late. The mole appeared about a year and a half ago and has been growing steadily since then. It was a fairly regular oval shape and the colours in it didn’t change, but it was 9mm before removal and had many shades of brown and black. The fact the doctor thought it appropriate to remove so much tissue (7 stitches) is concerning to me too.
How long did it take you to get your biopsy results back? I know it’s uncommon to get melanoma on the abdomen, especially at such a young age, but is it likely? This whole situation is stressing me out so much. It’s the last thing I need so close to doing my A Levels and I just want to enjoy Christmas without being so anxious and scared. Thanks everyone.
Hi and welcome to the online community
I see that Kate has already given a great reply and I thought I'd just answer your question about length of time for the results to come back.
It largely depends on how busy the pathology labs are in your area. I was originally told 2 weeks but in fact it took 6 weeks before I had my results. You could give the consultant's secretary a ring this morning and ask how long on average it's currently taking for results to come back. At the same time you could ask how the results will be given to you. Most people are called back in for an appointment with the consultant whether the results are good or not but if you don't know how you'll receive the results then knowing can make the wait less stressful.
I hope that everything turns out okay and do come back and let us know.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Hello! Good news, I got my results back today and the mole was Type 0 / melanoma in situ. So I don't need to go back for any treatment since a lot of skin was removed during the biopsy.
Thanks for your advice and support nonetheless, it helped put my mind to ease! 
Hi
That's great news that your melanoma was only in the top layer of the skin and that you don't need to have any further treatment.
Remember to be careful in the sun from now onwards and this information from Macmillan gives tips on how to do that.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
