Hello all, I'm new here so please let me know if I'm doing something wrong
I'm not sure of any of this, I'm in a different country and not sure if I should wait. I went to a dermatologist 2 weeks ago and made an appointment for a biopsy. However the earliest date is December 16 and I'm leaving the 20th and I don't know if I'll get the results back before January 17 so I can do what is needed back home. The mole on my neck was originally a round symmetrical benign mole but I got it laser removed. However it seem to have came back with an irregular shape but I took it as just the scar/scab fading leaving what's left of the original mole rather than it growing back. I've been taking pictures to see if it grows but I can't tell, it only recently healed.
My question is should I push for a sooner date even if the doctor doesn't seem concern. I know how fast melanoma spreads and how important it is to catch it as early as possible. My grandfather passed earlier this year from melanoma in less than 3 months from first diagnosis, people said it was because of his age but I don't know if genetics have an effect on this. No one in my family got laser removal for their moles so I don't know if I started something.
Should I wait 2 months for the biopsy? Going back will just be them telling me it's alright. Won't that be too late if I have it? I've never considered the possibility but with coming projects and exams my mind is taking a toll and I haven't told family yet. I don't know if I'm overeating or being paranoid and I don't know who else to talk to.
I'm sorry for the rant, I can guess the most common answer would be to go back to the doctor, but that seems to be the only thing to do and I don't know anyone else here.
Thank you for reading
Hi and welcome to the online community
It's always a very stressful time waiting to have a biopsy and I can understand how anxious you're feeling especially with exams and the recent passing of your grandad.
You haven't said which country you're in but it's difficult for anyone here to make suggestions on the health system in a country other than the UK.
I presume that when you went to see a dermatologist 2 weeks ago they weren't worried about your mole as you don't have a date for removal until 16th December. Did you explain that you would be leaving for home only a few days later? In the UK it generally takes 2-6 weeks before the results from the biopsy are back. How quickly were you told that you'd get the results?
If it is a melanoma then in the UK we have a follow up operation called a wide local excision which usually happens 2-8 weeks after the results. Will you be going back to the country you're in now or would you have to have this operation in your home country?
Sorry for all the questions but, hopefully, thinking about them might help you decide what you need to do.
Let us know what you decide.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Hi
How are you and are you all prepared for Christmas?
I wondered if you'd gone ahead with having your mole removed on the 16th or if you'd decided to wait and have a second opinion when you went back home.
All the best with whatever you decided to do
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
