Biopsy experience

Hi N2E and a very warm welcome to the online community

When I had a lesion removed I had seen a dermatologist first but my friend, like you, had an excisional biopsy after photos had been examined and didn't see a dermatologist first. I think it probably depends how it works in your health authority.

A dermatoscope (the microscope thing) just allows a doctor to look closer at a lesion it doesn't tell them whether the lesion is a skin cancer or not. The only way they can tell for definite is for a biopsy to be done. This is then sent off to the pathology laboratories to be examined.

The amount of time you've been advised it might take for your results to come back is about average. It does not mean that the result is going to be bad, it's simply down to how busy the path labs are in your area of the country.

Waiting for results is really horrible and my best advice would be to try and spend your time doing things that you enjoy if you can. For me this meant spending time doing hobby stuff, lots of people find mindfulness really useful. If this is something that interests you clicking here will take you to the NHS mental health page with links to apps you can down load, some of which are free.

Let us know your results when you get them and, in the meantime, ask anything you want to here. 

x

Good morning N2E, my advice is forget about the dermatoscope, I would never trust anyone ever again wielding one of those to look closer at a lesion and give me an opinion based solely on what they saw.  

It took 4 years for me to get what turned out after the biopsy to be a rare type of melanoma, removed.  What happened during those 4 years was that so called GP dermatology specialists looked at the lesion through a dermatoscope and pronounced it 'nothing'. That is without even talking to me. Then eventually it was decided it was a BCC, even the so called skin cancer nurse said it was a BCC.

After awful treatment at my local hospital, (the NHS Ombudsman is taking it very seriously), I am now seen in  another hospital with lovely specialists one of whom is a doctor who specialises in identifying moles and has travelled the world to conferences and studied with doctors in Australia and NZ. On dermatoscopes he told me that it would take a highly skilled consultant to see anything through one of these instruments that would have aided identification of what I had or aroused suspicion.

The main thing to concentrate on, is that the mole has been taken off and I wish you well, it is a difficult time I appreciate.  I did not have the worry as no one thought I had anything serious, so I didn't even ask when the results would be though.

Hi N2E,

As other people said only way to be sure if it's melanoma is biopsy. Dermatoscope is a tool that helps clinician to magnify the mole, but it can also be done with a good camera, hence the teledermatology process. Practice depends to the local hospital guidelines. Also some GPs are dermatologist or surgeons by speciality training, so not unusual for them to remove the mole. 

I know of people who had many biopsies done on the moles and came back negative, so it's not always bad news.

Hope this helps. 

Hi Tiptoes, 

So sorry to hear you had such a bad experience and had to deal with that unprofessional attitude. 

Glad you are being treated in a good hospital with care at the moment. I applaud you for taking your complaint further to an Ombudsman. Hopefully, they'll introduce guidelines to prevent that happening again, it's unacceptable. 

Thanks Elmyra, I have never raised a complaint about the way I was treated over 4 years before the red lesion I had was taken off.  Seems little point, the individuals would seem to have had no knowledge of how melanomas can look nothing like the photos and the ABCDE rules do not apply.  My own GP, the dermatology specialist did apologise to me without me ever speaking to her about it.  My dentist knew everything about this type of melanoma, she was far more clued up.

No, what I have been complaining about was the sarcastic, nasty behaviour of the skin cancer nurse who would not even tell me who was my consultant, to hide the fact I didn't have one and finally rounded on me when I asked for my pathology report to find out what I had, 'you just want to get to a consultant'.  When I complained I found my paper notes had gone missing and on my electronic file my initial letter of diagnosis had been altered so part of my diagnosis, another BCC had disappeared.  I believe I know the reason.   

It is not an easy route at all to take things to the Ombudsman, it is extremely time consuming and stressful with the amount you have to write and the paperwork you have to put together.  Equally stressful is dealing with a hospital that will do anything to avoid answering questions and who treat you like rubbish if called to a meeting with them.

Hi Tiptoes, 

Yes complaints process is quite long and stressful unfortunately.

Sorry you had go go though this. Most important thing is that you are looked after well.

Some melanomas are very difficult to identify I was told. Yes that's very true, some melanomas are very difficult to identify, hope it goes well for you. 

Hi N2E

I was just checking in to see how you are and to ask if you've had the results of your biopsy yet?

Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

x

Hi, 

apologies for the late reply, life’s been pretty hectic at the moment. No results as of yet unfortunately, which is making me pretty anxious. Trying to distract myself and if I’ve not heard anything by Friday I will call dermatology and see where it’s at. Thank you for checking in. 

Waiting for results really is torture isn't it. Giving your consultant's secretary a call tomorrow is a good idea if it's gone past the time the surgeon told you that the results should be back by. Although it's unlikely the secretary will be able to tell you what the results are if they're back, at least you'll know they have been reported on or, if not back, she can chase them up.

x

Yeah, it’s pretty stressful! They’d told me 4-6 weeks but coming up to 7 weeks now, so will get in touch with them to try and see what’s going on.