Not sure if I am allowed here. Awaiting mole removal/biopsy

Hi Newbie 1992,

A warm welcome to this forum although none of us want to be here it is a great help to read of the experiences of others and share tips.

This is a worrying time for you but remember not everyone gets bad news and for those that do there are a lot more options for melanoma patients now.

I was on your current path October 2021 and was subsequently staged at 1b. The original panic that I experienced was the wait to get the diagnosis and get the dreaded mole removed. None of us want to hear the word cancer. The waiting and wondering was agony, I made the classic mistake of obsessive Google searching , so please don't do it! Overthinking became the new normal for me!

I made my armpit sore through constantly pressing it, all part of my anxiety, that's another shared worry , we start being very conscious of aches and pains we probably wouldn't have bothered about previously.

So take it a step at a time.

There are some great people who will post to you I am sure, but in the meantime I wish you all the best and ask anything you want.

I am having a WLE and SNLB tomorrow. Feeling nervous tonight and then the awful wait for the results.

Let us know how you get on.

Hi Newbie1992 and welcome. Yes this is the right place to be. You don't have to have melanoma to be here. I'm fairly new myself and have seen a couple of people on here in exactly your position who had clear results from a suspicious mole so please don't automatically think the worst hon.

I'm a nurse too and after a year of my local surgery saying no, don't worry it's fine(it was symmetrical and smooth and dark brown so not typical) they sped me up to my local hospital when it started getting "crusty".  Sadly for me diagnosed 3c, no leisions anywhere but gone to lymph gland.  The NICE guidelines of what to look for in moles is certainly not always correct. And yes if you've pain/soreness under your arm- stop pressing it as Anne1536 says that'll make it sore.  It's so easy to catastrophise right now but try and distract yourself from Google and fearing the worst.  It is such a hard time waiting hon but remember you've not got a diagnosis yet so try not to panic. Keep chatting on here for support, that's what it's for. Stay strong and positive x

Anne1536, good luck for today's op hon, hope it all went well for you.  Take it easy x

Thank you both for your replies. Really appreciate you taking the time to come back to me. It is difficult, there are a lot of other things going on within my wider family so feel like my worries are right down the list. I generally do feel ok, keeping busy with work etc but it just hits a bit harder sometimes! I had two missed calls today from an unknown number but they did not leave a message. I am cross with myself for missing the calls as can only assume it is the hospital. Hopefully will get another call over the next few days! It will be 2 weeks on Thursday since my initial appointment so hopefully will hear back within the next week or so. Anne1536, I hope today went well x

Many thanks Alottment lover, the op went really well and I recovered rapidly. I had told the anaesthetist that 30+years ago I had had severe sickness on waking up. He reassured me that things had progressed since then lol! So I was given anti- sickness in the general anesthesia. So no sickness or even nausea which was a huge relief. No pain today either. The staff in all the departments I went through were amazing. I shall be writing letters to that effect. Now the wait for the results...hope all is well with you. I won't be digging for a while but hope to be seeding shortly. Hopefully you will be doing the same.

Hi Newbie,

Many thanks for your good wishes it went very well indeed. I think maybe like me your wider family see you as the "strong" one, mine see me that way. When we occasionally falter we tend to keep up our strong facade. When my family realised what was actually happening with me they did get on board.

I hope if it was the hospital they have now rung back. I got my results in just under two weeks but someone else I know has been told results are currently taking longer at my hospital.

Hopefully all will be well with you , however if you do unfortunately need either the SLNB or/and WLE despite all my fears of the op it was absolutely fine.

Hugs Anne xxxx

Hi I'm glad it went well hon.  Sounds like they took good care of you.  One more thing to tick off the list.

Digging is out of the question, just mud here but yes to baby seedlings. I've still Cavelo Nero kale growing and some cabbages too.  I love growing things, I garden in a cafe garden too so have been putting some freesias in but the alottment is boggy.  Take it easy for now x

Hi Newbie 1992,

Just thought I would ask how you are doing? 

Xx

Hi thanks for the message. Ironically I just saw the notification as I was contacting the gp! I am worried my scar has opened up as it’s quite red and is weeping yellow stuff!! I think because of its location gravity keeps taking course!! Still no news from hospital however they did say it could be up to 8 weeks! 

Hi Newbie 1992,

Hopefully your GP has been able to help you today. The waiting times are becoming a cause for concern so stressful for the ones who are waiting and waiting and waiting!! 

It's four weeks for me on Tuesday...I may have to contact the hospital if I haven't heard anything by next Thursday.