Just diagnosed

Hi Simon17, I'm sorry to hear about your worrying mole.  Its a frightening time but you've acted on it right away which is good. Sadly I'm afraid even the NICE guidelines recommend a two week waiting time for a dermatology appt and that is "fast tracked" timing.  It's not seen as an emergency situation even though we ourselves are panicking and are desperately wanting immediate attention.  Same goes for the appt to have the initial  removal which is usually done under a local anesthetic.  For mine I had to wait a couple of weeks which I hated.  The not knowing was just the worst thing I've experienced.  I'd had my mole growing fast for over a year and been sent away by the GPs and nurse practitioner who kept telling me it was fine.You'll find sadly that others on here have waited that amount of time at least and longer.  It is so frustrating and wrong really and I too have had the same fears-- like if the docs had listened in the first place and acted maybe I would have had a better graded melanoma instead of it being stage 3c but I can't undo the past now.

Please remember that you may well not have melanoma, it can look suspicious but be benign.  Quite a few people like yourself come on here and are so very scared but their moles turn out to be benign even though a GP or dermatology doc has said "it looks like a melanoma"

Hold on and don't panic as it could all be ok yet.   Try and distract yourself with work, exercise, anything really to stop the thinking.  Don't Google either, most importantly you don't have melanoma yet.  Cross each bridge as it comes. 

Thank you for that. My mole which originally thought was a type of wart as been bleeding. The consultant was about to look at it with a device then stopped and said this needs to come off right away. He then checked underneath my armpits. I believe this is to check my lymph glands?  But then got told there wasn't any body to do it. The fact that it is occasionally bleeding suggests to me it's well advanced. Staff at work have noticed my change of mood and keep messaging me tonight. I'm just not ready to tell them anything yet. I'm struggling to be at all positive

Simon17, It's impossible to be positive right now when you're just plain scared so be real. Scared is ok, it's normal for now. Wednesday seems like a long time away, try and fill each day with as much as you can to keep busy.  It might help to share your fears with a trusted friend so you are not alone with this.  There's a helpline on this Macmillan site you can ring and talk to someone sympathetic if you want.

There's not a lot I can say to make this waiting time easier, it's one of the worst things and I'm not going to talk about how good the treatments are nowadays because you haven't got melanoma diagnosed as yet and one thing at a time.   Hold on x

Hi simon17, got to stay positive,  positive mind positive outcome.  In august found a lump in my groin, took until Sept to have all the tests and biopsy. During this time a mole on my leg (which I've had over 30 plus years) started to bleed regular,  that was removed straight away. Lump in my groin was a 6cm melonoma,  the mole was also melonoma cancer  stage 3c. Feb had the op to remove the lump and lymph node's , latest ct scan showed clear, now on the pills to ensure nothing else in my body. Will not let this horrible disease beat me,  stay positive and think positive. 

Hi, just wanted to wish you a good, painless day tomorrow.  They usually remove the mole under local anesthesia and don't hesitate to say if it still hurts as they can inject more!

Hope all goes well Simon17, fingers crossed for good news.