Hello
Firstly, Thankyou for reading my first post. It's not actually myself going through this, but it's my husband. I think I'm more worried than he is.!
Nearly 3 weeks ago he asked me to look at his back, as he said it was sore. I saw what looked like a flat mole with a darker edge. I made him ring the dr the next morning. She said it has the characteristics of melanoma and referred him to a dermatologist.
We went today..2 weeks after referral. The dermatologist didn't really say much, but said he doesn't think it's anything to worry about, however he wants it removed and sent to the labs. They booked him in there and then for 4 weeks time.
After reading on google..I know I shouldn't..it has a few characteristics of a melanoma... its 10mm by 6mm, 2 colours, ragged edge & occasionally sore/itchy. Was the dermatologist being kind and just not saying to stop us worrying..?
How long are we likely to wait for the lab results.? I'm so worried. My husband has helped me through alot of operations over the last 5 years, he's never been poorly or had an operation..and I want to be strong for him..but can't help worrying.
Sorry for the long post..and Thankyou again for reading
SJ
Hi SJ72 and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
Waiting for appointments and then results can be really hard so my best advice would be to do things that you enjoy, so that you have something pleasant to think about, and stay away from google. Google can be a mine of information but it can also be misleading and sensationalist, only feeding your worries rather than soothing them. There are people at all stages of diagnosis here so if you want to ask anything there's usually someone with genuine experience here.
There is no definitive way, other than by doing a biopsy, that the dermatologist can tell whether your husband's mole is definitely a melanoma or not. You are right that there are characteristics which can suggest that a mole might or might not be a melanoma but we've had people here only recently who were absolutely adamant that their mole was going to turn out to be melanoma only to report back that it wasn't. So try not to read too much into what you've seen.
In my experience with consultants over the last 5 years they don't say things to "just be kind" they say it as it is. So if your husband's consultant doesn't think it's anything to worry about then that's what he thinks and he wasn't just saying it.
As for how long it takes to get the results back, that really depends how busy the pathology laboratories are in your area of the country when the biopsy is done. Your husband should be told when he has the excision what the current waiting time is and given a phone number to call if he hasn't heard by that time. It can take anywhere between 2-6 weeks with the average generally being around 4 weeks. If your husband isn't told he should also ask how he'll get the results as hospitals all have different protocols. Some send results by letter, others will ring you whilst others get you in for a face-to-face so they check the wound at the same time.
Take care and do come back if you want to ask anything at all
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
I think the not knowing is definitely very hard and I hope you and your husband won't have too long to find out.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
