First post and just wanted to share my story so far. I had a random health check with a GP at the beginning of June and they noticed 2 suspicious moles - one on my back and one on my chest. Luckily I’ve got private medical insurance so I managed to see a dermatologist 2 weeks ago where he actually found 4 suspicious moles - two on my back, one on my chest and one on my leg. The two on my back he said are abnormal and needed removing asap. Just a week later I’ve had both on my back removed. Stitches for 14 days. I go on holiday soon so I can’t have the other two moles removed till I get back. I’m worried it’s melanoma just from an initial feeling I get and the doctor saying he thinks he’ll need to remove more tissue on my back once the results are back. He’s marked the results as urgent so no idea when they’ll be back but I know it’ll be within 2 weeks.
Hi Elleroo and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
It's natural to assume the worst when you've been told that you need a couple of moles removing urgently but there is really no way the dermatologist can tell whether a mole will be a melanoma just from looking at it. I've had two moles removed, the first one the dermatologist thought was okay and it turned out to be melanoma whilst the second one she thought was a possible melanoma turned out to be just an abnormal mole!
Try to enjoy your holiday and, as someone once said to me, "worrying won't change the result but it will ruin the present". I try to remember that if I'm getting anxious.
Do come back and let us know your results when you get them and I'll be keeping everything crossed that yours are not melanoma.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
That's great news! Enjoy your holiday 
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
I hope you had a lovely holiday Elleroo and that you were able to relax and forget about melanoma for a while.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
That's great news that all 4 moles were benign Elleroo.
My understanding is that you're only more at risk of developing melanoma if you've had melanoma but, as you haven't had melanoma, then you'd be no more at risk then the general population. However if you have lots of moles, like me, it's important to follow the sun safety advice and to self check your body once a month. I took photos of the various parts of my body so that I can use them as a point of reference for my monthly checks.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Thanks very much for the lovely compliment. It means a great deal to me that you've taken the time to message me.
I'm currently very well, thank you, and trying to make the most of my retirement!
How are you doing, as I see you're currently undergoing treatment?
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
