Saying hello + quick question

Hi Birthday01 and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

I hope you had a lovely holiday despite the worry of having your mole removed hanging over you.

To answer your questions based on my experiences, neither the consultant or nurse can be 100% certain that your moles are melanoma. Many odd moles turn out to be just that and the only way to know is to have them removed and biopsied.

As for how long the results will take to come back, I'm afraid that the nurse is more likely to be accurate. How quickly they come back depends on how busy the pathology labs are in your area of the country. The usual wait time is anywhere between 2-8 weeks, with most people getting them back at around the 4 week mark.

Do come back and let us know when you get your results and, in the meantime, if you have any more questions do pop back.

Thank you for responding so quickly - holiday was lovely, thank you.

I will pop back once I know my results - in a few (ish) weeks!

Hi Birthday01 and welcome to this group.  From what you say you haven't been given a definite diagnosis of melanoma yet and as Latchbrook says we have had others on here whose doctor or nurse say "it's definitely melanoma" when it turns out not to be!  You cannot always tell just by looking.  Mine apparently didn't look like one so was ignored for a year which meant it was stage 3c at diagnosis. 

As for the two moles being related-- it's unusual but not impossible.  There are different types of melanomas which if they spread follow a certain pattern.  I had an SSM which is a superficial spreading melanoma, it is sun related (not all melanomas are caused by sun damage).  After the initial staging the docs looked for spread to the nearest lymph node, that's part of the body's drainage system, spread is usually via the internal blood/lymph systems rather than spreading on the skin surface. 

We all know on here what it's like to wait for results, it's like you put your life on hold, hold your breath and panic but if you can try to carry life on as per usual then the time may pass quicker.  I really hope you don't have to wait too long for the results.

Most importantly remember that you haven't got melanoma.  Not yet. Not until they tell you.  That is usually done face to face either way.  

Take care and lean on us all for support x

Thank you for responding - work and kids are keeping me busy but the wait is just so hard isn’t it?!

may start chasing next week as that’ll be 2 weeks (as the consultant suggested!) x