BCC Op on Scalp Results

Hi Montyc4135f 

Waiting for results is a really horrible time and I can understand why you want to see if you can get the results quicker than you've been told.

Were you given a contact name and number at the hospital where you had your BCC removed? If so, you could give them a call to see why the results are taking so long.

If you don't have a named contact then give your consultant's secretary a call and ask her if there's any chance the results will be back sooner than you've been told. If you don't have her number then just ask the hospital switchboard to put you through to Dr...... secretary.

Let us know how you get on

((hugs))

Thank you. Wasn't given any contact number and dont know anything about consuktants secretary. Ill phone and ask if they can put me through to her/him or give me the number. 

Hi just to mention that in the East  Midland it takes 6-8 weeks to get the results from the lab.  I had a similar op  to you and I had some of my shoulder removed for the graft.  I do hope you were able to speak to your consultants secretary.  Do you know what type of  BCC you had? Superficial,  nodular or  Morpheus- infiltrating? 

I havent managed to get hold of consultants secretary yet. Its only beem 4 weeks since my op so maybe they wont have results back yet.  Consultant didnt mention different types of BCC or maybe they wouldnt be able to tell till they operated. Thanks for that info. Have you had your results back yet or are you still waiting? Thanks for taking time to reply. 

Hi, they can only tell the type of lesion type after they either do a biopsy or an operation to excise and then send to lab for results.  They must have decided to do an excision and graft for you hoping to get it all in one go.  I had my big lesion done more than 2 years ago.  I have ongoing lesions but so far chemo cream or small op has sorted them out:  

Im so hoping I dont have to have any other small ops as have a long term chronic illness Im dealing with and Im housebound most of the time. When you had the other small ops how did that affect your graft? Thanks for taking time to give me the information. It really helps. 

I do understand as I have chronic conditions too and often housebound myself.  I have had no pain with anything I have had done with my cancer which seems strange in the face of other people often saying they get  a lot of pain. As I paid privately once my biggie was diagnosed it  didn’t have time to get nasty so I was relatively lucky.  No other treatments I have had have affected my graft in any way so no worries about that.  With the injections I had before having things done I never got any pain with those either.   Hopefully they will get back to you and tell you that they have managed to remove it all and you won’t need any further treatment in that area.  Keep your fingers crossed that it is a one off because for some people it really is.  

Thanks so much for your positive reply and kindness. I got in touch with lead nurse in plastics and she said pathology resilts are taking some time to come back. Considering when Im seeing the consultant looks like results are taking 12 weeks to come back.The only time Ive had any pain was the whole week after op when I had many sleepless nights because of it. I think it was the tightness of the stitches. Ive had no pain before that and none since the stitches came out. Graft from my leg has not been painful at any time, dressing came off that few weeks ago and now just moisturising it. I naively thought the dressing for head wound would come off around the same time. When I asked the nurse how many weeks she said we're talking months not weeks which I hadnt realised. Looks like Ill just have to wait for results. In saying that maybe consultants secretary could tell me if they are actually back or they're still waiting for them. 

You are very welcome as it is a very challenging time for you.  Possibly the consultant has given an appointment when he actually has some availability and allowing for biopsy results as well.  In my case with my NHS biopsies where I had the big BCC I started phoning the consultant secretary after six weeks and then phoned once a week and got an appointment with a nurse practitioner for my results.  When I paid to have a private biopsy, felt the biopsy done by NHS had missed another joining area  (cost £1000 just for a biopsy) the results were back within a week and I saw the consultant privately one day after that for the results with a prearranged appointment same as you have.  Difference is shocking really. I paid for MOHS and had operation within 2 months of the private biopsy results.  The consultant said after the operation that it was an aggressive cancer.  If I had waited for MOHS with the NHS it would’ve been another eight months!!   People are suffering terribly with the NHS waiting lists in some areas and in Nottingham dermatology is one of the most pressured areas and it is so difficult to get NHS treatment here for skin cancer.  The mental stress being caused by people not being able to obtain treatment within reasonable timeframes is resulting in seriously affecting this Nations health.  I cannot even begin to think what it would be like without the charities and social media to help people through these awful times. You can message me any time.  I have never quite got over the shock  of becoming a different person when I look in the mirror.  

• When I was referred to consultant originally things actually moved very quuckly. He asked me to stay on after my appointment and he arranged for me to have a biopsy an hour later. I was back within couple of weeks for results and actual operation couple of weeks after that so all of that was pretty good. The plastics dept staff are the best and kindest Ive ever come across. Its just waiting for pathology to gef back with results now that seems to be taking time. Can I ask where exactly did you have yours removed from, was it your scalp? Mine isnt too large but is in an akward place just along from crown of my head where back of head meets top if that makes any sense. I already dont recognise myself any more as rare virus I had which led to chronic illness I have now paralysed my face on left hsnd side as well as leaving me with various other long term symptoms. Eight months is a helluva long time to wait for an op. Im in Scotland but things like waiting times and ops seem to be taking much longer in England. I had considered going private at first but as I said above things moved fairly quickly from firsr visit- biopsy- operation. Thanks again for taking time to reply. Ill keep in touch.