Skin cancer

Hi Cats91 and welcome to the group although I wish you hadn't had to join us.

Everyone here knows how scary being told you have cancer is and we're all here to support you. Perhaps you could tell us something about your diagnosis, ie what type of skin cancer you have and whether you have just started or have finished your treatment.

((hugs))

My doctor did tell me but I don’t think I registered it in my head sorry not much help I just don’t no what to think 

Have you had a biopsy to confirm your doctor's diagnosis yet or been given cream to remove the lesion?

Not yet my doctor has requested an urgent appointment to be honest I don’t no what to think of it all does this happen to everyone 

Your GP will have to follow the guidelines that are laid down by NICE when he or she sees a patient. If your lesion ticks the right number of boxes then an urgent referral, rather than a non-urgent referral, will be made to the dermatology department of your local hospital so that a consultant can take a look. This does not mean that you definitely have skin cancer, it's just suspected at this stage.

I've had suspected moles removed and also a suspected basal cell carcinoma in the past so I'm quite happy to share my experiences of these procedures with you if you want to know more.

x

I am sorry for what you are going through I am waiting for an appointment I do suffer with depression and anxiety I also have COPD and Addisons Disease osteoarthritis but you have to keep getting up to move on yes please how did you feel when you first got told I honestly can say I don’t think it has sunken in yet 

Well, I've had various experiences so how I felt each time was different.

The first time I found a lesion on my arm I went to see my GP who put me on the non-urgent pathway to have it looked at. As I wouldn't be seen for several months I decided to pay for a private consultation. I saw a consultant dermatologist just a couple of days later and he was confident that my lesion was non-cancerous, so I felt relieved. However, as he didn't know what it was he recommended that I swap back to the NHS and he would remove it and send it off for biopsy.

Six weeks later, I got the results and was totally shocked to be told that I had malignant melanoma and would need a further operation to remove a further margin of skin all around the original site to make sure that they had removed all the cancer cells. I had this further operation about 10 weeks later and everything was fine.

I was obviously scared about the diagnosis, as I know how bad melanoma can be, but I was reassured that it had been caught early and found that talking to people in the Macmillan melanoma group helped me to  understand and out things into perspective.

I've since been followed up every 3 months initially and now every 6 months where the dermatologist checks my existing moles to make sure they're still okay. It was during one of these check-ups that I pointed out what I thought was a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and my consultant decided she wanted to also remove a mole which she was a bit suspicious about.

The mole came back as an atypical mole, so nothing to worry about, while the suspected BCC was a BCC but it was all removed first time and no further treatment was required. 

This time around I was obviously relieved that the mole wasn't a melanoma and happy that the BCC had been totally removed. Although skin cancer, BCCs are nearly always 'cured' with simple surgery, rarely spread and are almost never a risk to life so I wasn't worried about having been diagnosed with one.

I'm not by nature a worrier and I'm lucky that I tend to just get on with whatever's thrown my way but I realise that not everyone is like that. You say that you suffer from depression and anxiety so it might be an idea to have a chat with your GP about this so that they can help you while you're waiting for your appointment.

What caused you to go to see your GP?

Hi cats91

How you're feeling is to be expected and I think all of us on here can relate to the shock and anxiety you are feeling.

I too have never been a sun worshipper and I still got a basal cell cell cancer on my nose which was removed last year. I also have a couple of other tiny areas that the surgeon is aware of.

Please feel free to ask us anything no matter how small it may seem.  It's not small to you.

This group is amazing as we've all been where you are now or are still receiving treatment. You'll get a lot of support here.

As a matter of interest whereabouts is your suspected skin cancer?

HI Cats91 I have had 2 basal cell skin cancers removed from my face last year, one by skin flap surgery and the other skin graft.  Like you I was terrified when the Dermatologist said he couldnt deal with it and referred me to a plastic surgeon and they were basal cell skin cancers. Of course you are worried, it is hearing the word cancer.  I am 74 not a sun worshiper, never been abroad, never used a sun bed and use sun cream all the time.  I was told if you are lucky enough to reach my age most people will get one of these things.  I am not convinced this is true.  My scars were not good to start with, but now a year on are not bad at all.  People tell me they cant notice them but I can.  Where abouts is your skin lesion.  Try not to worry too much, easier said than done I know, until you have seen the Consultant. How long have you had it.   A lot of people on this site tend to find gp's are not too good at diagnosing skin cancers. Good luck, keep in touch and please ask us anything as someone will have gone through it and can help you xx

Hi yes it is by the corner of my eye but the nose area