BCC - experience with NHS wait times?

Hi Mandy123,

My health board is Aneurin Bevan and I've been referred to UHW in Cardiff for the Mohs surgery on the 2 infiltrating BCC's on my forehead.

Following the message below I chased UHW. The dermatology department told me that had no record of my referral. I was given an alternative telephone number, left a message and heard nothing further from them. I telephoned my Dermatologist's secretary who was so understanding and helpful, gave me the correct contact details, but chased it up herself and I now have an appointment in a month - not for the Mohs surgery just for a consultation. At least that is a step forward at last. 

As for appointments in South Wales I am also awaiting a cardiology appointment for a heart ablation - I was referred in January. 

I'm sorry to hear that your experience is just as bad in Nottingham and hope that you manage to get something in place soon to resolve this for you X

Hi sorry to hear you are having to struggle too.  Sorry you are also waiting for cardiology, tough  times.  Still good you now have an appointment in a month. Have you already seen a dermatologist in the NHS or was it a private consultation.  Not sure from your post.   You must be really feeling beleaguered.  I was born in Cardiff  but brought up in the valleys. I am now paying to have the MOHS on the 23rd.  It has badly affected my mental health and although it is not easy to raise such a large sum of money my family have helped.  
I have sent you a friend request if you would like to keep in touch.  

I sought private care for the 2 BCCs that were on the side of my cheek and my eye in 2017. I had been misdiagnosed for 5 years. 

The three BCC's I have now were  referred in June 2022 and I saw the  Dermatologist in November 2022 and results of Histology January 2023. 

It took me a few years to pay off the loan I had to pay for the private treatment, that still took 3 months from referral and that was pre-covid. I was treated in the same worn out dirty building alongside the NHS patients and had to pay a separate fee to the health board for using their premises and to the histologist. 

It's a difficult and personal decision, what route to take and it's sad that we sometimes feel pushed in to going in to debt. I've been on both sides and all I can say is that I understand totally. 

Thank you for your friend request I didn't know that was a function on here but shall check it out now X 

Update ya'll I got my surgery date! This Monday! So I've been bugging the hospital's PALS department about this and they in turn were bugging the service manager. I feel like the service manager got sick of me and just asked them to book me in lol. Because the lady on the phone said "I've been ASKED to book you in for your skin procedure" which doesn't quite sound like it was just my turn on the wait list. Apparently making yourself a pain in the ass works for the NHS too lol. So I will have waited 6 weeks in total from my consultant appointment.

That's great to hear you've got your surgery date FreshFromTheGrave. Sometimes you do just have to make a nuisance of yourself 

I'll just update everyone on this thread instead of making a new one! So surgery is done, they've gone the conservative route because of the tricky location on my ear and the fact that they don't know for sure if it's cancer or not. So they've taken it out but with minimal margins and will have it analysed by pathology to know for sure. If it comes back as cancer and they didn't get it all, they'll need to go back in to get the rest out. So I should have those results in 2 weeks! For now, the anaesthetic is wearing off

I'm glad that your operation is over with and I'll keep everything crossed for a non-cancerous result.

x

Glad your ordeal is over and hope the pain isnt too bad, take some paracetamol every four hours for the first couple of days.  Let us hope for good news from the results.  Keep in touch.

FFTG - That's fantastic news that you've had your surgery and I'll keep everything crossed for you too that this is the end of your ordeal X 

Thank you so much everyone! Took the bandaging off today and it doesn't look as gruesome under there as I was expecting ;) Still bleeding a bit but now that it's exposed to air it should be able to dry out and start to heal properly. Managing nicely at the moment! The only problem is sleeping and having it drain straight into the ear canal and block my ear lol o.O