Please help. Just found this on my dad's back.

[sprigatito]

My dad's partner died of cancer a few days ago, he and I were with her when she died, and I've brought him home with me until the funeral (and probably permanently). He's got Alzheimer's and his partner was his carer. He's been looking pained and twisting his shoulder, he said it's just a spot, but I made him show me his back and found this. It looks just like the squamous cell carcinoma he's had removed before, only it's enormous. He's lost weight and is pale and more vague and breathless than usual, but I thought it was just grief

This is really fucking bad, isn't it? He survived stage 4 lymphoma in 2017 and has a heart condition. I have a doctor calling me back from 111, but should I just take him to A&E?

Your DH is my hero. I didn't know that @sprigatito

Without wishing to derail the thread, there are books written by dementia sufferers https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/26/wendy-mitchell-obituary

Thinking of you OP.

It’s so so stressful caring for a lo with dementia isn’t it?

My 82 year old mum has Alzheimer’s and I help care for her. Two months ago we found a massive lump on her breast which turned out to be an invasive grade 3 breast cancer. With the pent up stress of the last 4 years of caring for her and then a horrible cancer diagnosis I had a breakdown over it BUT her cancer has tuned out to be treatable and the positive thing about it is she is totally unaware that she has cancer.

I hope all goes well for you and you dad, wishing you both all the best xx

Hope he’s been seen and it turns out to be a cyst etc

Like others have said, I've no experience of such things, but that looks bad.

I'm so sorry you're going through such a crap time OP. But all you can do is take things one day at a time. Just keep trying to do the next right thing.

Just come out of the surgery - I'm not happy, but maybe you lot can talk me round if IABU? He was seen by a nurse practitioner, she has put him on the 2 week wait for a dermatologist. She didn't take his temperature or blood pressure and didn't take any blood, just prodded it a bit and said she'd refer him. I don't think a two week wait is reasonable, I did say he's lost weight and is breathless etc but she didn't seem concerned. No pain relief either.

I wouldn't be happy either, but I'm not surprised as they did similar with my dad a couple of years ago.

OK, from my experience, this is the protocol. It's a maximum 2 week wait on the cancer escalation pathway. In our case, my Aunt was seen about 9 days after the GP referred her. You should be able to check on exactly where the referral has been sent to, and then you can call and say you can come with 2 hours notice, for a cancellation, or the like.
If he becomes unwell other than this, or deteriorates, you need to push for the GP to see him. You can register him as a temporary visitor/resident, for (I think) up to 3 months; it's been a long time since I looked at it. Then he has the same care as you would have. You make such a nuisance of yourself, that they would have to see him - and if not, it's 111 every time.
Wishing you well. It's all super stressful.

The two-week pathway is an urgent referral.

Ok, I'll accept it then. Some posters talked about being seen sooner, and I would have liked him to have been seen by a doctor and a bit more of a thorough work-up, but it's probably just because I'm so worried about him.

Make sure you get him registered with a GP now then maybe you can speak to the practice manager?

Posters are right the 2 week pathway is the fastest referral.

But the nurse should have arranged a whole raft of blood tests.

My Dad had a mole on the back of his head. I contacted the GP and they referred him to an external specialist who got in touch straight away. I had to download an App with a code from them so I could send photos - much more comfortable for him than hours in A and E. They removed it quickly too. I hope it's nothing nasty x

I did think they might at least test his white cell count, given his history with cancer 😞

It means a maximum of two weeks, so he will hopefully get seen sooner than that. It wouldn't have hurt to give him a checkover, but they will do all the bloods and biopsies when he gets seen by derm anyway.

It's times like this I wish we had a more American-like healthcare system though. He would have been seen tomorrow.

OH that's pants. But at my surgery normal. I only get a GP appointment on the phone, physically only the nurse. No wonder three of ours have left in the last two months.

It might speed things up if you can ask for him to be referred for blood tests in the meantime. Then when he gets his appointment they can look at the tests rather than having to order them and wait for results.

I don't mean to disparage the nurse btw, it just wasn't the kind of examination I was expecting.

It wouldn’t help the referral though and imagine they will do all of that in the clinic. PP are right to say two week referral is the urgent response and he may well be seen before that.

If you can go private you can get it removed sooner.
My husbands dodgy mole which turned out to be melanoma was removed 4/5 weeks after his initial GP appointment so I think 2 weeks is very good.
Fingers crossed for you that it is benign 🤞🏻

A two week wait should mean he’s seen within two weeks. When I was referred 2ww to a different department I was seen in three days. Obviously it will be department dependent. The 2ww pathway is the most appropriate referral pathway for suspected cancer.

it’s a worrying time and I hope he’s seen soon, often the uncertainty feels worse than knowing xx

@sprigatito

There's nothing stopping you from contacting the Dermatology admin staff (they're called Patient Pathway Coordinators now), chasing up the referral and seeing if they can get you in any earlier.

Worst they can say is no.

Get the name of the person you speak with and keep them as your contact until sorted x

It won’t help the referral no but it could show red flags immediately.

Btw OP - I don’t know if you’re in London but my mother’s urgent 2 week dermatology referral turned out to be 8 weeks due to NHS overwhelm and I ended up taking her to a private dermatologist.

Good that a referral is in place

If he has a problem in the meantime, if it’s with pain, breathlessness or anything else, you can always contact GP/A&E/111 etc