Possibly got basal cell carcinoma and dh unhelpful about appointment

[Ragglefrock]

I'm fairly sure I've got a bcc (skin cancer) on my shoulder - wont bore you with the details but it's textbook. I have suspected something awry for a while but couldn't see it properly and buried my head in the sand for about six months.
Anyway dh said I should get it looked at so I am planning on getting an appointment tomorrow. My dc2 is poorly with a fluey type bug no sickness (yet!) But feeling hot and feeling a bit sick. I asked if he would have a spare hour to watch her whilst I go to the doctors. He basically said no, he's a secondary school teacher and then has a meeting after school about a trip (that hes going on but not leading). I'll have to take dc2 and dc 3 with me. The doctor is at the end of our road and we live literally next door to the school so he often is home in the day to collect marking or work during free periods.
I'm kind of annoyed really, and a bit upset that despite us both agreeing that it looks dodgy, fits classic symptoms and presumably will mean a bit of minor surgery or treatment or whatever he won't step in and help for an hour. The meeting isnt critical, he has a couple of free periods and his head is reasonable over organising cover.
I'm genuinely unsure if iabu - weighing up the potential hassle factor for him against me being too needy. Im a sahm.

I took my dc with me for exact condition. Was given a biopsy with them sitting in room. They were 4 and 6. Infact I done all appointments with them in tow. Went for surgery under GA to remove the growth at 9am, booked them into Afterschool and picked them up .at 5.30. I was in theatre for 4 hours. Felt like utter crap but DH was working and couldn't get time off. I was nearly kept in overnight after the surgery due to low blood pressure but told the nurse I had to get home and she reluctantly discharged me. Sometimes you just have to get on with things.

so everyone seems to be saying its fine to take a probably contagious child to the doctors. Is there anyone else who can have dc if your dh can't.

so now you only go to the gp with non-contagious illnesses?
most of us just think reschedule if child is that ill, anyway

its not just a -'relatively less' serious form of cancer. its an incredibly less serious form of cancer. what other cancer is treated by gp operation in surgery (if not on face) and has a pretty much 100 percent survival rate without any other treatment?

Sanfairyanne, bcc can be biopsied in a gp surgery but has to be surgically removed. They can cause damage to surrounding tissue. But the big thing about this thread is, the op cant be certain what it is. She really needs to get it checked.

of course getting it checked is a good idea but today tomorrow or next week (esp in the context of a 6 month wait) is no big deal. the wait for the op could be many months anyway depending on which area she is referred to

www.patient.co.uk/doctor/basal-cell-carcinoma

gp can remove if it is below neck and they have facilities etc
job done

Good luck with the appointment today op

sanfair, it is still cancer though. Serious or not! And the OP doesn't even know if it is BCC or something more serious. I don't think she's being 'OTT', as another poster claimed, to call BCC what it actually is.

Sanfairyanne telling OP it's no big deal to delay now because she has left it 6 months already is reckless. It is not definitely BCC.

Good luck with your appointment OP.

Hope all is ok today

I have had two one on back and one on shoulder. Both removed by a plastic surgeon in hospital. So it really does depend Sanfairyanne.

it is absolutely not reckless to suggest a 1-3 day wait. the op has apparently been happy to wait 6 months.

it depends, bear , partly on your gp/facilities/experience. some wont be able to do it. neck and face are plastic surgeons - six month wait for my mil

I can't believe the posts on here. You are definitely NOT being unreasonable. MN attracts some real weirdos.

Look, every ones experience is different. The upshot is, see your gp, about anything you are concerned about

Amd to be honest Sanfairyanne, some of your posts have been pretty reckless and posting as though you have knowledge. And lacking in sympathy

I left mine and left mine (knew it was a dodgy mole, didn't know what kind) because I'm a bury-my-head kind of person.
Eventually went, referred quickly to dermatologist who wasn't sure, just knew it had to come off.
I was in within a fortnight and they insisted I was first on the list for the operating theatre.

It was a BCC and apart from a 4" nearly invisible scar on my leg, all is fine.

But no-one knew that until the biopsy results a couple of weeks later.

People procrastinate about going to the doctors all the time over very, very, very serious things. The procrastination is not evidence it's not serious. In fact, it's often evidence to the contrary. Both because people procrastinate over things they're scared of (i.e. potentially very serious things) and because things become progress into serious matters due to initial neglect/lack of treatment.

Or to put it another way, if someone doesn't submit their self-assessment to HMRC and the deadline is this week, does the fact that the person has procrastinated about it for ages mean it isn't urgent?

a 1-3 day wait will make naff all difference and yes i do lack sympathy for op. i know loads of people with bcc and none of them made a big song and dance about it. otoh my mum had melanoma and plenty of people totally misunderstood how it was different from bcc cos they are all skin cancer. yeah right
meanwhile my dad is currently dying of actual kills you kind of cancer that needs chemo radio operations and still kills you
probably am a bit oversensitive to little flowers with bcc

it needs checking out. op has waited six months. if she couldnt take her kids to one appointment, i suggest she makes another, rather than guilt tripping her husband over cancer

just re read and noticed op did in fact remake the appointment for the next day. nice easy solution.

'A relatively less serious skin cancer'. Really, StarlingMurmuration ?

Pls educate yourself before making such comments.

A BCC is, in 99% of cases, nonmetastatic, non life threatening and non serious. Conversely a malignant melanoma is an extremely serious diagnosis, melanomas are potentially deadly, and can spread very quickly to almost any area of the body — a wider variety of areas than any other cancer. A BCC is therefore absolutely not 'relatively' less serious. There is no comparison.

My dermatologist told me that when diagnosing people with BCCs he rarely mentions cancer, as such phrasing is unnecessarily alarming because when 'cancer' is mentioned, people immediately think of serious illness, chemo and death when all that a person with a BCC is faced with is a minor OP under local anaesthetic.

There really is no need for dramatic phrasing.

So sorry to hear about your dad, sanfairyanne

i 100 percent agree

thanks poopooweewee. probably making me a bit over-grumpy. should probably stop posting!