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Original poster

Dodgy mole - very worried

76 replies

Thomasina76 · 06/12/2016 17:49

I had an unusual looking mole on my arm. Not sure how long it had been there (maybe a year or longer or may always have been there but only just noticed it!) but the shape was irregular and was two different colours and looked different to other moles so I went to see my GP. She took a look and said she thought it was ok but would refer me to dermatologist to check. Saw dermatologist today and got it removed and sent for biopsy. One of the drs I saw said he couldn't say if it was cancerous until the biopsy but the surgeon who removed it was very reassuring and said not to worry. He didn't think it was cancerous but just an unusual looking mole. He said even if it was then worse case would be they would just have to excise a bit more skin around the area as mole was very flat/shallow. He said not to worry and to assume I have been treated but I've just googled it and am now terrified. There seems at least a chance I could have skin cancer. So scared. Has anyone had similar scenarios that have turned out ok?

OP posts:
NavyandWhite · 06/01/2017 11:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pinkieandperkie · 06/01/2017 11:59

Everything crossed for you.

pinkieandperkie · 06/01/2017 12:00

Everything crossed for you.

pishedoff · 06/01/2017 15:12

Hope the appointment went ok Flowers

ilovewatchingcraptellyshows · 06/01/2017 16:16

I hope that the appointment goes okay for you. try not to freak out too much until then. Is there anything you can do to take your mind off it? Even just a little bit?

Original poster
Thomasina76 · 06/01/2017 16:23

Hi all. Well, had the appointment and turns out that it is/was indeed melanoma but stage 1A so early and hopefully curable. The consultant said most of the area was precancerous but a small part has turned cancerous which is why it is 1A. I need to go back in the next few weeks to have another 1cm cut out (just to be sure) then check-ups every 3 months for the next year. Iwouldgoout, it sounds exactly the same as your experience. TBH, I am not feeling too badly about it. Bit shocked that it is indeed the C word but also relieved it is nothing worse. I was literally imagining all sorts. Just hope I can manage to live life without torturing myself that it will come back. From what I can tell it is not likely to return but, as the consultant says, there are no guarantees. Also awful to imagine what would have happened if I hadn't got it checked. Presumably it would have gotten worse and spread.

OP posts:
Fluffythefish · 06/01/2017 17:02

I'm glad that it was caught early too. The excision that you will need I found to be much more of an operation than the mole removal and takes a bit longer so make sure you allow yourself rest time and a day or so off work if possible. It is a wierd sensation to know that you had cancer, but actually now you don't. I hope you do feel reassured and that a weight has been lifted

Greenfingeredfun · 06/01/2017 17:17

Good luck op, hope it all goes okay on Tuesday.

Greenfingeredfun · 06/01/2017 17:19

Ah, just seen your update. Thank goodness it's been caught early Flowers

OrlandaFuriosa · 06/01/2017 21:26

Well done for going. Thanks heavens you checked.

And now you know, funnily it may feel like a bit if a relief. But expect a few mood swings, it's only natural.

And remember what I was told by a lovely Macmillan nurse when I rang and said I had what might be a stupid question,

" there are no stupid questions with cancer".

So ask about anything you can't remember or are unsure about, take notes, think about your questions in advance.

I'm so glad they've got it now.

Original poster
Thomasina76 · 07/01/2017 12:23

Thanks all. Starting to sink in and now feel a bit more shocked and wobbly. It's because it's cancer. Do I now officially have cancer? Just trying to work out how this is going to impact my life.

OP posts:
lljkk · 07/01/2017 12:33

Good support here.
I guess everything we ever have could turn into something nasty, but at least you know yours is quite low risk.

iwouldgoouttonight · 07/01/2017 21:32

It does sound similar to what mine was like. Fingers crossed the rest of the process will be just as straightforward. If you're like me it will take over your thoughts a lot over the next few weeks, but now a year on I don't really think about it.

Things I found weird were the fact that I now get free prescriptions and that I can never donate blood again. That made it seem very real and serious. But in actual fact although the mole had begun to turn cancerous you no longer have it, the next stage is just a precaution.

Original poster
Thomasina76 · 08/01/2017 00:43

For how long do you get free prescriptions?? And why can you no longer donate blood? Also realised today that I may be able to get a pay-out under my critical illness cover. Always had life assurance but took out critical illness a couple of years ago after my friend got breast cancer. Guess that's the silver lining. Still, I would rather have my peace of mind back.

OP posts:
Original poster
Thomasina76 · 08/01/2017 00:48

Also, DH and I were thinking of having IVF in the next few months. The only thing stopping me was worrying about the cancer risk (IVF has been linked to ovarian cancer). Wondering if my diagnnosis has an impact ont this and gives me additional risk factors. I asked my consultant if it impacted IVF and he said no but not convinced.

OP posts:
iwouldgoouttonight · 08/01/2017 09:06

I get free prescriptions for five years. I think anyone with a cancer diagnosis does. I feel a bit of a fraud because once the mole was taken away I didn't have cancer any more and have never needed any prescriptions related to it.

With blood donating they are just extremely super cautious so they won't take blood if you've had a melanoma even if it has now gone. And now a year on I have been discharged from the hospital and have the same risk as anyone else if getting it again.

I don't know about IVF but I think it is extremely unlikely that it will affect that at all, as it is a local cancer that has been taken away so it won't affect the rest of your body.

Original poster
Thomasina76 · 08/01/2017 18:23

Thanks Iwould. The more it's sinking in, the more freaked out I feel. A friend added me to this forum for melanoma survivors which has totally freaked me out. I initially thought the mole has gone, that's it etc, but the more I read, the more scared I get. Keep crying and thinking I am going to die. I now see my life as before and after Friday when this massive shadow was cast over my life. I've had problems before but my health has never been in question. I feel that has all gone, along with my peace of mind. Am I overreacting?

OP posts:
ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 08/01/2017 18:35

A friend added me to this forum for melanoma survivors which has totally freaked me out

Stay away from the fucking melanoma forums!!!

You have had a biopsy. It will have been checked by two people. They can tell that it's not spread because they can visibly the cancerous cells are only in one place. 1A is bugger all -its hardly gone into the skin at all. When you get your wide area excision they will check again that there are no cancerous cells.

You are overreacting, but understandable. Seriously, stay away from those forums. If you were allocated a McMillan nurse use them - theynare there to answer your questions and are medically trained

sophie150 · 08/01/2017 20:48

I have a big dent in my leg from a melanoma. I'd let mine grow really big which was stupid. But it's all been fine since and the area cut out has filled in a lot since. Regular check ups for 5 years means you're well looked after and they'd pick anything new up really quickly. It's really scary at the time, but I barely think about mine any more. I'm just more conscious about wearing factor 50 in the summer and covering up wherever I can.

I also had ivf 5 months after the op. The ivf clinic just wanted to know that I'd had the all clear. The Macmillan nurse was super helpful and arranged for a letter to be written. It didn't cause any meaningful delay to the process. Please talk to the Macmillan nurse- I'm sure they will help reassure you.

Original poster
Thomasina76 · 08/01/2017 23:31

Thanks so much all. So reassuring. Feel a bit better. Going to take your advice and keep off the forums!

OP posts:
Original poster
Thomasina76 · 11/01/2017 17:41

I went back on the forum and am now terrified again. Apparently once you have had a melanoma, you can never say you are cured! This feels like a life sentence. Getting more and more paranoid and keep finding suspicious moles. My consultant checked me out last Friday but worried he missed them. I have my WLE on 24th - wondereing if I should wait until then to get them re-checked or try to get an earlier appointment. Those who had melanoma, how did you stop it taking over your life? Does anyone have any other positive stories to tell me?

OP posts:
MollyHuaCha · 11/01/2017 17:48

For you FlowersWineBrewCakeSmile

digerd · 11/01/2017 18:42

OP
I was diagnosed with a very dangerous black melanoma that was about to start spreading but caught just in time.

That was in 1985 and I have not had it come back or any other cancerous mole develop anywhere on my body.

I was told they had taken it all away and I worried only about getting any on my face as it had been on my upper arm.

A melanoma, just like most cancers, if caught before it starts spreading , is nothing to be worried sick about. It is also easy to keep checking on your skin as not hidden inside you.

And that is nonsense about never being cured once you've had a melanoma. Shame on whoever wrote/said that Angry

SparklyBusinessFuckingFairyNo1 · 14/01/2017 00:03

Hi Thomasina just wondering how you're feeling now?

I'm at the start of this process, saw a doctor at the start of the week who confirms I have what looks suspiciously like a skin cancer on my face and has referred me to see a dermatologist urgently. My mom has had skin cancer 3 times, I am quite dark skinned but very freckly and have been a sun worshipper in the past.

I have read this thread and totally get your worries and concerns, I'm scared but DH is falling apart (he does have MH problems and doesn't cope well with stress). Hope youre feeling OK

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 14/01/2017 11:42

I went back on the forum and am now terrified again. Apparently once you have had a melanoma, you can never say you are cured!

Well that's bollocks. I have now been signed off by dermatology departmemt as cured. My greatest risk now is another mole turning melanoma, not the original melanoma coming back/spreading.

Honestly, a 1a melanoma is bugger all. If you lived in Australia you're be getting them whipped off all the time.

Take a note of any moles you are concerned about, and at your next appointment ask about them specifically. Your consultant wont have missed anything dodgy, but if, like me, it will make you feel better they will give them an extra good check.