Hostile fanny

[Leopardprintcurtains]

About 6 months ago when waxing my bikini I noticed I’d developed a rather large mole on my vag- literally right at the entrance to the vagina/ back of the inner labia. It’s very ugly although dh swears he’s never noticed it. Admittedly he’s not down there often these days.

I don’t know how long it has been there because I usually shave so mirrors aren’t needed- from a guess my last wax attempt was over a year ago. I initially thought the mark was poo and I’d somehow managed to shit myself mid wax but sadly it didn’t wash off.

Like the dickhead I am, I left it a few weeks, partly hoping it would go away and partly because I didn’t want to take my scabby bits up to the doctor to be looked at.

Long story short, my minge has had more people poking around in the last few weeks than during my entire 20’s.

Yesterday I had seven punch biopsies taken for suspected vulval melanoma.

I am really scared.

I don’t even know what I’m expecting by posting this but I don’t want to worry my husband more than he already is and I haven’t told anyone else about it.

Also name change for this one

You poor thing. This must be so scary. But at least you are being investigated now.
There isn't nearly enough advice around regarding self checking. Most of us can't see very well around that area. Not without a mirror, anyway.

Well done for going to the Dr and not ignoring it as I’m sure a lot of people would. It sounds scary but it sounds like you are keeping a good sense of humour!

You poor thing. Sending a hug. Well done for going to get to looked at.

Thank you- I’m terrified.

I’m also so angry at myself for putting off getting seen straight away.

In hindsight having people see my pink bits isn’t half as scary as the thought of leaving my kids without a mother.

I will never forgive myself if I’ve made it worse by delaying seeing a doctor. I hope it’s just an ugly mark and not sinister.

Everything crossed (including my legs eek) that this turns out to be summat and nowt.

Everything crossed for you OP

It does sound really scary, OP, I cannot imagine! Don't beat yourself up too much, it's difficult to go to the GP and show of your vulva in all its glory! It's the reason why thousands of women avoid smear tests! At least you did eventually get it checked out and if it is good news it's one less thing to worry about, and if it's bad news at least you have caught it as early as possible!

Please keep us updated on your progress. We're here to support you either way

Thanks again all, I just needed to get it off my chest.
It’s all I can think about. I just don’t want my girls to have to worry that their mother is sick or might not be there.
Half of me feels like I’m being over dramatic and it will be nothing and the other half needs a padded room and some Prozac.
The waiting is just horrible, I think if I knew one way or the other then I could at least work out how to best go forward and be proactive instead of just sitting with this sick anxious feeling in my stomach and waffling on at you lovely lot on here.

The wait for test results is the worst time OP.

Hopefully it turns out to be nothing.
But, if the results show something and if you require any sort of treatment (which could range widely), once you know what you're dealing with, you'll start to regain control.

Best of luck

Thinking of you x 💐

I had vulval melanoma 25 years ago and am still here to tell the tale.
My initial mole appeared from nowhere and I ignored it. It started to itch....I still ignored it. However with a family history of malignant melanoma I did eventually come to my senses and get it checked out.
It was removed within 5 days of me seeing my GP and discovered to be malignant. A week later I had a wide excision done. Basically a wider and deeper area of skin removed. I had quite a big scar but the surgeon did a pretty good job of keeping the scar in natural folds. You would barely know it was there now.
Fortunately it was fully removed and I had regular follow ups- monthly, then 3 monthly, six monthly until I was 10 years clear.

I remember the fear of the diagnosis and my odds of survival, but I beat them.
As I say, this was 25 years ago and treatment/surgery has moved on a lot since then. It sounds like you are in safe hands so I hope you get the news you want, and if by chance it's something not so good, your treatment is swift and effective.
Sending best wishes to you.

demolitionduo I hope your story will help the OP. I’m certainly glad that the outcome was positive for you

@demolitionduo thank you so much for sharing your story! I’ve been avoiding google and it’s not something that is widely known of so I’ve been somewhat in the dark

Hi @Leopardprintcurtains - I had a vulval melanoma last year. Waiting for results really is the hardest part. Whatever it is, there will be a plan. Try not to google - treatment for melanoma has advanced massively over recent years.
I had surgery and immunotherapy, but the immunotherapy gave me liver issues so I had to stop. I now get scans every 6 months and skin checks every 3 months. My skin checks have shown up a couple of areas of pre-cancerous skin - I’m having another op in a couple of weeks to remove one. But I’m cancer free for now!
I too left it for months before having it looked at.
Do you know when the results will be back? Try to keep yourself distracted in the meantime.
If you have any questions I’ll try to answer them.

I have no knowledge to offer but want to wish you a speedy test result and a positive outcome.
I also want to thank you for highlighting this, how many of us check down there? How many of us would delay seeking medical advice? Hopefully your experience will encourage us to be a bit braver. I say this a someone with a skin tag on my perineum who will be checking this today.
All the best to OP

@Leopardprintcurtains, hope you are doing OK. When are you expecting your biopsy results? Hoping it's soon so that either way you can get your head around next steps, if any are needed.