Help me to cope with the wait - a very bad feeling about a mole

[Wobblyheart]

I have GP appt booked for next week, but alarm bells going off big time. I am feeling really sick with worry. I found this new mole, don't know how long it's been there I haven't been tracking my moles much. It is in an awkward place and I only found it because I decided that it might be responsible to do a self check since i for high risk category for melanoma.

And there it was, this small (2-4mm) mole, much darker than any of other moles of mine. When I took pictures it didn't look too bad until I managed to get a macro shot
All I can see now are little spikes of dark pigment shooting out of it. Boots AI checker suggested melanoma as the 2nd most likely probability.

I don't know what I am asking. I have a young child and this just terrifies me.

Just wanted to comment as I had a mole very similar to this removed last year, I was also referred via 2 week wait as GP thought it had some concerning features (signs of regression - dappled like spots). I saw consultant who said she thought it looked atypical and removed it for biopsy there and then. I was very worried but the biopsy showed no atypical features and I was discharged. I hope it’s a similar outcome for you.

I had a brown mole that suddenly got black dots in it and the border became ragged. My GP referred me to see a dermatologist under the 2 week wait rule. She said they very often refer like that so that cancer can be ruled out ASAP. She also said most suspect lesions turn out to be harmless, as mine was. I know how you feel, it's very frightening, but you will get through it.

I've had several removed just to be on the safe side, and like you, they were scheduled for a time quite a few weeks in the future rather than urgently. They've all been benign. Try not to worry about it, if they were concerned they would have taken it off straight away.

Good luck with your brain MRI, it does sound like you're having quite a stressful few weeks!

@Wobblyheartdo you have any update? X

Mole was removed on 24 January , still haven't anything back which I am guessing is a good sign. I was told results might take 12 weeks

Glad you've had it removed , the wait doesn't actually mean anything so you can't second guess. My husband has just had a growth removed that was cancerous and he waited 14 weeks to find out if it was dodgy or not. I hope you don't have to wait that long!

Oh... I am so sorry to hear it. Does he need any further treatment? Oh it sucks, I thought that the longer you wait the better it is. So sorry it wasn't good news for your husband.

He's waiting to find out ,he was told it would be 2 weeks so keeping everything crossed. He was told it wasn't the serous skin cancer but they still have to biopsy it again once removed.

Different dermatology depts may do different things, but my friend did have melanoma and did not wait 12 weeks to hear that. It was quite a quick turn around. Unfortunately it is a serious type and she is having 3 monthly scans to check for spread. That was 2 years ago. 🤞

I've got family members with malignant melanomas and others with squamous and BCC.
The former were diagnosed and dealt with very quickly.
The squamous was treated seriously but not urgently over a course of several months.
The BCC were treated over years.

They're very different issues, treatments and outcomes and almost shouldn't really be described with one term (skin cancer).

All the best.

I just called my doc as this thread reminded me! I have a new lesion thing on my face, it’s sort of rough and I’ve been trying to exfoliate it away and picking at it like an idiot. They’ve given me a phone appointment for 2 weeks away! Wow. Should I go to my local urgent treatment centre? I consulted 111 already online and they told me to make a GP appt, which I told them on the phone and they kept saying yes it starts with a phone call. Hopefully mine isn’t cancerous!

No ,it's not urgent and 2 weeks is fine, honestly w weeks will make no difference in the scheme of things and urgent care won't be able to deal with it.

I would want to be seen in person unless you've sent in a photo of it.

Does your GP have econsult? I find it pretty good for this as you can include a good photo. Then GP will be able to triage quicker. You might still need to wait 2 weeks for a routine appt but if it looks concerning sending a photo could help expedite it.

I am so sorry that your family had to deal with this but I really appreciate you posting as your comment is so balanced and I think it will help many others not just me.