Dodgy mole - any experiences ?

[Tillyscoutsmum]

I've always had lots of moles but now have one which looks and feels a bit dodgy. It is crusty (nice eh ?), has got bigger and itches.

I've made an appointment to see the GP on Friday but just wondered what to expect really ? Will they know immediately if its anything to worry about or will it have to be removed and biopsied (sp ?)

Any experiences and general hand holding gratefully received

i dont know as its hidden ... thats the worry ... it has always been there ,but not one i check as i forget its there ..(how silly am I )

now gone into over drive with worry

all i can say is its quite big ,
light brown in colour ,
little bit like skin tag bit (but not rough)
oval in shape little ragged NOT Mojor .
long hair coming from it .

not red, black patchy or many colours , sore , or itchy .
Is that good ?

Hi Choclab,

I wonder if you might be better off starting a thread of your own, that way people cna come and reassure you if you need them to - there are a few HA sufferers on here I know, it might be useful, like a support group.

Otherwise like Winny says, it ends up being randomly on other threads and it's not (sorry) really appropriate, because it's not strictly about the same issue iyswim.

Sorry you are feeling so bad. Will look out for your thread xx

Sorry

Don't feel bad;

the problem is, NOTHING we say will make you feel Ok about it...so we can try and try but it won't make any difference which is really frustrating, because all we want is to make you feel better.

go on - start a thread - you'd be surprised at how many sufferers there are on MN.

i know im sorry ..its me ...i just cant stop crying today will find or make thread .

poor thing, I am v fond of you if it helps.!

thanks , and thanks for listening to me go on , im going to go now got to sort my face out as kids got dentist in an hour and i look a right state , got to stop theses tears ..

bye for now x

If it helps you Choc-I have a mole which has changed colour (has darkened in the centre) and my gp is waiting for 8 weeks until she refers me under the current guidelines for moles that don't hit all the major 'red flags'.

So I've got to wait 2 months until I see a specialist (she wouldn't remove it either at the minor procedure clinic)

Keep calm eh-you are only waiting 3 days!

I agree with Fliight-HA is crippling and you need to address it otherwise you'll be looking out for the next big health scare.

I'm sure you'll be fine on friday and all will be well

Hi thanks posh , are you worried about it? if so you could ask again to be refered sooner i would think ..
or like i have done i now go to private clinic ...hense the only 3 day wait ..

hope you go ok to x

Poshwellies, I hate to say it but that's a rubbish system they have in place.

Moles don't need to have all the criteria, just one is enough - sometimes they have none! If you can face it, please push for an earlier referral - if it were to be MM time is of the essence.

Really shocked at your Dr, tbh.

It has concerned me every since I noticed the different colours.Being a pale and with literally hundreds of moles and whose had a severe sunburn in the past-I know I'm at a higher risk.

I think I will head back and see another GP in the practise and push for a urgent referal,our surgery is like bloody peak practise at the best of times .

Are there specialised mole clinics? Am in the arse end of Somerset so it's doubtful there is local to me.

Posh, it could be something or nothing, but you are absolutely right to be proactive about it.

Superdrug do a mole clinic, but not at every store - there's a map on their website if you google it. Ours don't!

There's one practice that does a mole clinic near here so you might be able to google it with your town and see what comes up, or the hospital might do one - might have to travel, Bristol maybe - they're sure to have something.

You'll still need a referral though it could be faster if someone sees it and is concerned.

GP sounds like she/he isn't taking it seriously, when they always, always should.

Hope you find some way to get it looked at sooner. Private derm clinic might be another way, they'd at least have a special scope thing.

Btw, I just googled mole clinic somerset and got a whole list of cosmetic surgery clinics.

Yes they will remove moles but their methods won't likely fit with diagnostic requirements - if it gets taken off, it has to be a proper excision, not a shave biopsy as this mucks up the pathology!

A punch biopsy isn't too bad though. Never accept a shave if you are concerned about somehting.

anyway...good luck!

Thanks fliight.

Spoke to dh and we both agree I should return to the gp and discuss my concerns and hopefully this will prompt her to refer me urgently.

Looking on the NICE guidelines,if she wanted to wait for 8 weeks before referal,she should of marked around the mole and photographed it so she could chart it's growth if any in 8 weeks..

Indeed.
It's frustratingthat GPs are not more specialised in this. But anyway - you are onto it. Which is the main thing!

You can photograph it too if you want - for your records - but it's really best not to let it grow at all! You can insist on it being taken off whether they think it necessary or not. Make sure they send it off, as well - sounds daft but you may need to request this!

Really, really hoping it's nothing bad. Remember MM is still very unusual to get, and it might be any number of other things

Let me know how you get on with GP x