What do I do?

timbo · New User Joined: 20 Jun 2006 Posts: 1

Hi there,
Having read through a few of the posts here I can see I'm not the first person to come on here nervous and in need of peace of mind. I hope someone can help with some much needed advice.

I'm an Aussie living in the USA these days, and as many would be aware my homeland is melanoma capital of the world. For most of my 40-odd years I've been fairly vigilant and had a few suspicious moles removed, all of which were harmless, but just recently I've become very concerned about a mole over my right collarbone which for as long as I can remember was always a light brown in color and always at skin level.

Over the last week or so I noticed that it seemed to be getting a bit itchy, and I was a little surprised to find on closer inspection that it has become quite raised, about a 16th of an inch. It also has a small dark spot to one side. It's fairly uniform in shape, oval, about half an inch long and about half that across.

According to what I've read on various web sites it doesn't fit the bill in most respects for a melanoma shape wise, but the itchiness and thickness have me worried. For those interested, I've posted a blow-up of the picture on line - http://www.angelfire.com/blog/mole1

I tried getting an appointment today to see a Dermatologist, but the best I could do with most of them was to get a date around the end of July or early August. As everything I've read seems to indicate that the sooner I seek treatment the better (if it is indeed melanoma) waiting around for 6 - 8 weeks would seem to be an invitation to endanger my health, or my life. Or is it the case that such a length of time won't make much difference one way or the other?

It was pretty upsetting and unsettling dealing with some of the snotty responses and the take-it-or-leave-it attitude I received for appointments. I'm sure if half the women I spoke to on the phone found a suspicious lump in one of their breasts they sure as hell wouldn't want to be waiting for the better part of two months to get it examined. One of them even got me to answer a series of questions, tut-tutted over the thickness and itchiness I described, then told me they could squeeze me in around August the 8th!

What do I do? Sit pat, not worry, and take one of these appointments, or bust my gut trying to find a dermatologist who can get me in ASAP? It's the same old story - am I being prudent, or paranoid in worrying about this?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Tim

Larry · New User Joined: 16 Aug 2006 Posts: 8

Just saw your post today. By now, you have had your appointment. Hope all went very well. Yes, it is incredible that you are told to be vigilent, watch your body, and see a doctor immediately where warranted. Then you call, and they can "fit you in" in several months.

Note my most recent post (August 16) where I have to come back for my biopsy, 3 weeks out!

I guess the truth is that there are just not enough qualified dermatologists out there, or at least who specialize in skin cancer.

Maybe there needs to be a skin cancer emergency ward? No one wants to see something suspicious, then wait two months for an appointment followed by two weeks for the biopsy results.

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