Appointment being cancelled

[Jody00]

well my appointment has been cancelled to check my mole at the hospital has covid19 has taking over again,so now on the 2nd of November got to have a telephone appointment how on earth there going tell me or check my mole or to get off my face aswell I dont know cos its horrible looking so just dont see the point having a telephone call instead now a was supposed to be going in on the 2nd but now change it over a telephone call not happy about this X

[Susana7]

They may follow-up with a face to face appointment after. I had an oral medicine appointment changed to a telephone consultation recently. Over the phone, I explained I had a new polyp in my mouth and they said I needed to come in to have it checked! It has now been checked and removed. If they think your mole is suspicious from your verbal description they should offer you a face to face to check. It is another hurdle to navigate over... Good luck. X

[Linda1950]

I had a similar issue a few weeks ago I sent photos to my GP practice a GP rang me that afternoon saying he thought they looked ok, I had two I was concerned about. When I told him I'd had several removed over the years and was advised to have any I was concerned about checked out he gave me an appt for two days ahead. I was told they were fine and in fact warts, they're known as wisdom warts as they develop with age, I'm 70, hope you have the same outcome.

[JediReject]

Hi Jody, , isn't it annoying when everything grinds to a halt and potentially serious health issues are pushed aside for an undetermined period. I had a brown mole like patch comd up on my leg and because of my SCT am more prone to secondary cancers. I rang my GP fully expecting an appt as they're not busy because the surgery being small is effectively closed.

Receptionist : " oh there's no way you can come in and see the doc"

Me: seriously ? "Im concerned about a fresh blemish on my calf"

Receptionist: " you'll have to send a photo to our email"

Me : " With respect how can the doc tell from a photo as it needs checking properly"

So I had my wife take a couple of pics as I couldnt get a good shot where it was. Doc looked and rang me suggesting it was eczema which I've never had before and prescribed a topical cream.

The following week I neededbloods for Manchester but again was denied.

I know it's a hard time for everyone but I feel many of us are being left high and dry by our local health providers.

Good Luck - Chris

[Inca in reply to JediReject]

Good grief Chris,after all you have had to go thru,I would have thought you would get priority treatment for anything. Keep well as possible and keep safe .Such ghastly times we are in.Very Very 'Pensees Chaleureuse'.Sally

[JediReject in reply to Inca]

Not at present , , to be fair I've been well looked after generally but it seems like my surgery has shut shop. Whereas my Dad's not far away, which is a very large practice remains open. I don't know exactly what they're doing at mine because there appears to be a full complement of staff working. Except my supportive GP who I found out from the local Gazette has now retired ! .

Anyway as you rightly say ghastly times and not just because it's Halloween 🎃

Stay safe mon amie - Chris

[Dovme]

Sorry to hear - what crazy times. Can they not give you a Zoom appointment. Better then emailing photos ? Hope you manage to get a proper response

[hunter5582]

At a minimum insist on a tele-video conference call. Every doctor I see offers these. They are easy to set up. They are vastly superior to mere telephone calls. Emphasis is on insist. Assertive patients receive higher quality care. Passive patients do not.

As others suggested, email them pics as well. Suggest you indicate concern that this may be a melanoma and insist on ruling it out. I am guessing that is what you are worried about. Healthcare systems have a lot on their plates these days and unfortunately are blowing off legitimate concerns based on their own priorities. Your concerns are legitimate and deserve to be addressed promptly.

"Although it may not be serious, a mole that bleeds is a possible sign of melanoma — a rare but serious skin cancer that can spread if left untreated."

newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/...

Have said that, please do not worry unduly. It likely is just a mole that is bleeding. You just do not want to assume that is the case and you do not want to let your provider do the same. The COVID crisis does not excuse healthcare systems from providing proper care, though it does make it more difficult. Suggest you be polite but insistent. Squeaky wheels get oiled. Quite wheels get ignored - even if they need attention.

All the best to you. Please let us know how things turn out.

[MPNBlog]

Hi Jodie00, I understand your concern. From my skin cancer clinic's advice, it's not about how horrible it looks, but if it's changing. I suggest you take regular photos (say weekly for 6 weeks). Where I go, they monitor changes rather than simply how the mole looks, and the clinic keeps a log of photos for careful scrutiny. I must say it's very difficult for the lay person to know if it's melanoma from the looks. I had a horrible looking large one on my arm which everyone commented on and said 'have you had that checked?' and it wasn't a problem; and my daughter had a very small ordinary looking one that even the GP said he thought wasn't melanoma and it was. So you need someone with experience who monitors carefully, rather than a one-off appointment. There are 5 main factors to monitor which I'm sure you'll find through google. The key one for my daughter was that it looked like an 'orphan' on her ie not like any other of HER moles, rather than any other specific characteristics. BTW, MPN patients have approx 15% increased incidence of all other cancers so you ought to be on their alert list, especially if you have taken Hydrea. I hope you get support soon. All the best.

[Dovme]

Fairly routine here in Germany to get an annual specialist referral for a skin test. These days they use a scanning machine that gives a numerical value as to a moles level of risk. I had two moles removed both benign. The procedure here seems to be if it looks like it could be or has the potential to be then remove it.

Mine were removed well before my ET diagnosis

Skin cancer. Org publishes the 'abcde' Test - it’s not conclusive but perhaps helps as an alert for melanoma at least

The first five letters of the alphabet are a guide to help you recognize the warning signs of melanoma.

skincancer.org/skin-cancer-...

'A is for Asymmetry. Most melanomas are asymmetrical. If you draw a line through the middle of the lesion, the two halves don’t match, so it looks different from a round to oval and symmetrical common mole.

B is for Border. Melanoma borders tend to be uneven and may have scalloped or notched edges, while common moles tend to have smoother, more even borders.

C is for Color. Multiple colors are a warning sign. While benign moles are usually a single shade of brown, a melanoma may have different shades of brown, tan or black. As it grows, the colors red, white or blue may also appear.

D is for Diameter or Dark. While it’s ideal to detect a melanoma when it is small, it’s a warning sign if a lesion is the size of a pencil eraser (about 6 mm, or ¼ inch in diameter) or larger. Some experts say it is also important to look for any lesion, no matter what size, that is darker than others. Rare, amelanotic melanomas are colorless.

E is for Evolving. Any change in size, shape, color or elevation of a spot on your skin, or any new symptom in it, such as bleeding, itching or crusting, may be a warning sign of melanoma.

[Jody00]

Thankyou for advice guys can understand why there trying not to call us in hospital has we are a high risk and and nhs staff have alot in aswell with the visus but hospital rang me day before my appointment and ask me to go in face to face I got it wrong wasnt a mole but a really thought he was the way it look etc it was a visus wart but there freeze for me while was there did hurt but be off in next 2 weeks thankyou u all again flr advice 😊 Xx