Mole Check waiting list 7 years
Good afternoon, I am looking for advice about having a mole check. I fall into the "high risk" category with red hair, fair skin and multiple moles all over my body. The crux is I am a public patient and do not hold any private health insurance (nor can afford any). I recently went to my GP to seek referral for a mole check to the Limerick Regional Hospital and was told that the waiting list for dermatology is 7 years!!! She has given me contact details for private specialists. Can anyone tell me what my options are at this stage and costs involved? Thanks for help in advance
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hi,
i had a flat freckle/mole on the right side of my neck (which was harmless) since my teens. as there was nothing to be concerned about,i ignored it. i am 25yrs old now and over the past yr i suspected that it had gotten slightly bigger (at first i thought i was imagining this), but then it was mentioned to me by mother. i had then started to think about getting it checked, just to be on the safe side, but i still put it off
in the last couple of months, i noticed a section in the centre was slightly darker than the rest so i went to see my doctor. he seemed to think it was ok, but to be safe, he sent me for an urgent referral to a surgeon, who happened to have a specialist area in melanoma.
i was lucky to only have to wait a few days to see a member of his team (due to a cancellation),about 2 week after that i had the mole removed which was still fairly flat. when results came back, they discovered that this was melanoma. i was extremely lucky as they were satisfied that it was caught extremely early, so they would not have to test any lymph nodes etc, to see if it had spread or any further ongoing treatment. what they did do was bring me back for minor surgery on the same area where they removed small sections of skin to check for any abnormal cells. i will be then sent to a dermatologist to check all my skin.
to cut a long story short and not to panic anyone, i was lucky i went to my doctor and he sent me for an urgent referral to a surgeon and i had the mole removed. not everyone is the same. i am not an expert but for multiple moles, a dermatologist probably is the best first step to be referred to. if you are concerned about anything, you are absolutely right to get it checked. better to be safe. i was lucky[/size]
Hi Karen,
I find that wait absolutely incredible. However the only advice i can suggest is that you ring the Irish Cancer Society Freefone helpline on 1800-200-700 and speak to one of the cancer support nurses. I'm assuming that the nurses there will be able to advise you as to the next move.