I was recently diagnosed and have a few questions. I went to a local dermatologist to get an "age spot" taken off my face and a mole check while I was at it. She did a punch biopsy of the spot on my face as well as a mole on my back (it's fairly large – maybe 3/4" wide) on 3/15. I've had a few mole checks in the past (I have LOTS of moles, fair skin, too many burns in the past) and this was the most cursory check I've had. Anyway, she said she was on vacation this past week so would get back to me when she returned unless something came up (which was not expected). So I get a call Wednesday and the nurse tells me the mole on my back is "early stage" melanoma. I was a bit shocked and at work and didn't think to ask more than what stage. The nurse said there was no stage because it was early and the dr would just cut it out and I'd come back for more regular checks after that. Made an appointment for a week later to see the dr. I googled after that and learned more about what to ask. Called the next day and she said the pathology report said "invasive melanoma", 0.3MM, and no ulceration. Overall I know this is good (maybe stage 1A?). Nurse scheduled surgery for 4/17 because that was the earliest they could get me in. I'm not feeling very comfortable about this because (1) I wasn't that thrilled with the check in the first place, (2) the nurse didn't seem to know what she was talking about and was minimizing my concerns/questions, and (3) the dr contradicted herself on how to address the other mole, which I won't go into here. Should I just have this dr take it off and be done with it, or find a new dr? This one is local and convenient but my confidence is low. On the other hand, if it's really not a big deal maybe it doens't matter? Also, is 3-4 weeks too long to wait? I'm also going to Hawaii next week on vacation with my kids. I have no idea how much to be concerned about sun exposure while there.
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