What should I do?

I'm ready to beat my head against the wall, I am so frustrated.

I have a spot on the back of my lower neck. I noticed it last June. It wasn't always there -- I have pictures of a vacation I took 8 months previous and it doesn't appear.

Since I found it, it changed shape and grew in size a bit and also started sticking out a bit. As soon as I discovered it, I went to my GP. She measured it and said to come back in 6 weeks. I came back in 6 weeks. She measured it, and it was slightly bigger. She said it was nothing and not to worry about it. And that's what she keeps repeating every time I ask her about it, which was twice since last summer. But it's changing in shape and I already had one mole removed a few years ago from the same area.

She will not give me a referral to a dermatalogist even though by now I am so freaked out, I am willing to pay to go private. But I still need a referral.

I don't understand: even if I am just a hypochondriac and nothing's wrong, I'm willing to lay out my own money to assuage my fears. Why won't she give me a ref?

I'll be in the U.S. this summer and I'm considering just trying to get it looked at there since I can just make an appointment with a dermatologist directly. But it's still incredibly frightening and incredibly frustrating.

Is there any possibility of asking to see another doctor within the surgery you go to? I am registered with a certain doctor but if I am not happy with the prognosis I always ask to speak to another doctor there.

Is it changing color or becoming itchy, red around the edges??

I hate the way doctors brush people off sometimes....if its a concern of yours then it should be checked out.

On a side note and I know its naughty..but...play on it a little..tell them your having sleepless nights worrying about it, you have been in tears and its causing you tummy upsets with stress..even if its not.  They have to take stress very seriously and should check you out further...

You can also walk into another surgery and say to them that you don't want to register but you would like another opinion on it....you may have to pay a little...but a nurse will at least check it out

i'm sorry your dr's not taking your concerns seriously- i went in with a weird looking mole and got a referral no problem.  only waited about 6 weeks or so for the appointment.  keep asking .  is there another dr in your surgery?

Even if there's nothing wrong with it you can have it removed on the NHS, but you need to tell them it's causing you practical problems, like it rubs on your clothes and jewellery.  You have a it removed at a GP day surgery and then they send it to a lab for analysis and will let you know if it's malignant.  So, I would just go back to your GP and say even if there appears to be nothing wrong, it's bothering you and you want it excised.

I once woke up and a mole on my back had bled during the night  (Looking back...I think i just must have itched it in the night) and DH freaked out and brought me to the doctor next day and it was still red with a halo around it.. so the Dr. referred me to the plastic surgery unit at our hospital and it was removed within 3 weeks.. tested... and negative.  Some doctors are just more cautious than others I suppose.  I would get a 2nd opinion or just tell them you NEED it removed because you've been monitoring it and it has changed.  You need to be persistant and if that fails get a 2nd opinion...

To be honest.. when i went to see that consultant at the hospital plastic surgery unit she kept asking if there were any others I wanted removed... and kept saying 'what about that one, and that one, and that one' she wanted to cut them all out! haha... i just said noooo.. just the one please.

The surgery itself is fairly painless... I found the needle to numb me more painful than the actual surgery or recovery.. i kept it covered for about a week.. and they gave me disolveable stitched that disappeared within 3 weeks...

Mort, sorry to hear about this, you are right to be concerned, especially when the medical professionals that you are supposed to trust dont take you seriously.

I hear good things about NHS Direct, if you called them, maybe they could speed your referral along? Dont leave it until you go to the US..

NHS Direct are great, but they can't do referrals and will just tell you to go to your GP if they think it's concerning.... I agree with the other suggestions for a second opinion - ask for an appointment with a different GP within your surgery - that shouldn't be a problem!