MRF-Logo2019-Horizontal-RGB
Trying not to panic. Appt May 9th
REGISTER
The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Content within the patient forum is user-generated and has not been reviewed by medical professionals. Other sections of the Melanoma Research Foundation website include information that has been reviewed by medical professionals as appropriate. All medical decisions should be made in consultation with your doctor or other qualified medical professional.

Trying not to panic. Appt May 9th

› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Trying not to panic. Appt May 9th

  • Post
    • May 7, 2018 at 4:15 am
    lamurphy1968
    Participant
      Hello,
      I have an appt with derm this Wednesday, May 9th, to have him look at a mole on my face, close to my ear. I can’t see it very good but it’s raised, scaly and itches. It’s not dark that I can tell but the scaly top is covering it. I decided to look at some other moles and found one that is freaking me out. I’m going to post a link to a pic oof it, .
      below for anyone who wants to look at it and give advise and/or opinions. I know that y’all can’t diagnose this.
      Thank You!

       https://imgur.com/gallery/UwsuU9v

    Viewing 3 reply threads
    • Replies
        • May 7, 2018 at 4:49 am
        Ginsy
        Participant
          Hi. I don’t think it is a good idea to ask this question. Try to stay calm until you hear what the doctor has to say. I will keep you in prayer.
            • May 7, 2018 at 5:11 am
            lamurphy1968
            Participant
              Why is it not good? I just posted it so people could see what I was talking about. I noticed other people had posted links to their pictures. I worked in the medical field for 18 years and know what it looks like but I also know it doesn’t have to be bad. Thanks for the prayers. I appreciate it very much!
            • May 7, 2018 at 10:14 am
            SABKLYN
            Participant

              I think what the responder may mean is as you point out, no one cam diagnose this without a biopsy.  A dysplastic nevus  or other atypical mole can resemble melanoma.  You’re doing the right thing in getting this checked out.  

                • May 7, 2018 at 11:58 am
                lamurphy1968
                Participant
                  Basically, I was just sharing the picture because I needed a little emotional support and saw in other posts where people did the same thing and got really good feedback from members. I can’t show the picture and discuss it with family and friends yet because they will get scared no matter how much I tell them not to be because my brother had melanoma as a teenager.
                  • May 7, 2018 at 12:10 pm
                  bjeans
                  Participant

                    That's okay, you can share your worry here. And you won't see posts from anyone here diagnosis a mole from a photo. Someone may say it *could* be such-and-such, but nothing definitive. Even my husband's dermatologist could only guess looking at a mole on him, and was wrong. Removal or a punch biopsy will tell the story. 

                  • May 7, 2018 at 12:05 pm
                  bjeans
                  Participant

                    My husband and I went to a melanoma symposium put on by his melanoma center on Saturday. During a presentation by the director , he showed us some slides of moles on various parts of the body, and asked which were melanoma. One that looked highly abnormal was not, and the one right next to it that looked fine was. I know you can't totally wish your anxiety away, but you're doing the right thing, Wednesday will be here in a minute, and no matter how many photos you look at, you simply can't know. Doctors often can't either. 

                    When in my 30s, I had a raised, scaly, itchy bump in between my eyebrows. It was an actinic keratosis, rare at that young age (30s is young now!), but not melanoma. Hang in there.

                    Beth

                     

                      • May 7, 2018 at 12:18 pm
                      lamurphy1968
                      Participant
                        Thank you, Beth! When I first made the appt, I was fine but the closer I get to the appt date, the more the “What ifs” are going through my mind. It’s so hard to not know for sure immediately, isn’t it? A huge part of medicine is being a detective, gathering information, etc. My brain has to remind me that this one isn’t something I can figure out. Lol! I don’t like the feeling of having no control.

                        Trisha 🙂

                        • May 7, 2018 at 3:04 pm
                        bjeans
                        Participant

                          You're right, it's like free falling. But we don't have control over as much as we'd like to think/pretend. That's my take, anyway. We can take precautions, but sometimes ZAP – we're gonna get got. Illness, car accident, job loss, something unexpected. Then we deal with it, somehow, in our own way. I think we humans are pretty brave, all things considered. And not knowing? That's one of the worst, at least for me. People here waiting for scan results sometimes talk about scanxiety, even those with many years post diagnosis. No one (I don't think?) is completely exempt. So at least don't feel alone. 

                          • May 7, 2018 at 4:50 pm
                          lamurphy1968
                          Participant
                            From reading people’s experiences, it seems that some docs approach biopsy one way and others approach it other ways. Same for scans. I feel very certain that he will biopsy both of these moles. When I worked, it was in emergency medicine so my dermatology knowledge is grossly limited.

                            Trisha 🙂

                            • May 7, 2018 at 5:01 pm
                            bjeans
                            Participant

                              A punch biopsy would be preferable. 

                              • May 7, 2018 at 9:02 pm
                              lamurphy1968
                              Participant
                                Ok. I’m pretty sure the receptionist said he would “scrape” them on Wednesday. Now I’m seeing people say scrape isn’t the way to go. :-/
                              • May 7, 2018 at 12:11 pm
                              marta010
                              Participant

                                Hi – my husband has tons of moles of all shapes, sizes and weird appearances, yet none of them are melanoma.   Although it's hard not to do, I've learned that worrying about what "might be" is really a waste of energy. Take care and breathe deeply. I hope you get good news at your appointment.

                                Ann

                                  • May 7, 2018 at 12:20 pm
                                  lamurphy1968
                                  Participant
                                    Thank you, Ann!

                                    Trisha 🙂

                                    • May 9, 2018 at 2:56 am
                                    almostalice
                                    Participant
                                      It’s Wednesday, wishing you all the best with your appointment.
                                      • May 10, 2018 at 9:50 am
                                      lamurphy1968
                                      Participant
                                        Hello!
                                        The appointment went well. He looked at the one on my face first and said he feels sure it’s a squamous. Then he looked at the mean one and said “Well, this is concerning”. He said a lot of things and asked me questions. After he got them off I asked if he thought that one mole was a bad one. He said “I’m wrong sometimes so I won’t say either way without pathology but I will say that it looks like we are catching it early.” So that made me feel better. Two weeks for the pathology report to come back. I hope it goes fast. Thank you for thinking of me!
                                  Viewing 3 reply threads

                                  Tagged: 

                                  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
                                  About the MRF Patient Forum

                                  The MRF Patient Forum is the oldest and largest online community of people affected by melanoma. It is designed to provide peer support and information to caregivers, patients, family and friends. There is no better place to discuss different parts of your journey with this cancer and find the friends and support resources to make that journey more bearable.

                                  The information on the forum is open and accessible to everyone. To add a new topic or to post a reply, you must be a registered user. Please note that you will be able to post both topics and replies anonymously even though you are logged in. All posts must abide by MRF posting policies.

                                  Popular Topics