› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › First appointment Monday morning for suspect spot on my face
- This topic has 7 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 8 months ago by
Abenites1985.
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- October 20, 2018 at 6:41 am
Hey all!33yo woman here with tons of sun damage from a misguided youth without sunscreen. My mom was a tanner and never taught me the dangers of sun damage or bothered with sunscreen, so when I became a lifeguard as a teen, neither did I. Tanning beds, deep suntans in the summer… and I’m a blonde Irish/Norwegian mix with red undertones in my hair, so almost as fair skinned as you can get.
About a year ago I noticed a new bump on my face. It was a little shiny pink raised bump that I thought was a small whitehead or something that just hadn’t “ripened” yet. I tried popping it a few times and it just got angry and bled. Fast forward a few months. It had grown more vertically and started turning tan. I took a pic (and made a mental note to get it looked at soon) and then life happened and I put it on the back burner again.
Fast forward to last week and I got a better look at it in the mirror, which I usually avoid due to poor self esteem. It has changed. A LOT. It has gotten thicker and firmer, is very slightly scaling around the outer edge, and is filling in with very uneven, varied-color pigments. This thing is tiny, about 2.5mm, but looks like none of my other moles, freckles, sunspots, or anything. I have read descriptions of NM that pretty closely match how it has behaved and what it looks like, so I’m definitely moving on it in a hurry now.
I’m getting it looked at Monday morning by a derm and I’m definitely nervous, especially as the single mother of a 12 year old, but kind of just trying to brace myself for bad news just in case. It’s definitely not “normal,” but here’s hoping for no malignancy. I especially hope this as I already have a chronic health condition that can be life threatening on its own. Nobody in my family knows about my derm appointment yet. Hopefully they don’t need to.
I want to thank this forum for providing so much valuable insight to me over the past few days as I work to find out what it is. I have a list of questions for the derm on Monday morning and it’s thanks to this crowd. You are a bunch of beautiful brave warriors and give great advice.
I leave you with pics of my face-mole-bump-spot-thing and ask for well wishes, prayers, crossed fingers, good vibes, fairy dust, or whatever you believe in. Hoping I don’t need to join this group for the long haul, but at least if I need to I know I’m in great company. Thank you all for posting such great info for a newbie to all this to pick up and run with! It’s much appreciated.
Before and after, Dec ’17 – Oct 18: https://i.imgur.com/M6yOfkK_d.jpg
A close up without the glare: https://i.imgur.com/irDSBLF_d.jpg
Of course, if you have any feel good stories about your mom’s cousin’s barber’s girlfriend that had a small firm shiny lesion that changed this significantly over the course of a year or so, I’d be glad to hear them in the meantime!
AB
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- October 20, 2018 at 6:45 am
***edit for clarity: I mean if you have any feel-good stories about a similar lesion that turned out to be absolutely nothing and everything was hunky dory. 🙂-
- October 22, 2018 at 3:16 pm
Thanks Mark! Appreciate the words of encouragement. Doc seems to think it's likely a BCC, but mel and "benign mole" are the DDX on the order. We should know within the next two weeks when the report comes back. Fingers crossed for the best possible outcome, and my best wishes to you on your fight as well.
Cheers,
AB
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- October 20, 2018 at 3:49 pm
My first impression from your description was squamous cell carinoma. Possibly basal cell. Small shiny lump – been there, done that. Also with your sun background it is certainly possible. It may be a "malignancy" but if it were SCC or BCC, it just comes done to having it removed and nothing more. Yes, it could be melanoma but that wouldn't be my first guess. Don't stress too much, just go have it biopsied and then you'll know for certain.
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- October 22, 2018 at 3:14 pm
Welp, appointment is now behind me and I've got a nicely bandaged face and a missing bump. He's thinking likely BCC, but mel is on the DDX and he was a little concerned about the rate of change. Now I get to wait 2 weeks to know for sure, which I'm sure you know is a weird ride to be on. Fingers crossed all is good, but if not, like I said, I'm in good company. Thanks for the encouragement! Not stressing it too hard, just ready to have a plan of attack either way.
Best to you and yours!
AB
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- October 21, 2018 at 11:10 pm
Hi AB! Welcome to MRF & hope your stay here is short and or Not At All! Well, my brothers girlfriend’s Aunts Sister had one like that & it was benign! Case Closed, but my Friends Uncle’s brother’s friend had one like that and it wasnt benign, it was Melanoma Case Still Open…
What im gettin at is, just breath deep, stay deligent with testings & follow up visits & “WE” will all know for sure shortly after Monday, assuming you get a Biopsy done, hopefully you do! Usually takes a day or two (sometimes longer wich SUCKS for some folks) for your Results to come back. Please keep us informed ok? And no matter what, even if it is Melanoma ITS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE! you have caught it quite early wich im VERY jealous of!! Haha…take care Abenites1985! Good luck 2mrw!-
- October 22, 2018 at 3:10 pm
Thanks a bunch! I'm ready for whatever it is. Just had my appointment and biopsy. He's thinking probably most likely a pigmented BCC but mel is on the DDX. Now I get to wait two weeks. It's the waiting that's the super hard part! I wish there were instant "while you wait" tests. Wouldn't that be nice? 🙂 Thanks for the warm wishes and encouragement! I'm ready to face whatever it is, but I'm hoping it's just a weird normal mole. 😀 Best of luck to you on your journey, Mike.
Cheers!
AB
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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