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Very anxious about my biopsy today..

Forums Cutaneous Melanoma Community Very anxious about my biopsy today..

  • Post
    Sammmantha8
    Participant
      Hello, thanks for reading

      To start, I have not been diagnosed with melanoma as of now. I went to the dermatologist today to have a few moles looked at with one in particular that I knew showed all of the ABCDEs of melanoma. Just as I feared, he was very concerned about this mole and he debated for a while about whether to do a deep shave biopsy or to cut it out and suture it. He finally decided to do a deep shave, but as soon as it was removed he looked back at it looking very concerned and disappointed. I kept thinking about it and realized when I got home that it was probably because the mole was much deeper than he expected. Even with the deep shave biopsy, I can still clearly see the mole shape and color inside.

      Anyway, I know that only the tests can tell me if it is melanoma, but does him thinking it is have any weight on the typical malignant vs benign percentages? The mole was 1.2cm x 1cm..

      are we able to post pictures? I have a picture of both the mole and the biopsy site.. I’m guessing nobody wants to see the “after” photo.

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        Sammmantha8
        Participant
          I don’t know if it will work but…
          [IMG]http://i68.tinypic.com/35a9010.jpg[/IMG]
            guynamedbilly
            Participant
              If it does turn out to me melanoma, it will be harder to assess it’s risk if a shave was done, because they look at the depth as a primary assessment of risk, and if the top was shaved off it’s not possible to measure that accurately. I suspect he was nervous about having taken that gamble, but it’s impossible to know without asking.

              For now though, try your best to only worry about the things you know. It’s impossible to say well I’ll just stop worrying now, but that’s really what you need to try until you get the results.

              guynamedbilly
              Participant
                Oh, and if he got it all, it’s still possible to see it’s depth. It’s only if some was missed that you should worry about that part.
                Sammmantha8
                Participant
                  Thank you for the reply,

                  Yes, it is so hard to wait for results like this, I’m hoping I can figure out how to relax.

                  I asked him if it is possible for a mole that looks like this and has been changing to be benign and he said “it can, but..” and then he started talking about something else like he didn’t want to say anything more. I have a lot of moles, none that look like this one and this was the only one in the area.

                  He cut it like 1cm deep and the mole goes deeper..so if it is melanoma it will be hard to measure how deep it goes. I assume that’s why he looked back at it with a disappointed look.

                  Is it normal for a benign mole to be deep like that? I had no idea they grew that way.

                The waiting is definitely the hardest part.  Try not to worry is easy to say and so hard to do.  Right now you have no facts so there really isn't any use to worry.  It won't make anything better.  Hopefully if it is melanoma it's caught early and can be a WLE as next step only.  Watch a comedy or some funny cat videos.  It sounds silly but it always seems to help me relax.

                Good wishes to you.

                Jennifer

                  Sammmantha8
                  Participant
                    That is true, I have no facts, so at this point there really is not much to worry about. I will try to distract myself until I know for sure 🙂 Thank you!
                  Sammmantha8
                  Participant
                    Hi,
                    I got my results today and the good news is that it is not melanoma! The nurse on the phone told me that the cells are “acting funny” however and it needs to be fully excised. What does “acting funny” mean? She was adamant that it needs to be done ASAP, what might this mean?

                    Thank you!

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