Very nervous.
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Very nervous.

› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Very nervous.

  • Post
    • August 30, 2017 at 11:48 pm
    Those 1349
    Participant

      I've had this dark mole on my shoulder for about 7 years. Last year the derm diagnosed it as sebhorrheic keratosis. Since then, it looks a little different, developed a dark red border and made me nervous. It's small. About 3 mm, on my shoulder and dark, almost black. It's a tiny bit raised. A new dermatologist today said it looked concerning and removed it. I asked her if she thought it was melanoma but she did not give me answer. I'm very worried to the point I can't eat, sleep, work. How would I know if it's nodular? It never grew in size for the past 7 years, just developed this reddish border. I have horrible anxiety. I don't know what to do.

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        • August 31, 2017 at 12:57 am
        Janner
        Participant

          There is no reason to even consider nodular melanoma.  Why would you go there?  There is nothing in your description that remotely describes nodular melanoma.  SKs typically have a pretty distinct appearance when viewed closeup.  They can change.  Probably good to have a biopsy but you are just jumping to conclusions with no evidence to support them.  The best suggestion I could give you was to stay off the internet.  Don't research or do ANY searching.  When you don't have all the fact, researching is truly pointless and you just get deeper and deeper into anxiety territory.  Stay away.  When you have an actual report, then report back!

            • August 31, 2017 at 9:57 am
            Those 1349
            Participant

              Thanks for your reply. Can a small, raised dark mole with a red ring be melanoma? The dermatologist wanted to remove it after viewing it through a dermascope. Can they usually tell what it is by looking through it? I thought nodular because I read that they can be small. Mine was small and raised, that's what worries me. I'm having such horrible anxiety right now.

              • August 31, 2017 at 12:47 pm
              Janner
              Participant

                The ONLY way to tell if something is melanoma is by a pathologist, not by the dermatoscope. A dermatoscope is a lighted magnifying glass, nothing more.  Again, speculation is pointless and researching is pointless until you know exactly what you are dealing with.  Definitely not nodular in behavior.   As for your previous diagnosis, no pathologist is going to mistake melanoma for something benign.  Waiting is hard (currently waiting on a biopsy myself) but you need to take a step back.  Most things are NOT melanoma!

                • August 31, 2017 at 10:09 am
                Those 1349
                Participant

                  I've read that small moles have come back as advanced stage and maybe I was misdiagnosed last year and I had it for so long?

                  • August 31, 2017 at 7:58 pm
                  casagrayson
                  Participant

                    You are letting your anxiety get away with you.  A dermatologist would not mistake a melanoma for an SK.  If there had been ANY question, the derm would have biopsied it.  You need to take a big deep breath and try not to even think about this until you get the biopsy back.  Most likely, it is a benign growth.  Less like, it is a growth that has turned cancerous, but not melanoma, and it has been caught early.  The *least* likely scenario is that this is melanoma.  Even if it turned out to be melanoma, you are doing the right thing by getting it biopsied, and getting a plan of treatment.  Most people with melanoma get it removed, no other treatment, and never have to deal with it again.  So your anxiety is way out of proportion to the risk.  

                     

                    • August 31, 2017 at 8:12 pm
                    Those 1349
                    Participant

                      Thank you so much for responding. So, the diagnosis last year of the sebhorrheic keratosis was actually by a PA in a derms office. This dermatologist says it doesn't look like it 🙁 that's what I'm worried about. The PA assured me it was nothing. 

                      • September 1, 2017 at 2:32 am
                      Those 1349
                      Participant

                        OMG, I'm reading that redness can be where the mole penetrated the skin. Mine had a dark red ring. I'm so upset. 

                        • September 1, 2017 at 3:11 am
                        Janner
                        Participant

                          STOP READING.  None of that applies to YOUR mole.  It was already removed and you are only making things worse.  STAY OFF HERE.  STAY OFF THE INTERNET.  Come back ONLY when you have a report.  Until then, speculation is pointless.

                        • September 1, 2017 at 4:40 am
                        jennunicorn
                        Participant

                          If something like this is causing so much disruption to your life then I highly suggest seeking out a therapist or counselor to help with your anxieties. I say this from the best place possible as I struggled with severe anxiety and depression (many years before my diagnosis). The tools I learned and work I did to overcome them really helped me when this diagnosis fell upon me. There is a HUGE chance you do not have melanoma. Like Janner has said, please stay off the internet, it's the unhealthiest thing you can do right now.

                            • September 1, 2017 at 10:30 am
                            Those 1349
                            Participant

                              Thank you for your reply! I saw that the doctor thought it was a sebhorrheic keratosis for you too. Was it big? How long did you have it?

                              • September 1, 2017 at 1:43 pm
                              jennunicorn
                              Participant

                                My primary care doctor, not a dermatologist or anyone in a derm office, is the one who misdiagnosed it as an SK. I had it a couple of months when I first saw her about it. It never stopped growing in the 8 months I had it. Yours being on your shoulder is wayyy more likely to actually be an SK than mine (mine was on my leg which is a very uncommon place for SK) and yours was looked at by someone in an actual derm office who would be wayyy more familiar with the different skin lesions. The odds are really in your favor; keep repeating that. Just keep busy until you get biopsy results, that is all you can do right now, there is no question that will get answered for you that will make you feel any better right now. 

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