Thanks again, Aldrich. I actually got in this morning w/ a physician’s assistant at the dermatology practice I go to; I had called first thing Monday morning for an appt, as you had recommended, and, as luck would have it, they’d had a cancellation; otherwise I was looking at the end of July for the soonest available appointment, even with their three PA’s. Today the PA looked at the mole, measured it (1 mm), and said it was a perfectly normal mole.
I mentioned that it was an “ugly duckling,” in that it looked different from all my other moles, which are light brown and fading into nothingness as I age. This was very small and seemed to have gotten a bit darker. She said moles sometimes do that, but offered to punch it out w/ a 3 mm. punch if that would ease my concerns. One stitch and two minutes later, the deed was done. I get the stitch out and results in two weeks’ time, although she seemed confident the report would be a mere formality.
However, I am happy to have it out all the same, as I had a college roommate who died from melanoma many years ago, after having a mole on his sideburn misdiagnosed by a physician, who told him it was nothing to worry about. I’ve spent way too much time over the past three days examining this little guy through a magnifying glass. And despite having had this birthmark since, well, shortly after birth, and now having it suddenly gone—well, to quote the singer John Waite, “I ain’t missin’ you at all.”
Good luck in your battle. I will keep you in mind.
