Worrywart528
17-10-15, 17:36
I posted a few weeks ago about my current obsession with skin cancer. I have always suffered from some type of health anxiety. Growing up I had a cancer scare when I was 17, lymph nodes all over my body popped up... numerous tests later they never found anything but several doctors from the start thought it was cancer. At that age I became obsessed with the my own health and mortality. Which is where this all began.
I am currently gripped with anxiety about skin cancer. I am hoping for some objective advice since my fiance and family will not even talk with me anymore about it. When I am at work I am fine but when I have time to sit I become depressed and anxious. I have one spot on my nose which freaks me out. It is barely visible but it is a piece of hard skin which I have picked off since august. I cannot get to a dermatologist until Nov. I have myself convinced it is basal cell and that I am going to suffer from recurrences and horrible surgeries for years to come. The spot is slightly larger than a pin head but the more I stare the worse it looks and becomes.
I have dark hair and dark green eyes. I have always been naturally moley and have several dysplastic nevus. Most of my moles are not visible from a distance but I can see them every day when I look in the mirror. Growing up from the time I was born until about the age of 22 my sun exposure was primarily in the summer months in Pennsylvania. I would get a spring sunburn.... never really bad and stay tan into the start of school. I can remember 2 bad sunburns in my life. One trip to key west when I was 18 and another spring day where I played 36 holes of golf after not seeing the sun for 8 months.
Most of my exposure growing up was playing golf. I was a competitive golfer and spent a majority of my summer at the course. I never really burned just got dark.
My current fears stem from the age of 22 until I was 26. I started tanning... From the time I was 22 until I was about 25 years old I kept myself very tan during the spring. I maintained a slight tan over those winters. I found it helped out with my dry winter skin and mood. After the age of 26 I laid off the tanning beds and maybe visted them about 10-20 times during long winters over the next 10 years.
I am now 35 years old and really do not show much " sun damage" I have a few dark spots but nothing severe and I am not wrinkled. I have never had skin cancer in my life. I rarely get sick but I need someone to talk with because this obsession is harming me. I get so stressed my stomach churns.
I am currently gripped with anxiety about skin cancer. I am hoping for some objective advice since my fiance and family will not even talk with me anymore about it. When I am at work I am fine but when I have time to sit I become depressed and anxious. I have one spot on my nose which freaks me out. It is barely visible but it is a piece of hard skin which I have picked off since august. I cannot get to a dermatologist until Nov. I have myself convinced it is basal cell and that I am going to suffer from recurrences and horrible surgeries for years to come. The spot is slightly larger than a pin head but the more I stare the worse it looks and becomes.
I have dark hair and dark green eyes. I have always been naturally moley and have several dysplastic nevus. Most of my moles are not visible from a distance but I can see them every day when I look in the mirror. Growing up from the time I was born until about the age of 22 my sun exposure was primarily in the summer months in Pennsylvania. I would get a spring sunburn.... never really bad and stay tan into the start of school. I can remember 2 bad sunburns in my life. One trip to key west when I was 18 and another spring day where I played 36 holes of golf after not seeing the sun for 8 months.
Most of my exposure growing up was playing golf. I was a competitive golfer and spent a majority of my summer at the course. I never really burned just got dark.
My current fears stem from the age of 22 until I was 26. I started tanning... From the time I was 22 until I was about 25 years old I kept myself very tan during the spring. I maintained a slight tan over those winters. I found it helped out with my dry winter skin and mood. After the age of 26 I laid off the tanning beds and maybe visted them about 10-20 times during long winters over the next 10 years.
I am now 35 years old and really do not show much " sun damage" I have a few dark spots but nothing severe and I am not wrinkled. I have never had skin cancer in my life. I rarely get sick but I need someone to talk with because this obsession is harming me. I get so stressed my stomach churns.