Hopefully overreacting - Skin "C"

[Toaster]

I'll try and keep this short, cause its brutal reading a novella on HA.

3 months ago I was having some very bad melanoma anxiety. I'm a 27 year old male that tans easily and lives in Northeastern US. So chances are low.

One day while examining my body, I found a tiny (2mm at most) black dot on my leg. Instantly thought it was melanoma. It had distinct borders and was small though. But I called the doctors and got in the next day.

As I was showering the next day I picked at the little mark and most of it flaked right off and it was like red underneath. It flaked off just like dried blood. I decided to leave it alone and went to the doctors.

By the time I got to the doctors, the rest just fell off due to the friction of my pants. This scared me because how would the doctor know... Anyway the doctor looked at my leg and wasn't alarmed at all and said maybe it was a bug bite. (I found a tick on that same leg a few weeks earlier).

I asked about melanoma and he seemed genuinely surprised. I don't think that was something on his mind. He instantly dismissed it saying that a spot on my upper thigh was a weird and uncommon place for melanoma. I asked him if melanoma could just be picked off, and he doubted it. He sent me away and told me to come back if it comes back.

3 months later, still nothing. Its bruised because I screw with the area so much. But no mole or anything.

1. My doctor barely looked at my leg. Didn't with any scope. Should this concern me or comfort me? Either he didn't do his job well, or had no reason to look because he was so sure.
2. He didn't refer me. Or even set up a follow-up. Should this concern me?
3. Its 3 months later and nothing has happened. Is this a good sign? Would something be happening on my leg if there was something sinister at play?

I can't get the area biopsied, because I don't know where the original lesion was. One of my pores looks a little red, but not sure if that's where it was.

[Fishmanpa]

You worry should disappear just like the spot :)

Positive thoughts

[Toaster]

You worry should disappear just like the spot :)

Positive thoughts

I'm very much leaning toward that too.

My anxiety was very bad when I found it... but I think my mind was playing tricks on me. I was already worrying about melanoma, and somehow I found a spot I've never seen before weeks after my anxiety about melanoma started.

I think the problem is that I know the general area of where it was. My one pore looks darker than the others. A normal person wouldn't care because so many people have dark pores on their legs from shaving. But I tell myself that melanoma is in that pore. Or perhaps the 2 dark hairs coming out of it make it dark.

Its an endless cycle. I feel better than I did. But I can't help thinking that picking off the top just made healthy skin grow over top of it, disguising the cancer.

[Fishmanpa]

But I can't help thinking that picking off the top just made healthy skin grow over top of it, disguising the cancer.

FYI, I'm a survivor. That's not the way cancer works.

Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.

Positive thoughts

[Toaster]

FYI, I'm a survivor. That's not the way cancer works.

Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.

Positive thoughts

I've lurked around these forums and have seen you say that a lot. It does make sense.

Picking it off would have left cancerous cells in the skin underneath and around the perimeter. If it were cancer, I would think it would keep on growing out from there and would quickly fill in the void.

Plus it fell off very easily. Like I wasn't even "anxious picking" it. I just scratched at it softly cause I thought it was like a speck of dirt and it just came right off. Moles don't even do that.

---------- Post added at 17:30 ---------- Previous post was at 16:46 ----------

I just wish I didn't monitor that area of my body so closely. I have my girlfriend examine my leg and she doesn't see anything. But I think the one pore looks weird.

[Captain irrational]

3 months later, still nothing. Its bruised because I screw with the area so much. But no mole or anything.


Read back to yourself what you just wrote there. You are worrying about literally nothing.

[Toaster]

Read back to yourself what you just wrote there. You are worrying about literally nothing.

Anxious minds are tough cookies to crack. Sometimes I'll look at the area and pores will look deeper and darker and I'll have to get out my phone and use the flashlight to look at the area up close.

Even with the flashlight there is nothing there. It looks like skin that has been abused for no reason. Nothing resembling a freckle.

[Toaster]

Still thinking about this too much. I think its because anxious minds see things rational minds don't. I think one of my hair follicles is dark. Fiancee says its pink like the others and has 2-3 hairs coming out of it which contributes to the darkness.

Is my worry still completely idiotic? I highly doubt melanoma manifests itself as a pink-ish hair follicle with hairs coming out of it. And if I did have melanoma it would make itself known and I would not be debating on whether I have it or not.

[Fishmanpa]

Is my worry still completely idiotic?

If I told you yes, would you believe me? :shrug:

Positive thoughts

[Toaster]

Someone who survived cancer giving me some tough love and telling me its idiotic... yea I might believe that. You know much more than me on this topic.

I agree with what we said about the fact that it would still be growing and it just doesn't fall off. But anxious minds automatically forget that information when they are in worry-mode.

Plus... I had a very similar looking thing on my chest yesterday and picked it off and it flaked off just like the thing on my leg. The only difference is that I know I had a scratch on my chest.

Doing the math tells me that the thing on my leg was probably a scratch or bug bite that had dried blood on it. Or an ingrown hair... since my pores have 3 hairs in them each.

[Toaster]

Took a quick gander at my leg today and it looked like almost entirely healed skin. I mean it was only bruised and ripped up because I insisted on messing with it.

Nothing looked out of place. I believe I only start thinking there's dark pores or something when I dwell on it and investigate for hours using flashlights and stuff. From just glancing at it in natural sunlight, I can say for certain that there is nothing there.

[Toaster]

Thought I would respond if anyone has a very similar specific worry.

The bruising is almost entirely gone. The pore was just irritated and I can't see it anymore. The skin is almost entirely healed. There are no weird marks. I am 100% fine. :shades: