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Ever since I had the severely atypical (can't rule out early evolving melanoma) mole cut out, I have been obsessively checking moles thinking there has to be more. I have another one that looks similar to the one cut out (which was kind of unremarkable) and I'm having them remove it Monday but in the meantime, I'm just constantly thinking about and worrying about it. :-(
roseanxiety
13-05-17, 12:20
I am in a similar situation. I am currently obsessing over a scar from a mole removal. The mole was fine though. I am worried it will grow back. I check it and look at it 50 times a day .you are not alone.
I can relate, i appear to be back in my MM HA hell. Obsessing over one ive always had and questioning its colour now and if its darker. Sorry i can't be of any help!
CharmaineD
13-05-17, 16:39
I had an early stage melanoma removed last year. Strangely I am much calmer about it now. All through the process I was a nervous wreck, waiting for results etc. But once I had the result I was calm. Had feared hearing it for weeks but when it actually happened I was ok. Had two operations to finally get clear margins. Now I am completely rational about my moles. Go to your dermatologist (my GP actually told me the mole was fine but I decided to see a specialist) and let them do a mole map with dermoscopy. They can follow up yearly to see if there are any changes. A mole with cancer will change with time. But anxiety can make you see things that arent really there. Also a good idea is to take a photo of your moles so you have something real to compare it to when looking for changes, you cannot rely on memory alone.
I had an early stage melanoma removed last year. Strangely I am much calmer about it now. All through the process I was a nervous wreck, waiting for results etc. But once I had the result I was calm. Had feared hearing it for weeks but when it actually happened I was ok. Had two operations to finally get clear margins. Now I am completely rational about my moles. Go to your dermatologist (my GP actually told me the mole was fine but I decided to see a specialist) and let them do a mole map with dermoscopy. They can follow up yearly to see if there are any changes. A mole with cancer will change with time. But anxiety can make you see things that arent really there. Also a good idea is to take a photo of your moles so you have something real to compare it to when looking for changes, you cannot rely on memory alone.
I'm glad you have a positive and rational outlook on it now, and I hope you don't have to deal with that again. I agree that taking photos to use for future comparison can be helpful. I went through melanoma fears for a long time myself. Then I found some pictures from 4-5 years earlier which happened to show the moles I would worry about, and it turned out they looked the same. Nothing new. That really helped me on my way to forget about the fears and I've been fine since.
Weasley123
13-05-17, 20:41
I'm in the sane position I noticed an irritated area on my back and a mole in the center middle of my back a big one. I've 100 my husband swears ita always been there. He's agreed to check it twice daily and if it changes go with me to derm
I have a derm appt in Monday to remove a few but I have been checking constantly and already feeling that anxiety you get waiting for results. It is so consuming sometimes. And I am the opposite I think. Ever since I had the one come up with early melanoma, I figure there are bound to be more. I see my derm every 3 months right now because of that one early Mel. But it's still very fluttering.
Well I did have one removed Monday. My rational mind is telling me that if it's ANYTHING, it's nothing that could have progressed anywhere, but my HA mind is FREAKING OUT waiting for the results. I hate this. :(
So sorry you're going through this. I know the feeling, as I am in a melanoma panic at the moment myself.
You are being very diligent and doing all you can to catch anything early. There's nothing I can say to make the wait easier. I know how hard it is.
Let us know the results!
Can't believe I didn't come back and reply sooner. It turned out to be solar lentigo, basically a nothing. I go for another full skin check this coming Friday. I'm sure more will be removed and I'll be in another panic for a couple weeks. Ugh
Shoop, happy dance. Congratulations!
I am so obsessively worried about skin cancer I do the opposite -avoid. Finally going in to try to get a though skin check after a red patch has appeared on forehead. I am absolutely terried one of my moles are cnaerous.
Is there any vitamins or outments out there that are preventative besides sunscreen and avoiding the sun? I feel like since I fit the high risk profile I am like a skin cancer time bomb just waiting to go off!
i'm scared for my dad. my mom squeezed like a month ago something on his neck (she said it's a black head or ingrowth hair) but to me it was a beauty mark. nothing came out and it the area got swollen and he said it hurt but then after a week or so he said it was fine (maybe to not scare me idk) and now i don't know if it's fine but there is still small swollen wound but no mole or anything. he never goes to doctors.
i'm always scared about my parents' health
please say something
Thanks NervUs!
Christy, When you do you go in to have the red patch looked at?
Mary, how long was it there before she squeezed it?
I have another full body check on Friday and I'm already feeling the anxiety of the "wait" if they decide to remove anything. I mean, of course with the anxiety I always worry about cancers, but then something clears up that worry and I'm fine. With this one, it's ALWAYS there and it's driving me crazy.
Hi Nicole. I hope you're doing better. I'm not in a good place . The red patch was precancerous and just popped up on my face out of the blue. They doze it off. So now i think I'm going to keep getting them. The bump near ear has been biopsied. The big scare is the skin scan in a month. I have some suspicious stuf on my back I've ignored now I'm terrified!
Thelegend27
08-06-17, 04:49
One thing that got me off the mole obsession was an article I read, I stated that if a mole has a hair or hair growing from it there's no way it's cancer. Because cancer destroys the skin so therefore it destroys the hair follicles and all so no hair would be able to grow.
I've had a raised mole on my belly for as long as I can remember and never gave it much thought until my cancer fears and obsessions started and I checked that mole a lot.
One obsession will lead to another, it's good to be cautious but being too cautious can do more harm than good. Stay off Google and take your concerns to the doctor, once you get the all clear from the doctor leave it at that unless something changes and even then just see your doctor again, never resort to medical websites where you don't have a good understanding about what you're reading,your doctor spent years learning and many years experiencing these situations so listen to him.
Thelegend, I've read that too, about the hair.
Christy, I completely feel you on that! I had one come back severely atypical/possible early evolving melanoma and then one come back moderately atypical, both of which had to have more removed. Then a couple came back mildly atypical and then some have been nothing at all. Because of the severaly and moderately atypical ones though, I feel paranoid all the time. I'm constantly checking my skin. I have a lot of moles. I'm not sure if I would notice one changing right away or notice a new one unless it's VERY different from the rest. At you are doing the full scan though. There may be things you have been putting off on your back, but at least you are doing it now and not putting it off any longer! I have my next full body check done today in a couple hours. I don't mind doing the checks anymore, I just hate knowing that there will be a load of anxiety if they remove anything.
I'm not sure how long it was there before she squeezed it.
Not much I guess. Since she hadn't seen it before and thought it was something else...
it's still a swollen wound...
by the way my doctor told me not to check them that often because I won't notice if there is a change... and to took photos of them so I can do the compare better.
Mary, that is a good suggestion. I think looking at the too often also makes you THINK you see change sometimes when there isn't any. I really try not to obsess, and I do have a lot of photos of different areas, but still hard.
i know right? I have one on my boob that my doctor thinks it should be removed (it looks strange) and i'm constantly taking photos of it!
oh my god and now my mom has always had one big on her neck/shoulder area (don't know how to explain it) and yesterday we noticed a part of it is missing and now i'm worried about her too she say she doesn't feel pain or anything but a part of it is missing :/
A part of it is missing? eek, that would definitely scare me! I'm at the point now, if I think it's even slightly suspicious, I have it removed. I would rather be safe than sit and watch. It's so easy for them to just remove and send off. For your mom though, i would definitely have them biopsy that. For the one on your boob, if the doctor thinks it should come off, than I probably would get it removed. Again, better to be safe.
don't they find out if it's cancerous after it's removen?
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