View Full Version : Mole worries scared anyone have this
Hi all, I have multiple mole but one on my leg I am worried about. It has always been there and if I am honest I noticed a white bump in it a while ago but paid no attention, probably because the weather was cold and my legs covered so easy to forget about. Today I looked at it and alarm bells rang, I managed to squeeze the white bit it is now a little red. The rest of the mole seems raised and there is a darker spot inside the mole which is scaring me. The mole hasn't grown but this dark spot in the middle is worrying me. I will book a doctors appointment but is bank holiday so will have to wait till Tuesday to call and then probably another 2 weeks for an appointment. I am so worried as vaguely noticed this ages ago and am so worried that it will now be late stage cancer. Sorry to go on I just am worried. I have included a photo x
You're doing the best thing by getting it checked.
I have had some terrible looking changing moles (much worse than your picture) that proved mildly atypical.
I know it's hard and that I am a hypocrite but reserve fear for the day you get bad news- and very important part here- that day may NEVER come.
I had one like that on my belly.. had it removed. It was bengin. I glad it's gone though.
TheGroundhog
27-05-17, 06:55
It looks like absolutely nothing.
HopelessWorrier2011
27-05-17, 13:24
Hi, like me you have entered into skin anxiety zone and it's a very scary place but know you are not alone in this fear there are plenty of us here to offer you support. I'm going through the same at the moment and believe me any logic goes right out of the window. Get the mole checked, statistically it will not be anything of concern and you will walk out of the Dr's surgery with a weight lifted. My partner has a few dodgy looking miles and he had one removed totally benign x
Saw the doctor today, she asked lots of questions shined a light on it and said she could see a few colours. She is sending off an urgent referral! So I am worrying more now. She said I will probably get a call and they may want me to send a photo before the appointment?
I am covered in moles. I had one that was so scary, my GP had it removed right then and there. He suspected nodular melanoma. I lost my mind.
It looked like it, it acted like it. I was doing everything but writing my will.
As it turned out, it was nothing. No one was able to give me a good explanation of what it was, it really looked like the worst case scenario, but it was nothing.
The point I am getting at is that our skin does some weird, weird stuff, and it is very important not to write your own diagnosis. I know it is hard, believe me, but stay away from google, and just try to distract yourself if you can. I know that is hard. They may look at the photo and decide it is nothing.
And in the worst case scenario, it would be caught early and done and gone.
Saw the doctor today, she asked lots of questions shined a light on it and said she could see a few colours. She is sending off an urgent referral! So I am worrying more now. She said I will probably get a call and they may want me to send a photo before the appointment?
I know how this kind of thing can play with your mind! I really hope the referral process goes fast! This is very hard, but try to stop yourself from jumping ahead. You are doing the best thing you can, and that is getting it checked out. Chances are good it will just be atypical!
I understand how this would play on your mind. That being said, the anxious mind is an interesting thing. Had she basically dismissed you, you would be doubting anyway. The "what ifs" would be messing with you. She's doing what a doctor is supposed to do. It's called "CYA" medicine. As with the vast majority of cases, as many have replied about, it turns out to be nothing.
Positive thoughts
Cocobro1015
30-05-17, 19:15
I have a derm appointment today (this will be my 9th appointment and 3rd screening by a 3rd dermatologist in the last two months) for another mole that has already been looked at by two different dermatologists. I've had 3 removed in March/April and let me tell you that sent me on a downward spiral that I haven't yet crawled out of. All 3 were COMPLETELY BENIGN and all three were odd looking. Two were nearly black and jagged and one was a new mole that was a 5mm blob with two different colors. One thing I'm trying to remind myself is that I've always been wrong when it comes to these things. Just because google says that anything other than a cute little brown freckle is melanoma does not mean that's what you have. My derm who removed the two dark moles said he definitely wanted them out and even got me in for an excision that day! They have to play it safe with this stuff. The vast majority of biopsies come back benign or even simply atypical (nbd), but because of the few that come back as something problematic, they have to excercise caution especially if you bring up a specific concern.
One piece of advice I will give you...try your hardest not to search out other moles to worry over. Since March I have been moving from mole to mole. One that doesn't bother me one day will have me convinced I'm dying the next. Then I get the all clear from the derm, stop worrying for a moment, and then find a new mole to obsess over. I'm sure everything will be fine. If my weird ones could be benign, I'm sure yours will be too :) we need to remember at the end of the day that the mole worry is a symptom of anxiety. It sure seems to be a popular topic on this forum.
worriermama
30-05-17, 22:31
Hello, I have been down the mole worry road before. It's not fun.
Let me just say that there's a lot of melanoma in my dad's family, and he had a stage 0 melanoma in situ removed a couple months ago. I have had a lot of atypical moles removed, including one moderately atypical and one severely atypical. I am pretty high risk!
Here's what my derm told me, and what you need to remember. He said: "Most people with melanoma get into trouble because they have a big lesion that they ignore for many months."
The vast, vast majority of melanomas CAN be caught early and removed, and that's that. Melanoma caught at Stage 0/1 I believe has a 98% cure rate.
Just see your derm yearly for a check. If your derm says you are high risk, get looked at every 3-6 months. Get any changing moles checked out promptly. If you do these things, you're on top of it and you don't need to worry. The chances of something sinister getting past you and becoming a problem are minuscule.
To me your mole looks like a regular benign "atypical" mole. I am not a doctor but that's my guess. I think you will be just fine!
Great post Cocobro!
I have also had moles removed that had three colors, assymetrical, smudged that were nothing more than mildly atypical. I had one surrounded in a red ring, that Dr. Goog said is DEFINITeLY melanoma and it was not!
Keep your chin up kirsty!
Thank you so much for your replies just an update. My appointment is on the 12th June seems ages to wait but I guess it's just inside the 2 week wait. I know I have to try and be good till then but I wish it was sooner xx
Only 10 more days, but I know that seems like eternity.
Hoping you can find a way to concentrate on other things. Stay off google! I know that always rekindles the panic.
CaliSurfGirl89
21-06-17, 19:39
I know exactly how you feel over this, my anxiety over melanoma has come and gone in the space of 4yrs or so, had all my moves I worried about since then and as far as I'm aware I'm fine lol. I've used sunbeds so so badly, for nearly a year straight at 18 minutes a day, yep stupid stupid me, in total I've used sunbeds for about 2yrs straight on and off, never really been badly sunburnt except for 1 time in Cyprus I decided to use tingle cream and sunbathe, and even when I moved back home there would be times where I would sunbathe for hours with sunbed cream on and spritzing myself with water, I think did start wearing low spf with sunbed cream on top. I regret it so so much now and I'm getting a fear of the sun, I wear spf50 but I do miss sunbathing and sitting out on a hot day. I did recently get a bit burnt at the beach on my forehead, part of my hand, my some of my chest and back of my neck, my husky was poorly and over heating so took him to the beach to cool off in the sea and I forgot about myself. I have your usual weird moles, 1 under my right breast that is a dark brown squiggy mole that has a light brown star shaped boarder, went to the doctors when I was 19 (as this was about the time I started using sunbeds) and she said it was fine, I was oh right okay cool, literally not a care in the world, fast forward about 4-5 years and the boarder has grown so off I go with my anxiety, again told it was fine, a year or 2 later, anxiety hit in again and got sent to a derm, turns out it's just like that cos my boobs grew really big, so I don't bother with that anymore, had it all my life, yes has changed but hasn't changed since, dark moles on my legs and 1 in particular is on the inside of my thigh, all by itself, really dark but small-ish and hasn't grown, 1 mole on my stomach that appeared 2014-2015 and went from a tiny orange bump with a brown spec to a bigger brown spec with and orange boarder, now it's about the size of a pencil eraser but is all 1 colour and is squiggy, i only think it's as big as it is because I've gained weight and it's stretched a bit. Mole on the back of my arm only scares me as it fits the "ugly duckling" only mole of that colour on my arm and is probably the biggest 1 (about 3-4mm) it's dark brown but hasn't changed, well not that I'm aware off, roughly same shape and size. Mole on my back, this 1 scares me the most as it's irregular, light brown with a brown bit up the corner, about the same size as a pencil eraser if not maybe a bit bigger, and I honestly hate it, it scares me, derm looked at it and said it was fine but 2 years later and I just want it gone, it scares me and sets off my anxiety. I've got loads of things on my body I hate, moles that scare me, a tiny lump under the skin on my back, I had a tiny pink thing that looked like a tiny nodular, scratched it, it bled it's scared me, I've probably got more tiny moles than big and I wouldn't exactly say I'm covered but I'm like many people I go from 1 to the other to the other. Anxiety is horrible, I remember seeing a dark mole on the inside of my food near the arch and I fa-reaked thinking of how long it could have been there, like I'd never seen it before, calmed myself down and actually realised I'd had it for 4+ years as I have 1 on my other foot roughly same place I've had all my life but lighter with to brown specs in like a bite mark. Anyway I'm rambling on lol I'm trying to get to the Drs as I can't see places like my back etc, but I plan on paying a derm maybe once a year to go over my moles as I believe it will give me peace of mind, this time around with my anxiety set off I've ended up really ill and still am, I've lost 5lbs in the space of less than a week due to not eating, I've had horrible nightmares all night long, every part of me is aching, burning and throbbing, I feel so sick and I've constantly got headaches (it's doing wonders for my anxiety as I think I have advanced cancer or something lol) all these stories scare me "my mole looked normal" now I'm stage 3/4" "my mole was only tiny now I could die" like seriously, I know it's best to stay away from Google but it's really hard, even Instagram, I typed in melanoma and the 1st 1 was of this poor 25yr old in Aus who has since died. It just works us up and up, we end up ill and we think it's related, end up with more anxiety and even more ill. Anyway I'll end it after this assignment lol. Let us know how it goes xx
I know exactly where you're coming from! I myself am covered in all sorts of spots/moles.
But I wouldn't worry until they give you a definite reason to do so. I go to the derma every 6 months and she does a full body check. And I usually get at least one spot removed. Some of which look like normal freckles to me. They know exactly what they're looking for.
My point is, just because they remove it, doesn't mean its the big C. I've had about 20 spots removed, none of them were sinister (knock on wood) :yesyes: just a bunch of dysplactic nevus.
Don't sweat it quite yet!
I completely feel you! I have have many removed. I've had to go back and get extra removed (for severely atypical), but nothing more than that (knock on wood). It's a pain and with having sooo many moles, I feel like I'm just a walking timebomb. But I get checked fairly often and I'm okay with that. My anxiety goes up whenever something gets biopsied though, while I wait for results.
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