View Full Version : Skin cancer?
I will be getting this checked out ASAP, so there's no need to tell me.
But I was wondering if anyone here has any knowledge on skin cancer, most specifically basal cell carcinoma.
Do all basal cells 'protrude' from the skin in the form of a bump or something of the sort? My nose has a couple of small little 'patches', but neither of them protrude. They seem more like they are strictly IN the skin.
My nose has been a little painful recently. It feels as if I have a sunburn on my nose but my nose isn't 'reddened' like it usually is when I have a sunburn on it. So of course this got me researching all over the internet to feed my anxiety. I'm not really seeing any skin cancer pictures that really match the look of what I see on my nose. So this perplexes me and freaks me out even more... Simply because I am really impatient and NEED ANSWERS.
But I won't get any until I see a dermatologist.. Ugh..
---------- Post added at 00:24 ---------- Previous post was at 00:05 ----------
Anyways... I'm having trouble sleeping. Because of course the worst of my anxiety ALWAYS comes at night when I should be sleeping.
So I could be in for a long night and I'm really hoping someone can respond. It might help me get through the night easier.
Basal cells appear all different ways, some protrude, some don't. It's a good idea to get whatever's going on checked.
I hope your skin issue is benign, as it is likely to be. BUt, if not, you've got this. You will get through it! MOst basal cell cases are not extensive and can be handled with a minor surgery.
I noticed this little slightly raised black freckle on my inner thigh a while back. I attached a picture of it here. Is this something I should be concerned about? There's no pain, no crusting, no bleeding and it's not 6mm or bigger. I will definitely keep an eye on it to see if it gets any bigger or anything like that. But I'm not covered so I look anywhere I can for answers on stuff like this.
This is the last thing I need to be dealing with right now. So very frustrating.
unsure_about_this
08-04-18, 17:24
Pop to your GP to get it looked at
I will definitely have it looked at. Though I don't know when I'll be able to...
But I'm wondering if this is something I should be concerned about...
No one is qualified to tell you, especially other anxiety sufferers. Frankly, it just looks like a black freckle but I'm not a doctor so what good will that statement do? :shrug:
Positive thoughts
Guess I'm just looking to see if this is so bad that I should act now and make an appointment now despite not having any money to pay for anything...
Or if I should chill out, keep an eye on it and take my time to get my medical coverage squared away before acting.
Without having an answer to that I'm in a pretty intense state of anxiety.
Guess I'm just looking to see if this is so bad that I should act now and make an appointment now despite not having any money to pay for anything...
Or if I should chill out, keep an eye on it and take my time to get my medical coverage squared away before acting.
Without having an answer to that I'm in a pretty intense state of anxiety.
Then wait....
FMP
(but what if?... :huh: anyone else have an opinion? - just predicting the reply :winks:).
It looks irritated. Have you been picking at it? Or does it rub on your clothes?
I was picking at it last night thinking it may be a scab and it got a little red around the borders.
Not a scab though...
I think get it looked at. I think it will turn out to be nothing but you’re worried so get someone to have a look at it for reassurance if nothing else. And stop picking at it otherwise you will make it bleed & that will only worry you more!
Yeah I will definitely get it looked at and I definitely won't pick at it anymore.
Do you think it's something I should act on ASAP or do you think it would be okay to wait a little bit?
I think you definitely need to wait a bit for the irritation to go down. The doctor can't assess it properly when it is traumatized like this.
unsure_about_this
08-04-18, 19:15
Try to get to see the GP/Doctor ASAP I am not a doctor, but you will only worry
I think within a week or two would be sensible.
Thanks. I've made some marks about the size of it. Seems to be about 2 or 3 millimeters which is smaller than what they say melanoma usually presents itself (6mm). But if I notice it getting larger this week I'm going to have to do something about it.
Try to get to see the GP/Doctor ASAP I am not a doctor, but you will only worry
Phil, your current state of mind is that of panic and worry about everything. Perhaps you're not in the best state of mind to advise. Maybe that's what you'd do but we're talking about a tiny freckle that the OP has been picking at. I'd bet the house it's nothing but the mind of someone with HA can be a bit skewed as your thread has shown.
OP... again, you're asking unqualified novices. If it were me, I wouldn't even have noticed it nor picked on it in the 1st place :shrug: Do what you feel you need to. I'll have the "told ya so gang" on standby.
Positive thoughts
I think it makes sense to get the mole checked by a doctor. It looks atypical to me, which is still unlikely to be cancer, but still worth having checked.
Don't know how long you plan on waiting? It does look inflamed, so see if the inflammation goes down this week.
There can be long waits to see a dermatologist in the USA, so I would call asap...you might not get an appointment for months if you don't already have a regular dermatologist. If you do, there can still be a wait of weeks.
I was going to wait a week or 2 at the most to see if I notice any increases in size. And during that time I would try to get some medical coverage. I'm pretty sure I qualify...
I would also do a myriad of other things in the meantime, like ask a pharmacist at this Rite Aid I go to if it looks like something serious and possibly order some CBD topical oil as just a hail mary fallback between now and when I'm covered...
Looking for any kind of medical advice whatsoever I can find without having to open up my wallet because I'm dead broke and the stress of not having the money to deal with my health issues compounds things entirely too much for me.
---------- Post added at 17:37 ---------- Previous post was at 17:29 ----------
If it were me, I wouldn't even have noticed it nor picked on it in the 1st place
That's a good sign to me that it's probably not too serious.
My girlfriend (former nurse) also thinks it's probably not serious.
I would also do a myriad of other things in the meantime, like ask a pharmacist at this Rite Aid I go to if it looks like something serious and possibly order some CBD topical oil as just a hail mary fallback between now and when I'm covered...
I don't think you need to ask a pharmacist, FWIW.
The other option is just to watch it for change. Check it monthly to see if grows or changes shape. And also check weekly to see if the redness goes away. You don't want to check too often because then it is harder to detect any change. Honestly, it is unlikely to change.
I hear you on the money thing. Health care costs are ridiculous!
One thing that bugs me about it, is that it's on a part of my body that literally hasn't seen sunlight since maybe July or August of 2017. And that's a maybe because my shorts tend to cover that part of my thigh even during the summer months. And the mere fact that it would develop over the winter and early spring at all is bizarre.
It would be such an incredibly annoying and unfair thing to have it be a malignant growth when I haven't done anything to put myself at risk of it.
Of course there is no fairness in cancer though.
It's past midnight here and I'm having a very difficult time letting myself fall asleep.
The idea that this could very well be melanoma is scaring the hell out of me.
The more that I think about it, the more that it looks like melanoma.
Raised black painless marks don't just appear on your skin when you're 30 unless it's something serious.
Ok let’s go with worst case scenario for a minute - say it is a melanoma - plenty of melanomas are easily curable just by removing them. It’s not a death sentence by any means.
New moles can just appear - it doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Go get checked out & let us know what your doctor says.
Are you sure that isn't infection-relating, like a normal pimple that has almost cured? You can visit a doctor if you are concerned. :)
unsure_about_this
09-04-18, 13:19
I agree with others if are concerned to go and see a GP/Doctor. Don't bother going to A&E unless it was bleeding big etc.
Hi
This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.
Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.
It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.
Elen
Understood.
Sorry about that.
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