Worried about melanoma (Mark on nail)

[Jlivin33]

So I have attached a picture of my nail. I am so worried that it's melanoma. I have read horror stories about it appearing on a nail. Everyone just keeps telling me that it just looks like blood - trauma to a nail. What do you think? I suffer from health anxiety so this doesn't help. I'm now getting paranoid about my moles. I hate this.
Any advice is welcome.

[Catherine S]

Hi...you've joined tonight to post this pic? You don't give us any background, as in, have you had this particular mark for long? Have you asked a doctor about it? Have you had the fear of melanoma before, etc.

Thing is that we can't tell you what it is, only a doctor can do this. I can tell you that I had a mark under my nail just like this in 2015 that wasn't melanoma, and I know this because it was my doc who looked at it and told me not to worry. So why not start with your doctor's advice before you ask for a diagnosis from a load of hypochondriacs :D

Cath S x





Welcome to nmp by the way.

[Cakelady]

Hi:)
I think it looks like you have done some damage to your nail. Please try not to Google it will only make you feel worse! It should start to grow out in time. If you remain concerned you could see your GP but might be good idea to ask them too about support for your anxiety to help you. Take care xx

---------- Post added at 22:50 ---------- Previous post was at 22:49 ----------

Hi:)
I think it looks like you have done some damage to your nail. Please try not to Google it will only make you feel worse! It should start to grow out in time. If you remain concerned you could see your GP but might be good idea to ask them too about support for your anxiety to help you. Take care xx

[Ryanr1987]

Melanoma always changes and gets worse(Doesn't mean that all changes are Melanoma) If it grows or changes, get it looked at. Your nail mark doesn't look like any Subungual melanoma I've seen before. Subungual mel tends to be fast growing so changes would happen fast. It's sometimes hard to tell what looks suspicious and what doesn't at times. I get marks like yours all the time on my nails and they just clear up, chances are yours will too.

In regards to your other moles, if they're stable, don't worry. Always look for change or a new mole that looks different than the others(again doesn't always mean Mel)

[thestruggle]

I had those exact marks a few months back now! Can't remember how they came about, but I remember researching on Google and it was to do with some minor injury to the nail bed showing through as those little brown lines. You probably did something that knocked that part of your skin but it was so minor you won't remember doing it.. Mine grew out and hasn't come back since :) Yours most likely will too! It's nowhere near the cuticle and the rest of the nail looks pretty healthy so probably just some bloody streaks showing through..

[Pepperpot]

looks like you have trapped it or dropped something on it x

[Catherine S]

Or...we could stop guessing and let her doctor tell her what it is for sure. Sound like a plan? :lac:

[Cakelady]

Or...we could stop guessing and let her doctor tell her what it is for sure. Sound like a plan? :lac:

I'm sure the op knows none of us are medically qualified. Sometimes it helps just to put your worries out there,
to try to rationalise them with the help of others. Encouraging visits to the doctor for every little thing is unhelpful, yes if it doesn't clear or gets worse that would be best.The point is we all have our own anxieties /triggers & we come here just to vent our worries & get support from others.:winks:

[Catherine S]

Yep, I understand all of that cakelady, but we can't and actually shouldn't, according to the forum rules that everybody ignores, hand out advice about what an undiagnosed physical problem may or may not be....there is a thread about it somewhere from admin asking people not to keep posting these photos.

The rules about this are simple really, if you're worried about anything physical see somebody professionally medically trained. If you're still feeling anxious after talking to them then talk to us. That's the difference, which not many people seem to quite understand no matter how many times admin tries to explain it.

Hope that makes it a bit clearer :)

Cath

[Cakelady]

Yep, I understand all of that cakelady, but we can't and actually shouldn't, according to the forum rules that everybody ignores, hand out advice about what an undiagnosed physical problem may or may not be....there is a thread about it somewhere from admin asking people not to keep posting these photos.

The rules about this are simple really, if you're worried about anything physical see somebody professionally medically trained. If you're still feeling anxious after talking to them then talk to us. That's the difference, which not many people seem to quite understand no matter how many times admin tries to explain it.

Hope that makes it a bit clearer :)

Cath

Looks like you have your work cut out for you because this symptoms section is full of people wanting to talk about symptoms funnily enough......people don't ignore the rules, people want to talk about what is worrying them and receive some empathy not to be told off for getting their first post "wrong" . It can take a lot of courage for some to manage to take this step & can make you feel rather alone if the response is harsh. Just wish people could try to be kinder sometimes that's all.....xx

[Catherine S]

See what I mean? You're just not getting it Cake lady. Talking about 'physical' symptoms and being anxious about them is fine and is welcomed muchly on the forum, but only AFTER you've been checked out by a medical professional not before. How do we know what's physically wrong with somebody? We only know what our own experiences tell us, so we're all just guessing aren't we. And no, it's not me who has their work cut out explaining this rule, it's the poor administration team who are always ignored about it.

I will though, continue to suggest seeing the doctor whenever somebody posts a photo asking for a diagnosis. If that's ok with you.

Cath ☺