Watching and waiting

[Bakebeansrule]

I noticed a new dark mark (thought maybe it’s a new mole) on my bottom lip. I sent a photo to the dr just over a week ago who said she thinks it’s best to watch and wait. Take a photo and take another in 3 weeks and see if there’s any changes.

I’m struggling so much with this. I’ve googled so many different things and of course my brain focuses on the worst. I don’t think it’s changed in the last week and a half.

The mark is about 1mm x 1mm so I keep telling myself IF it is anything serious it will have been found early and hopefully be pretty easy to deal with.

How do you deal with watching and waiting because it’s honestly making me feel awful

[kyllikki]

"watching a waiting" is the worst thing for someone with HA to hear, I think, it sets off all sorts of brain weasels
Normally I'd suggest limiting any checking (in this case looking at your lip) but this seems complicated by, oh, I dunno, the existence of mirrors?! I really feel for you...
I think the best way forward is to remind yourself that it's not especially likely that this new tiny mole IS anything to worry about; that even if it were, it's really likely entirely curable because it's currently very, very tiny.

And, if it's any consolation, I have an exactly identical mark, acquired in adulthood, and it's done nothing since it appeared.
(I will now resist the urge to go look at it in a mirror to confirm this...)

Best wishes to you, truly. But I think you're going to be just fine.

[Bakebeansrule]

"watching a waiting" is the worst thing for someone with HA to hear, I think, it sets off all sorts of brain weasels
Normally I'd suggest limiting any checking (in this case looking at your lip) but this seems complicated by, oh, I dunno, the existence of mirrors?! I really feel for you...
I think the best way forward is to remind yourself that it's not especially likely that this new tiny mole IS anything to worry about; that even if it were, it's really likely entirely curable because it's currently very, very tiny.

And, if it's any consolation, I have an exactly identical mark, acquired in adulthood, and it's done nothing since it appeared.
(I will now resist the urge to go look at it in a mirror to confirm this...)

Best wishes to you, truly. But I think you're going to be just fine.

Thank you so much for your reply. I felt like I was going crazy yesterday for thinking and feeling the way I do. I’ve made a deal with myself that I’ll only check it now in the car, daft but the light makes it easier to see and I’m only in the car twice a day so it should stop me constantly checking.

It’s reassuring to know you have a similar mark. I know we shouldn’t seek reassurance on here but sometimes other peoples words and experiences really do help.

[kyllikki]

That's a great idea, to only check in the car.
Don't get too hung up on being a "perfect" HA self-helper/patient. If it were easy to banish HA, we'd have all done that by now (well, nearly all of us, some people here probably have other overlapping personal(ity) problems that complicate tackling their HA -- there's hard roads and then harder roads, for sure.)
But the way I look at is that hearing at least one "I grew a new mole in adulthood and it was absolutely nothing bad" story for every "I suddenly developed melanoma and died" story in the media isn't reassurance. It's REALITY!!! And hence it's perfectly appropriate for this space.

Also sorry for typos in previous post, too, I am a terrible typist.

Best wishes and don't get in the car more than you have to, haha!

[Bakebeansrule]

Thank you again. I’m feeling better about it today I keep reminding myself you only hear bad stories no one ever has anything to say about anything good.

I’m going spend the weekend only checking in the car then from Monday only checking when leaving home and that should take me up until I have to contact my dr again a week Tuesday. I’m 100% sure it hasn’t grown in the 10 days I’ve been checking so that got to be good right?!

I read you previous post at 3.30am so hadn’t noticed any typos just comforting words that helped me sleep 🙂