- Feb 23, 2005
- 3,100
- 149
- 116
I had a mole on the side of my head that kept getting caught by my comb and got really irritated, so I went to the Doc this Thursday to get it looked at. The doc checked it and said it seemed like a normal mole, but noticed that I have a lot of moles (been covered with them since I was a kid) and told me it would be a good idea to go to a dermatologist every year for a full check. I was informed that the dermatologist in the same building is a good one, but it can take months to get in, so I should swing by on my way out to setup an appointment. I finished up with my doc and then stopped by the dermatologist office on my way out.
By chance the dermatologist just had someone cancel, so they could see me right then. The dermatologist looked at the mole on the side of my head and also said it was normal, but she could take it off since it's causing issues. She then started looking at the rest of my body, and as she did her tone went from cheerful to a bit stressed.
Her: "Have you ever been to a dermatologist before?"
"No."
Her: "How long have you had these moles on your back? Do you know if they've grown at all?"
"Umm... A while... I think? I know the one on my spine has been there at least since I was 16." (I'm now about to turn 29)
Her: Has anyone in your family ever had any form of skin cancer?
I think one person An uncle maybe? I know that most of my siblings had some moles removed just to be on the safe side, but none of them came back with anything interesting.
Her: Did you burn a lot as a kid?
I did when I was a kid, but as I got into my early teens I either stayed in the shade or put on the highest SPF I could find.
Her: "Ok... I really don't like the looks of these... I'm going to take some biopsies and get them checked. Because... Yeah... Geeze... Im really glad you came in today..."
0_0'
"Ok..."
She numbed up the areas, then cut out three of my moles (including the one on my head), putting each into a small plastic sample jar. As she was cutting, the realization hit me that this may actually turn out to be something very serious. Until I walked into the dermatologists office, my biggest concern of the day was getting all the paperwork done for my new apartment while trying to stay on top of my projects at work. She put Band-Aids over the biopsy sites and then told me that they will have the results in a week. If they come back normal, Ill just have to setup and yearly check-up; but if they come back abnormal, I will need to come back and let them take a closer look at all my moles to make sure nothing bad is brewing.
I walked out of the office stunned The tone she had did not give me any good feelings about the pending results. I tried my best to get through the rest of the day without letting it bother me, but the idea of being told I have cancer started to gnaw at me. When I left work I called my Mom to ask her about who in the family it was that had skin cancer. She told me that only two of her brothers ever got skin cancer: One that was a jet pilot (got it on his face were the skin wasn't covered by the mask) and one that worked outside all day on a hydroelectric plant. They both had full recoveries and are still alive today, and no one else in the family has had it. I told her what the dermatologist said, and Mom helped ease my mind a little by telling me thats the same reaction all my other (six) siblings got from dermatologists when they looked at them; none of them ever got diagnosed with skin cancer.
While Mom helped me calm down a bit I made a very big mistake by going onto the internet and reading all the info and stories I could about skin cancer. I am now in full freak out mode and hoping that I get the results back ASAP with no abnormal cells found.
TLDR
Doc has me worried I may have skin cancer. Waiting to get the results of the test next week.
**UPDATE**
Doc called me today with mostly good news: The results came back mildly abnormal. So no cancer, but I need to keep an eye on things. I've set up another apt in six months to fallow up, and I'll likely go every six months just to make sure nothing gets a head start to grow.
Thanks for all the well-wishes!
By chance the dermatologist just had someone cancel, so they could see me right then. The dermatologist looked at the mole on the side of my head and also said it was normal, but she could take it off since it's causing issues. She then started looking at the rest of my body, and as she did her tone went from cheerful to a bit stressed.
Her: "Have you ever been to a dermatologist before?"
"No."
Her: "How long have you had these moles on your back? Do you know if they've grown at all?"
"Umm... A while... I think? I know the one on my spine has been there at least since I was 16." (I'm now about to turn 29)
Her: Has anyone in your family ever had any form of skin cancer?
I think one person An uncle maybe? I know that most of my siblings had some moles removed just to be on the safe side, but none of them came back with anything interesting.
Her: Did you burn a lot as a kid?
I did when I was a kid, but as I got into my early teens I either stayed in the shade or put on the highest SPF I could find.
Her: "Ok... I really don't like the looks of these... I'm going to take some biopsies and get them checked. Because... Yeah... Geeze... Im really glad you came in today..."
0_0'
"Ok..."
She numbed up the areas, then cut out three of my moles (including the one on my head), putting each into a small plastic sample jar. As she was cutting, the realization hit me that this may actually turn out to be something very serious. Until I walked into the dermatologists office, my biggest concern of the day was getting all the paperwork done for my new apartment while trying to stay on top of my projects at work. She put Band-Aids over the biopsy sites and then told me that they will have the results in a week. If they come back normal, Ill just have to setup and yearly check-up; but if they come back abnormal, I will need to come back and let them take a closer look at all my moles to make sure nothing bad is brewing.
I walked out of the office stunned The tone she had did not give me any good feelings about the pending results. I tried my best to get through the rest of the day without letting it bother me, but the idea of being told I have cancer started to gnaw at me. When I left work I called my Mom to ask her about who in the family it was that had skin cancer. She told me that only two of her brothers ever got skin cancer: One that was a jet pilot (got it on his face were the skin wasn't covered by the mask) and one that worked outside all day on a hydroelectric plant. They both had full recoveries and are still alive today, and no one else in the family has had it. I told her what the dermatologist said, and Mom helped ease my mind a little by telling me thats the same reaction all my other (six) siblings got from dermatologists when they looked at them; none of them ever got diagnosed with skin cancer.
While Mom helped me calm down a bit I made a very big mistake by going onto the internet and reading all the info and stories I could about skin cancer. I am now in full freak out mode and hoping that I get the results back ASAP with no abnormal cells found.
TLDR
Doc has me worried I may have skin cancer. Waiting to get the results of the test next week.
**UPDATE**
Doc called me today with mostly good news: The results came back mildly abnormal. So no cancer, but I need to keep an eye on things. I've set up another apt in six months to fallow up, and I'll likely go every six months just to make sure nothing gets a head start to grow.
Thanks for all the well-wishes!
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