I wanted to start a blog of my "scary spot" to help others be aware of how important it is to get yourself checked if you know something just isn't right.
I am not sure of what my spot exactly is yet, but I have researched and learned so much about how invasive skin cancer can be by spreading to your lymph nodes and other organs and just how serious and deadly it is (stressing myself out to say the least) while waiting on a dermatologist appt. Who would ever think a mole can be that bad?! I really hope my ugly evolving lesion turns out to be nothing.
There are so many informative blogs out there on this subject written by incredible fighters and survivors of Melanoma and other skin cancers and these courageous people inspired me to make a blog as well of my scary journey to the dermatologist. I will probably not be as informative as others as I am still learning but I will be honest and I hope to help you make that decision to get yourself checked if something is different or if a mole you have had for many years has decided to change and grow.
It could turn out that my spot is not cancerous... but I still think it's very important to tell everyone, if you have a suspicious spot on your skin, to make an appointment with a dermatologist just to be sure!
My story of this frightening spot:
I have had a weird looking spot on my skin on my upper left inner thigh near the underwear line for a very long time. I think the first time I noticed it was about 12+ years ago. I thought it was so strange looking that during a regular pap appointment I decided to say something to the doctor doing the routine exam...I asked him if this is anything I should worry about. I remember him well, he was filling in for another doctor, just a young kinda arrogant guy, I think he was a practitioner actually, not a doctor. He replied "It doesn't look angry." I will never forget that reply, especially now.
No, it probably wasn't angry, but it was strange...kind of like an ink spot spatter, brown edges and lighter pink, skin color in the middle. Flat, not raised. Almost looked like a slight burn discoloration or something of that nature to me. I thought maybe it was from one of my two cervical surgeries to remove pre-cancerous cells many years ago, and I just noticed it. Thought maybe one of the doctors who used the laser or freeze instrument (had both types of surgery) for the removal of some of my cervix cells accidentally brushed by my thigh area, who knows. Maybe it's possible?
All I know is that it was an odd looking flat ink stain type of "mole". Now that I have researched on the subject and learned more, I would guess it was an atypical dysplastic nevus (dermatologists use the words “atypical nevus” to describe a mole that does not look like a normal mole). I wish I had taken a photo of it years ago of how it looked originally, only recently now that it's changing and scaring me, have I taken pics of it.
Fast forward to now, well, to at least a year ago. I had a physical with a new doctor (had skipped a few years of doctors visits, ooops) and she noticed the spot right away and said I should see a dermatologist and after the physical we will have to set the appointment up. I was not even concerned as I have had this for so long but said ok. Unfortunately, knowing now how serious it could be, we should have followed through with making that appointment!
After the doctor's routine physical, she was concerned with other issues I was having and we both kinda forgot about setting that dermatologist appointment. I have had ongoing issues last year and this year with blood in my urine, frequent urination, and low platelets and low red blood cell counts, and have had many different tests done with bladder and kidneys. Hopefully these issues aren't related to the spot in anyway, that probably would not be good.
This summer's physical, I re-showed her my "mole" due to the fact this year it has grown and is raised or elevated so to speak. A tad bothersome too, can feel it more. I have had other side symptoms that possibly could be related (but still haven't told my doctor), such as swollen inguinal lymph nodes, and swollen lymph nodes at the base of my skull in back below the ears. I am always quite fatigued and achey all over like a constant bit of the flu or something. Just don't have the energy people my age around me seem to have (in my mid forties).
So I showed her and she said "why did we not make that appointment last year?!" She said she wants me to be seen within a couple of weeks by a dermatologist because it looks funny and it's in a dark area that gets no sun so it is concerning.
I waited a couple of weeks and received a voicemail from a receptionist telling me that my appointment was for the next day and it was during my work hours. I couldn't get the day off that quick being a day before, so I had to call and re-scheduled my appt. Not the best idea and I should have just called in sick and went then. Kicking myself now. The appointment they made was for August 31 and the earliest re-schedule I could get was for November 6th. The spot is still changing and is not looking any better, it looks worse. It started to ulcerate as it elevated, bleeds a tad then crusts over and regrows and repeats the process now.
As that doctor guy said many years ago, it doesn't look angry, I say now it's furious!
