basal cell skin cancer

cajunlady56
cajunlady56 Posts: 151 Member
edited October 5 in Chit-Chat
Anyone have this?

Doctor don't know what spot on my face it but said worse case this is what I have. She said it doesn't look like it is but I am still scared. Never knew anyone who had this. It is just a small red spot that doesn't go away and slight swellling

Replies

  • whouwannab
    whouwannab Posts: 350 Member
    Well basal cell is not as dangerous as melanoma. Did they biopsy it to be tested? You should find out fairly quickly the results and if it is basal they will just remove it. Basal cell is pretty common. Good for you for getting in to have it checked out.

    I had melanoma a few years ago on my outer thigh. Started out as a small dark freckly and grew to a large, irregular shape mole that itched in less than 6 months. Went to doc and found out it was melanoma. Scarred me big time. Had wide excision on thigh and a setinal node biopsy to see if it had spread. It had not, thank goodness, and I did not need follow up treatment.

    I was on a quarterly visit to derm but now only have to go once a year for full body check. If you are not already, I would make sure you see the derm annually to watch for other spots.
  • LuciaLongIsland
    LuciaLongIsland Posts: 815 Member
    Anyone have this?

    Doctor don't know what spot on my face it but said worse case this is what I have. She said it doesn't look like it is but I am still scared. Never knew anyone who had this. It is just a small red spot that doesn't go away and slight swellling

    I do not mean to scare you but basal cell is not serious. See a good dermatologist and get checked often.

    My ex thumb looked weir, like a fungus. He saw a dermatologist who did a biopsy and told him it was a wart. A month later, it was getting worse, another biopsy...MELANOMA. His thumb was excised, OK, no biggie. We asked the oncologist why this occurred as it had nothing to do with the sun..Her response, "Bad Luck"...Ok. A few months passed and he was coughing up black particles. The melanoma had spread to the lungs. They continued to test, it was in the brain. Radiation, chemo, nothing worked. Now they are giving him a new drug,

    He was given 3 to 6 month's. He is 50.

    Be grateful is basal cell. Be vigilant. I do NOT mean to scare you. what he had is somewhat rare. Please pray for him.

    Thanks for allowing me to vent.
  • cajunlady56
    cajunlady56 Posts: 151 Member
    Well basal cell is not as dangerous as melanoma. Did they biopsy it to be tested? You should find out fairly quickly the results and if it is basal they will just remove it. Basal cell is pretty common. Good for you for getting in to have it checked out.

    I had melanoma a few years ago on my outer thigh. Started out as a small dark freckly and grew to a large, irregular shape mole that itched in less than 6 months. Went to doc and found out it was melanoma. Scarred me big time. Had wide excision on thigh and a setinal node biopsy to see if it had spread. It had not, thank goodness, and I did not need follow up treatment.

    I was on a quarterly visit to derm but now only have to go once a year for full body check. If you are not already, I would make sure you see the derm annually to watch for other spots.

    She did not biopsy it yet. She gave me a creme to put on it twice a day and said to come back in a couple of weeks. If it isn't healed she will biopsy it.

    This started as a tingling and burning spot which I rubbed and figured I was bitten by something. I few hours later I looked in the mirror and it was red and looked like I had stratched it. It is very small like the size of a pencil eraser and has not grown, bleed or anything other than just stay there. I think it has been at least 8 weeks.

    Thanks for the response.
  • LuciaLongIsland
    LuciaLongIsland Posts: 815 Member
    Well basal cell is not as dangerous as melanoma. Did they biopsy it to be tested? You should find out fairly quickly the results and if it is basal they will just remove it. Basal cell is pretty common. Good for you for getting in to have it checked out.

    I had melanoma a few years ago on my outer thigh. Started out as a small dark freckly and grew to a large, irregular shape mole that itched in less than 6 months. Went to doc and found out it was melanoma. Scarred me big time. Had wide excision on thigh and a setinal node biopsy to see if it had spread. It had not, thank goodness, and I did not need follow up treatment.

    I was on a quarterly visit to derm but now only have to go once a year for full body check. If you are not already, I would make sure you see the derm annually to watch for other spots.

    You are very lucky.
  • whouwannab
    whouwannab Posts: 350 Member
    Anyone have this?

    Doctor don't know what spot on my face it but said worse case this is what I have. She said it doesn't look like it is but I am still scared. Never knew anyone who had this. It is just a small red spot that doesn't go away and slight swellling

    I do not mean to scare you but basal cell is not serious. See a good dermatologist and get checked often.

    My ex thumb looked weir, like a fungus. He saw a dermatologist who did a biopsy and told him it was a wart. A month later, it was getting worse, another biopsy...MELANOMA. His thumb was excised, OK, no biggie. We asked the oncologist why this occurred as it had nothing to do with the sun..Her response, "Bad Luck"...Ok. A few months passed and he was coughing up black particles. The melanoma had spread to the lungs. They continued to test, it was in the brain. Radiation, chemo, nothing worked. Now they are giving him a new drug,

    He was given 3 to 6 month's. He is 50.

    Be grateful is basal cell. Be vigilant. I do NOT mean to scare you. what he had is somewhat rare. Please pray for him.

    Thanks for allowing me to vent.

    Your ex's condition scares the bejeebus out of me. I am always worried about it coming back and not knowing until it is beyond treatment. I always wonder how they know they got it all? How do I know a few cancer cells didnt go undetected? I will pray for your ex and I pray for you and your familys.
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    Have a dermatologist look at it. I love my PCP but don't trust her to evaluate for skin cancer. That's what derms are for! yearly mole patrols with a derm MD are just as necessary as yearly physicals :o)
  • cajunlady56
    cajunlady56 Posts: 151 Member
    Have a dermatologist look at it. I love my PCP but don't trust her to evaluate for skin cancer. That's what derms are for! yearly mole patrols with a derm MD are just as necessary as yearly physicals :o)

    She is a dermatologist..
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    oh ok well then if she's not worried I'd just keep an eye on it over the next 6 moths for changes in color, size, watch for itching, bleeding. Things like that. Otherwise like she said it's probably just a benign skin anomaly. good luck!
  • jacquelyn_erika
    jacquelyn_erika Posts: 524 Member
    Do you have a picture of this?

    I only ask because I have the exact same thing you've described. I've done multiple searches on it and always came up with basal cell carcinoma but the spot has never caused me any kind of pain. It never appeared until about a year and a half ago when I was tanning frequently. It's extremely small but it is raised.
  • cajunlady56
    cajunlady56 Posts: 151 Member
    Do you have a picture of this?

    I only ask because I have the exact same thing you've described. I've done multiple searches on it and always came up with basal cell carcinoma but the spot has never caused me any kind of pain. It never appeared until about a year and a half ago when I was tanning frequently. It's extremely small but it is raised.

    sorry no picture. It just looks like a red spot kinda like when your shoe rubs on your foot but doesn't actually cause a blister. Not really raised but very litle swelling.
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
    I've had it, and so has my husband. Far less serious than melanoma. It can appear differently on different skin types. Google has lots of pics.
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