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Mole
I had an itch that just happened to be where my mole was (on the side of my face). I guess I scratched it (once) hard enough to where my mole started bleeding. It's small and slightly raised (nothing big.) I know if your mole bleeds it's a sign of skin cancer. Should I be worried?
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Short answer - yes always be concerned when a mole bleeds. Just to be on the safe side get it checked out immediately. It is not necessarily a sign of skin cancer but you can never be totally sure unless it is looked at. All the best.
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im not trying to scare you but get it checked
please please get it checked
dont stress, but check on it
look at these stories!!!
I was driving home from work, scratched my back and the mole bled . I went back to the dermatologist where they did a biopsy. They took a tiny bit out, sent it away and then we went back for the results. It was malignant.
There was me, my husband and this guy telling me "it's malignant" and I was only 25. Apparently, if they'd not caught it I'd have been dead before I got to 30. I couldn't believe it. I remember thinking: "Why me? I'm only 25 and I wear high factor sun cream!"
They said they needed to take another piece - they dug down into the skin and took another section. They said it would depend on the depth as to whether I would need any further treatment. The operation was done under local anaesthetic, they extracted a larger sample and sent me home with some painkillers. I thought I'd be fine.
I got home, felt a bit crappy but thought "I'll go to work, in a day or two it's not a problem". But once the anaesthetic wore off I couldn't move for a week. I couldn't move at all down the top half of my left side. Apart from the fact I couldn't move, I felt fine. And sitting on my own at home was worse than going to the pub with my work mates or whatever else - just think of something else.
Luckily they found it wasn't too deep, so they dug it all out. I go every three months for a check-up. I'm also involved in the research being done worldwide. All my moles are counted and I go back in a year's time. They also involve my family to see if there's any history.
I concentrate on here and now. It's not always easy, but you adapt. I now enjoy and appreciate what I've got a lot more.
My advice: Get checked! Go - it might be benign. I thought mine was benign - I was absolutely 99 per cent sure it was. And it wasn't. I'm 27 now, and I'd have been dead before I got to 30 if I hadn't been checked. Don't be embarrassed. I was a bit like that, when it bled I was like: "well I scratched it, it didn't bleed on its own. I've obviously made it bleed." But just go and get it looked into it. It may only be tiny but the results may not necessarily be tiny.
I'd love to start a family but I'm scared, Natasha, 29
I went to the doctor's concerning something quite insignificant when I was 22. "Oh, by the way, can you take a look at this mole ?" I asked as I was leaving. It had changed slightly, and it appeared more of a blood blister but I didn't think it was much to worry about.
He examined it and arranged for me to visit the skin clinic, as a precaution. My appointment came and I attended. The consultant decided to whip it off and send it for tests. Even at this stage I didn't worry about it much. The next day I received a phone call from the hospital, asking me to go in and see them urgently.
Sure enough, I was told the mole was malignant. I was stunned, I was 22, and didn't even want to think about the possibility of living with cancer.
I was sent to a specialist hospital and it was arranged for me to have a skin graft, in order to remove more of the skin around it, to hopefully rid me of any surrounding cancerous cells.
This all went fine, and I continued to visit the hospital for five years for check-ups. Earlier this year I discovered a lump in my right breast. I went to the doctor and he referred me to the breast clinic. Everyone was telling me it was nothing to worry about, and I convinced myself it was probably just a lump of fat or something.
After tests I was called back to see the consultant, and I was told that it had shown to be malignant melanoma. I was devastated, it had returned and spread within my body. It felt so alien. At this point I was unsure how far it had spread or how threatening it was. I was referred for more tests and scans.
A tumour was found in the left side of my neck. I knew there was a lump there, but had no idea it was a tumour! I just thought I was under the weather. Since then I have had my neck muscle, nerve, lymph nodes and the tumour removed in the left side of my neck.
It has taken some time to recover from the extent of the surgery. I'm trying to get on with my life and live with what has been thrown at me but it can be hard.
I'm a positive person, but the impact that cancer has had on my life is massive. I'm lucky in the respect that I have a very supportive husband and friends/family, but it's still a dark place to be at times.
I'd still love to start a family, but I'm scared. I've been told that because I've had secondary cancer there's a fair chance that it will return, so the best I can do is ride with it, and take each day as it comes.
Good news though. I've just had my first three month follow-up appointment, and all seems fine at the moment, so that's a positive! I don't think even those close to me really understand how this feels to me, and they're sometimes shocked at my wicked sense of humour which comes as a result of living with the disease. I need to make a joke of it, and people can't quite understand that, but it's a way that I cope. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
I'm now trying to live a normal life. I'm back at work full-time, and coping with day-to-day things. I'm trying to juggle a marriage and a career, but things are working out.
The staff at the local hospice have been very supportive, and I'm visiting a counsellor to put my thoughts into some order. I've grown to accept my scar now, it's hard, as every time I look in the mirror I'm reminded of cancer, but I wouldn't be who I am without it, and they do say that you should learn and grow from your experiences, and I certainly don't take things for granted any more!
My advice: Keep a sense of humour handy. Be honest with people - I hate it when people tell me: "It'll be alright." They've been telling me that since I was 22! (I know they're only tring to reassure themselves, but it really doesn't help you!) Ride with it and remember that everyone has bad days. Ask for help and support if you need it.
Don't be shy - get lumps investigated, Diana, 68
I'd had bowel problems for a long time and often noticed bright blood. Over the last ten or more years I had a couple sigmoidoscopies but then, one time, a consultant wanted to do a colonoscopy and I wrote and said the problem was better.
In 2000 heart disease was diagnosed and I was waiting for valve surgery. On a visit to the heart hospital for a seminar to describe what would happen during and after heart surgery I started to bleed profusely from the rectum.
Bowel cancer was diagnosed - Duke's A. It was surgically removed in July 2001. It hadn't spread through the bowel wall.
December 2001 my stoma was reversed and November 2002 I had my heart surgery. Early this year I had a persistent small sore removed from my chin. That was a rodent ulcer.
At the end of next year I will be considered cured of bowel cancer. Wasn't so lucky with the heart surgery but I feel fine.
My advice: Never ignore any blood in stools. Don't be shy. Have any lumps that suddenly appear investigated promptly. If you think there's something wrong be assertive; do something about it.
A future with NO LUMPS, Christine, 49
Three years ago I had a tumour in my bowel, shortly after I had major sugery to remove the tumour. For three years I never felt well.
In August another tumour was found in my bowel and I had major surgery again. Two weeks later the doctor said the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes. I feel a lot better after this operation, and I didn't need a stoma bag.
But this tumour is aggresive so I'm having chemotherapy soon. I feel lucky they've caught it, but you get sick of feeling ill.
My advice: You always hear the bad news about cancer, but there's a lot of good news especially nowadays with scans etc. They can catch it earlier now. So let's be happy and think of the future when they say NO LUMPS.
Mixed background and melanoma, Yewande
I was always very conscious of cancers that can affect women but I wasn't so worried about or conscious about skin cancers. That's obviously all changed now.
I was very shocked when I was diagnosed with skin cancer. If my doctor had said to me "you have breast cancer" that would have been a much more likely scenario in my mind.
I come from a mixed background and never really thought about melanoma.
The mole was about a millimetre big and it looked like a keloid scar. It was slightly raised. The skin was very smooth and shiny on the surface. It was a very light brown whereas the 'beauty spots' I have are almost jet-black. It also had a very irregular shape to it. But I think the most outstanding point was that it changed over a period of five or six months which is very quick, according to my doctor, and that's what raised the danger flags.
Based on my experience it's easy to see how the black community would assume they're not at risk of melanoma. The message I got from my doctor and my specialist was - "oh it's very surprising and, in fact, I was quite shocked to get your results because of your pigmentation".
The black community isn't going to argue with people who are seen to be in the know (medical practitioners) about a topic of which little is known. Most of the people I know in the community don't know any black people who have cancer - certainly not skin cancer - so it's not something they worry about.
Because black people tend not to burn and go red, and very few actually peel (or are aware of the peeling process) they might not even notice they've burnt their skin. There's no real information about how black skin burns. Therefore, unless one is self-aware enough to notice the finite changes wrought by extreme exposure, "well I was in the sun and this is what happened", then you don't know. I think information needs to be made available and people need to be made more aware of how their skin reacts and how to take care of it better.
Everybody should be aware of the sun because skin is skin whether it's got lots of pigmentation or not. I think the message should be that it doesn't matter whether you're fair skinned or not. Your skin is still very vulnerable.
As for wearing sunscreen, some people can be put off because, on black skin, a lot of sun creams leave a horrible white sheen, which looks like calamine lotion. Since the diagnosis I've phoned all my relatives and said, "check yourselves regularly."
My advice: If you see anything that looks abnormal or you've not noticed before, go to the doctor. Don't ignore it. Don't leave it. Just have it checked out - even if it turns out to be nothing. Remember, it can happen to anyone.
If you're being checked out for a melanoma, do as much research as possible because then you're informed and it helps to get rid of the panic. If you know more about a problem, then it leaves less room for your imagination to run wild and build up frightening scenarios. It also gives you something to focus on because you know that when you're going in to see your doctor you've got information - you can ask questions.
Other than that, there's not much you can do until the doctors have gone in and done what it is they're going to do and given you their diagnosis and treatments etc.
Fortunately the doctor believes the excision was enough to have cleared out most of the cancer so there's nothing there and, fingers crossed, I won't have to go in for anything aggressive like chemotherapy.
Luckily my cancer was caught early. The impression I got from the doctors is that it could have been much deeper. If it had been deeper, it would have meant a more aggressive approach to treatment, which probably would have included chemotherapy or something like that. I was lucky as all I needed was a local anaesthetic where they excised the wound, which while unpleasant and very uncomfortable, wasn't really as severe a treatment as it could have been. So I suppose in that respect I was quite lucky.
Friends and family are a huge help, Sally
As one of the 100 women diagnosed with breast cancer each day in the UK, I want to say a huge thank you to my own friends and family who have helped me, and to offer some practical advice to anyone who has a friend with breast cancer.
I was first diagnosed in 2000 and following a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, three years later secondary tumours were found on my liver and I have been having chemotherapy since then. I found that friends want to rally around but sometimes they aren't sure what to do for the best.
My advice: Let your friend know you're thinking of her in a simple way like sending a card. Support her by listening, but check on the best time to call, because even phone calls can be exhausting when you're having cancer treatment.
Take your cue from her, for example if she's feeling positive, join in and be encouraging. While it's kind of people to send flowers, sometimes you don't feel well enough to answer the door to the florist, let alone arrange the vase, and if everyone has the same idea you can feel as though you are sitting in a funeral parlour.
I always appreciated entertaining gifts like books, tapes, and magazines. It can be very hard to ask for help, so practical assistance is wonderful. Offer to go to the supermarket, or help with gardening or cleaning.
I am always delighted when a friend drops by for half an hour's ironing. If transport is a problem, offer a lift to or from hospital.
Cancer treatment can leave you completely worn out, so home cooked food is a great way to help, especially if your friend also has the job of feeding her family.
And finally, one of my best friends during all of this was Macmillan Cancer Support and my Macmillan nurse. Their Cancerline offers wonderful support for friends and family too. Its open Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm on freephone 0808 808 2020, textphone 0808 808 0121.
This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Trisha Macnair in August 2005.
First published in February 1999.
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