Anyone on here ever have to deal with skin cancer?

fenderhutz · #1 03-04-2008, 09:06 PM

I am only 30. Hardly EVER go out in the sun.

I had some things pop up on my leg in the past couple months and then to my back.

I had to get a biopsy today and will find out the results this week.

Anyone on here ever have to deal with this? I know most forms of skin cancer can be dealt with easily but after getting a punch shoved in my skin (imagine taking a straw and stabbing an apple) I am not looking forward to them possibly taking chunks of flesh from my leg.

marcray · #2 03-04-2008, 09:11 PM

what popped up on your skin? Are we talking about some disturbing moles or what? I had some bad large moles removed that all turned out to be benign but I have to have annual checks and regular biopsies...

A neighbor had a scoop of back removed and although was an uncomfortable month of recovery, he now doesn't have skin cancer... that has to be good news right?

iamlowsound · #3 03-04-2008, 09:11 PM

Don't worry about it too much. It is easily beeten. This actually reminds me that I have a few moles on my back that I need to go get checked.

lowsound

fenderhutz · #4 03-04-2008, 09:13 PM

Not moles, raised scaly, crusty mounds that look like basal carcinoma (sp?). They itch, sometimes bleed and antibiotics and steroid creams have done nothing.

MonetBass · #5 03-05-2008, 09:04 AM

Get it removed ASAP by a qualified dermatologist. You don't want that to metastasize and wind up in other parts of your body; specifically, the muscle or bone. Or worse, your circulatory or lymphatic systems.

I was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer last year (DFSP - dermatafibrosarcoma protuberens). If caught early, simply removing it should cure you. Depending on how deep it goes, the scarring should be minimal. Just be glad it's not somewhere visible like your face.

(No, I'm not a doctor, but I learned a whole lot about this stuff during my cancer bout last year.)

Toasted · #6 03-05-2008, 09:06 AM

Dude, you'll be fine. Just wait for the test results and do what your doctor says. One thing's for sure reading on the internet is ONLY going to **** you up

Bryan316 · #7 03-05-2008, 09:09 AM

Fender, you know my brother's story.

My father and my grandmother both had melanomas removed. My grandmother's was small, but my father had an enormous section over his shoulder blade completely removed. They went through the entire dermal layer, down to bare muscle. His patch was 3-1/2" tall by 1-1/4" wide. It's now nothing but horrid scar tissue there. A big indentation where his flesh used to be, filled in with pink scar tissue. He loved getting sunburned every summer. He's paying his price now.

People still don't get it.

And they never will.

MyUsernameHere · #8 03-05-2008, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toasted

Dude, you'll be fine. Just wait for the test results and do what your doctor says. One thing's for sure reading on the internet is ONLY going to **** you up

Second this.

I had this lump (actually one lump that turned into two) growing on my gum that I thought was cancer from chewing tobacco. Went on the net to do research and it scared the crap out of me. By the time I got into the dentist I thought they were going to have to cut off half of my jaw. Turned out to be something completely benign.

Don't get me wrong, definitely get it checked out. But don't get worked up over it until you know for sure what it is...and if its only been there for a little while its most likely easily treatable.

Christopher · #9 03-05-2008, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Not moles, raised scaly, crusty mounds that look like basal carcinoma (sp?). They itch, sometimes bleed and antibiotics and steroid creams have done nothing.

You should be fine if they're removed. I had to deal with malignant melanoma at 17 (lots of sunburns when I was a kid). THAT was a B8^%!.

MakiSupaStar · #10 03-05-2008, 04:57 PM

I'm a lifeguard. I'm aware of it very much. I've had a mole removed. It was benign. Every year more and more weird crap pops up on my skin. I worry. Sunscreen. I always wear longsleeve shirts when I'm guarding, and also, I religiously apply sunscreen.

peterbright · #11 03-05-2008, 06:37 PM

Hang in there. My grandfather died of skin cancer. I get everything checked.

jwbassman · #12 03-05-2008, 06:51 PM

You're doing the right thing by getting it checked out. My mom had skin cancer and it was found too late. It spread real fast and she passed away within a few months of finding out. She was 48. It's definately something to take very serious. Hopefully everything thing checks out well. My mom's didn't get caught in time, but the earlier the better.

kevteop · #13 03-05-2008, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Not moles, raised scaly, crusty mounds that look like basal carcinoma (sp?). They itch, sometimes bleed and antibiotics and steroid creams have done nothing.

My girlfriend (at age 23, which was weird - she's not a sun-worshipper) had a basal cell carcinoma (aka "rodent ulcer") on her upper lip. Took the stupid NHS nearly a year to recognise it as such.

Anyway, when they finally worked out what it was, it was specialists-at-the-ready. They sent her for an operation to remove it using a technique called Mohs Surgery, where they remove an area of tissue, test the perimeter for cancer cells, and remove more if they find any - to minimise the amount of skin they had to remove.

Then of course she had a nice ding cut out of her upper lip (about the size of a dime, a bit deeper near her nose, shallower at the lip), so she was booked in for a skin graft a week or so later. It was fun (not) changing the dressing on it while waiting for the skin graft appointment (go NHS!). They took a flap of skin from behind her ear and stitched it onto her face, along with a swab pressuring it to her lip. The stitches were removed two weeks later (from her face and her ear).

One unforeseen unpleasant part of the experience was having to grease the stitches each day to ensure they didn't harden and would be easy to remove when the time came. This meant she couldn't wash her hair the whole time, and had grease plastered practically all over her head throughout the duration.

Following the removal of the stitches, they used steroid injections to reduce the scarring around the edges of the graft, although apparently this is only really necessary on young patients where their skin is especially eager to grow like apeshit. She still has some low lumps around the edges which they wanted to perform dermabrasion on (I'm sure you can imagine what that is) but after six months of treatment she wasn't up for that at all.

Hope this helps.

Yes we're still together.

Edit: Incidentally, yes: If your scabby hole has been around for a while and never seems to heal, it's probably a basal cell carcinoma - definitely get it biopsied ASAP.

Standalone · #14 03-05-2008, 07:07 PM

Another vote of confidence here from yet another person who's had something cut out and turned out to be fine.

fenderhutz · #15 03-22-2008, 06:45 AM

Well, not cancer but a non curable, non infectious skin condition. Thanks for the words. Good news it isn't cancer, but I still have to deal with it.

Lalabadie · #16 03-22-2008, 08:17 AM

This indeed is good news. Did you get something to fight the symptoms when needed?

fenderhutz · #17 03-22-2008, 08:23 AM

They gave me more steroid cremes and advised to use Lubiderm or Eurcerin to keep it from being such a bother.

I honestly think a detergent OR fabric softener triggered this due to it being below my sock line. So I also switched to free and clear stuff. Soaps as well.

Lorenzini · #18 03-22-2008, 08:55 AM

Good news! FWIW, I've had doctors recommend NOT using antibacterial body soap as it kills good bacteria and makes your skin more susceptible to skin disorders, rashes, etc.

peterbright · #19 03-22-2008, 08:58 AM

+1 on the Free & Clear

Tsal · #20 03-22-2008, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Anyone on here ever have to deal with this? I know most forms of skin cancer can be dealt with easily but after getting a punch shoved in my skin (imagine taking a straw and stabbing an apple) I am not looking forward to them possibly taking chunks of flesh from my leg.

I had a couple of moles 'punched' off my thigh a couple of days ago, will be hearing the results in a couple of weeks. I'm not worried, since the moles weren't looking that different, but the doc wanted a couple to be tested just in case.

I have the classic pale complexion, complete with some red pigment, so I have a ton of minor skin changes popping up every year