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Ldyblade 
Blade Mistress of the Olympics
Group: Members
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Joined: Jul. 2002
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Posted on: Feb. 22 2012, 11:11 pm |
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This is a first for me and I have two of them. I have a spot on my back coming off and being shipped to lab next week, The other is in my freakin' mouth!  No, I haven't made the appointment yet and it is making me whacked. Normally, I am all good with the poke and jab scene, but something about having it lasered off ("...around it so we don't cook it") has got me squirming. I think I rather lose a toe to frostbite, nevermind I would be really upset if it comes back icky. I do not, do not, do not want radiation on my jaw. I know I just need to go get it done....sigh.
So, I know some one here has to have had these type of procedures done before. Wanna give a girl a clue?
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| Post Number: 2
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RebeccaD
Double Arch, Arches N.P.
Group: Members
Posts: 9867
Joined: Jul. 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 23 2012, 1:36 am |
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Haven't done it myself, and the mouth thing sounds icky. My husband gets bits sawed off his skin routinely; he's a CA boy with lots of natural moles, so plenty of things for the dermatologists to look at.
Just do it.
Delay is your enemy.
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Bits of writerly thoughts and random short fiction found at
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| Post Number: 3
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JimInMD
Group: Members
Posts: 3112
Joined: Feb. 2011
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Posted on: Feb. 23 2012, 8:46 am |
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Forgive me for posting in the Women's forum, but if we're talking mole removal than I have some experience. The spot where they took one off of my lower back last week is still healing. Results were quick and thankfully negative. Good luck, it's nerve wracking but beats not knowing.
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Checking out for a while, find me on FB.
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| Post Number: 4
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sarbar
Hiker Trash
Group: Members
Posts: 16479
Joined: Sep. 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 23 2012, 9:58 am |
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I know talking to Kirk didn't help  But better to do it than not, early catching is the goal!
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Trail Cooking, Recipes, Gear and Beyond:
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GlenG
Group: Members
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Joined: Oct. 2009
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Posted on: Feb. 23 2012, 8:12 pm |
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Forgive me as well for posting in this forum, but since its not specifically related to women in general, I will. I now have a thumbnail size crater in my upper back, where a mole, that was a basal cell carcinoma removed last Aug. I, as much as anyone, was a little spooked/scared, and hesitant to go to my doc, who "quickly" made an appt at the dermatologist. It took me 6 months to get an appt. The initial visit they took off the mole, biopsied it, and made another appt to come back and have the rest dug out. As unpleasant as it sounds, as others have given the same advice - don't wait and mess around. I now am very aware of spending too much time in the sun, though the reality is that the damage was done long ago.
Waiting to address it, is not a wise decision.
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| Post Number: 6
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Ldyblade
Blade Mistress of the Olympics
Group: Members
Posts: 3456
Joined: Jul. 2002
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Posted on: Feb. 23 2012, 10:52 pm |
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Well, the one on my back was looked at by a doctor last year and he poo-poo'd doing anything about it. Less than a week to go to get it off. The one in my mouth came as a complete surprise during my dental exam and it ain't pretty. I still haven't scheduled anything on that. I will make it a priority and get it done....GlenG, did you notice it taking longer to heal?
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| Post Number: 7
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llamapacker
Group: Members
Posts: 659
Joined: Feb. 2010
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Posted on: Feb. 24 2012, 1:26 am |
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When I was about 40 years old I had small section of my lower lip cut out as a precaution. The doctor removed a chunk about 1 centimeter square and 0.75 cm deep from the top center of my lower lip, in the pink part. Yikes. Worrying about the procedure and test results were much worse than the procedure itself, which took about 20 minutes and I got to sit there and watch it all right under my nose. Afterwards I had to be careful how I ate and I didn't do much smooching for about 10 days, but I do not remember my lip being sore for more than a day or two and it healed without a trace of a scar. Test results gave me a clean bill of health. I am really glad I had the biopsy, no more stress of not knowing, or worse.
Begging your pardon for butting in.
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GlenG
Group: Members
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Joined: Oct. 2009
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Posted on: Feb. 24 2012, 6:06 am |
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Ldyblade,
Not sure if you mean after the removal of it, or prior to having it removed. Before it was removed, what clued me in, was a an itch on my back, that I scratched, and surprisingly easily opened the mole and it started to bleed. The mole then kept going through these cycles where it would scab over, heal, then looked, for lack of a better term, weird and unusual. I kept a close watch of it. It was then that I decided to have it looked at. I would say that period of time was probably 5-6 months, then another 6 months to see the dermo guy. When I finally got to the dermo doc, he took one brief look, and told me he was about 85% sure it was a basal cell, and removed the mole that day. The biopsy confirmed his hunch. After that, it took a long time to heal, and was sore for at least a couple of weeks. In fact, I didn't hike until it felt better, as it is right under where the shoulder strap goes. That was last July, early in the month, and by late July I was off with my sons hiking in NH-ME. The remainder of the affected area was removed in late Aug, and for what ever reason, was less sore and healed much faster than the first time. I think I was hiking about a week and half afterwards.
It surprised me, after I did a little research, that about 20% of the population has, or will have a basal cell carcinoma removed. It also surprised me that 95% of the time, there's no further issues. I worked on a farm in my teen years, often times without a shirt, all day in the sun, with no sun screen. I'm sure that was a contributing factor.
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| Post Number: 9
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sarbar
Hiker Trash
Group: Members
Posts: 16479
Joined: Sep. 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 24 2012, 10:48 am |
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Yep, that is what happened to my husband - he had one on his face that would scab and then not heal. Over and over. Finally I guilted him into going in and they cut out the skin - and his wasn't a mole even! (He is a pale red head). He has a crescent moon scar now but it is gone thankfully.
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| Post Number: 10
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fifeplayer
Group: Members
Posts: 2608
Joined: Dec. 2005
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Posted on: Feb. 24 2012, 6:34 pm |
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(Ldyblade @ Feb. 22 2012, 11:11 pm)
QUOTE I know I just need to go get it done....sigh.
So, I know some one here has to have had these type of procedures done before. Wanna give a girl a clue?
I'm sorry. The angst caused by the "it might be something...it might not be something" is miserable. 
I've not had one done, but I've watched several. And yeah, poking lasers around in one's mouth just sounds...freaky. FWIW, go get it done. 1)The odds of it being something to worry about are really, really small. 2) If it is something to worry about, the sooner it's caught, the better. Especially in the mouth. If (and I continue to emphasize the low probability of this) it is something nasty, if it's excised before the margins are deeper than the mucosa, radiation isn't always the first choice.
Back to the nuts and bolts. After surgery it should heal within 10 days or so. The mouth is surprisingly good at this, despite all the germs around. But...it'll seem like it's bleeding for freakin' ever. Oozing for like hours and hours and hours. Like wisdom teeth, except the pain and swelling should be a lot less with no nasty bony sockets to worry about.
If you're like me and want to learn (not worry!) about all the things it might be, might not be, could never possibly be, PM me and I'll send you copies of some of the stuff I'm learning about it. 
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| Post Number: 11
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Ldyblade
Blade Mistress of the Olympics
Group: Members
Posts: 3456
Joined: Jul. 2002
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Posted on: Feb. 24 2012, 10:42 pm |
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Fifeplayer, thanks for the detail on the bleeding! Sounds like I'll need to schedule this a few weeks out to allow my new doc to go over my records and converse with the dental doc. Bleeding is bad when you already have a bleeding problem. I can get a script for Stimate, but prior to reading your post, I didn't even think about it. I hadn't worried about the spot on my back nearly as much, since pressure can be applied there. Mouth? Not so much...
GlenG, yeah, the summers flytagging cattle, driving tractor and all in as little clothing as possible has led to some spectacular sunburns. Sunscreen was for city folk, back then. It also runs in the family (yay.) and is similar to what you are describing. It has alternately hurt, itched, or been fine over the years. Tuesday it is gone and hopefully nothing further will need to be done there.
llamapacker, no apologies needed.  Info is what I am needing and you provided. Thanks.
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| Post Number: 12
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Ldyblade
Blade Mistress of the Olympics
Group: Members
Posts: 3456
Joined: Jul. 2002
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Posted on: Mar. 11 2012, 1:26 am |
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So, the doctor took the spot away along with a chunk of skin. The one thing I was not prepared for was the itching!! Holy hot dogs, did/does that freaking itch to high heaven! The stitches came out on Thursday and the lady taking them out was kind enough to rub my back for me because I certainly couldn't reach it and didn't want to run to a door jam and start cavorting against it. I did hear back yesterday...IT'S NOT CANCER! Woot! I can breathe easier now...
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| Post Number: 13
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llamapacker
Group: Members
Posts: 659
Joined: Feb. 2010
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Posted on: Mar. 11 2012, 1:44 am |
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Congratulations. Whew.
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| Post Number: 14
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VAN
Group: Members
Posts: 3176
Joined: Nov. 2006
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Posted on: Mar. 11 2012, 8:28 am |
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Good news!
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"Long you live and high you fly. And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry. And all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be." -Pink Floyd
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| Post Number: 15
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| Post Number: 16
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RebeccaD
Double Arch, Arches N.P.
Group: Members
Posts: 9867
Joined: Jul. 2004
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Posted on: Mar. 11 2012, 2:39 pm |
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Yay!
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Bits of writerly thoughts and random short fiction found at
The Ninja Librarian Blog
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| Post Number: 17
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Survival Skills 101 • Eat Better
