I visited my GP for a suspicious mark on my nose that I’ve had for at least 6 months. It didn’t bother me at first because it kept going away. Then friends and family were asking what it was, so I made an appointment to see my doctor who diagnosed a BCC. 4 weeks later I went to see a dermatologist who diagnosed a SCC. I got an appointment to see a plastic surgeon within 2 weeks, which will be next week. In all of this time it has grown quite a bit. Someone on here (I think) described it as a ‘crusty volcano’. I am so scared now because these can spread, I’m in a total panic all the time, not sleeping and it’s on my mind 24/7. Has anyone else had one this long and it turned out ok after being removed?
Hi Maryjoh and a very warm welcome to the online community
I have had different types of skin cancer to you but I recognise the fear that it might have spread.
SCC are the second most common type of skin cancer in the UK and, if you look at this information from BAD (British Association of Dermatologists) you'll see that the vast majority are low risk skin cancers and are cured by surgery to remove them.
I have found these previous posts about SCCs for you to have a look through. You could reply to any of the more recent posters who have had their SCC removed to see how they are getting on if you wanted to.
Let us know how you get on when you see the plastic surgeon next week. In the meantime you need to find something that works for you to reduce the panic that you are feeling. I always find that doing something I enjoy helps to keep my mind from wandering to the what ifs. Lots of people find mindfulness really helpful and, if this is something that interests you, clicking here will take you to the NHS page with links to mindfulness apps that you can download some of which are free.
It would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
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"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
