New & scared

Hi  

Life really does have a habit of kicking you when you're down but if your GP is right, this is truly not something to worry you unduly. If it's pre-cancerous, it's unlikely to go cancerous very quickly but if your doc refers you to a dermatologist to have it looked at properly, I expect they'll arrange to get shot of it. Be warned, surgery can take a really long time (months rather than weeks) because these grow and change very slowly and there are a lot of them about. 

Whereabouts on the body is this spot?

Thank you Barbara, that really helps.

The spot is on my right lower arm (same side as breast cancer). 

My GP referred on cancer pathway and I’ve got an appointment with dermatology already for mid-March. She actually works in Dermatology at a hospital in our area so I was pleased that I saw her rather than another GP.

That's fantastic . Sounds like you are being treated very well. Unless you are very unlucky, this should be a lot less scary than what you're already going through. I'm not saying it's fun, but it sounds like you have a great GP and they're worth their weight in gold. Good luck.

Thanks for that Barbara. I needed to hear that it’s not scarey!! I really can’t take much more!! It’s bad enough being on one cancer roller coaster, really don’t want to jump onto another!! Never been one for white knuckle rides!! Lol!!

Thanks again :-)

Hello again Bigguy 

I just wanted to say - for the benefit of anybody else who's reading the thread - that I'm not trying to belittle how scary ANY cancer can be and that I wouldn't want anybody to think that.

With the simpler BCC skin cancers or pre-cancerous lesions, the actual cancer is generally at low risk of spreading, but the surgery can be scary especially when it's on the face or scalp. That's why I checked first where yours was. With facial skin cancers, I think everybody worries about scarring and not looking like themselves after surgery but most find that the recovery is very good. There are of course more complicated non-melanoma skin cancers that some in the group have had which are more worrying.

With yours being on your arm and still pre-cancerous,  I would expect that any scarring is minor compared to what you probably have from your breast cancer surgery already and that the surgery should be quite simple. 

Good luck and stay strong.

Hi Bigguy

Sorry to hear all that you've been through and I wish you well. I just wanted to let you know that I had an odd red little lump on my arm and went to the Drs many years ago who said it was nothing. I went back over the years quite a few times and finally last year a Dr said it was a BCC. I knew something was not right. I have quite a bit of sun damage on my arms (I thought it was just freckles I've always had) but the Dr said otherwise. However I had the BCC treated with the dry ice spray (burned off) and it has gone just leaving a white mark which is fading every week. I have been told just to keep an eye out but that BCC does not spread and I should not worry. I also have Solar keratosis (more sun damage) on my nose which gets the same treatment every few years.

Best wishes

Debsway

Hi Barbara, 

I read your post and I have a question about the recovery time after moth surgery. I had mine done this Monday on my chin, I am very sad and depressed that the scar looks so terrible and about 1 inch long. How long it will take for the scar to go away? Do I have to cover it with plasture for a long time? I hope you understand the emotions I am going thru. I like your posting that's why I wrote to you . Thank you ! 

Hi ,

That's really sweet of you to get in touch. I have to confess that I've not had skin cancer myself but I did have thyroid cancer and the removal of a tangerine sized lump from my neck left me with a scar at the base of my neck that is about 7 cm long. So not on the face directly, but still in a very visible place. So I relate to your worry about an ugly scar. 

How long it takes for a scar to go away is really hard to say. It depends on how well it was cut, where it is (some places are worse than others - for example if it's a bit of you that gets pulled a lot like a knee, it can be a big problem. I have a scar on my knee from falling up some stairs that's absolutely hideous but a chin isn't a bit that normally sees too much action), how good a healer you are, possibly how old you are, and to a degree, whether you 'treat' it.

I used BioOil on my thyroid scar and within a few months, it really wasn't noticeable and 9.5 years later, nobody spots it unless I point it out. That doesn't work for everybody. My sister had the same op a couple of years later and she got an allergic reaction to the BioOil and her scar is 10 times more noticeable than mine. There are other things - patches and the like - but I don't have any experience and you may find that they just draw more attention to the scar than you want.

The thing to remember is that it's highly likely that every time you look at your scar in the mirror, it's not going to ever be worse than it was a week or a month earlier. It will take time, but each time you look, it'll be a teensy bit better than before. 

It's totally natural to be distressed about not looking as much like you as your used to. You've probably got a lot of mixed emotions about having had a cancer cut out and you may well be wary of people asking you what your scar is and that unleashing all the upset you have about the situation. But I can ALMOST guarantee that it's going to get much much better.

You should check with your surgeon or your GP to be sure that it's OK to start putting anything on the scar and if it ever gets sore, or hot, or looks puffy, get it checked out to be sure there's no kind of infection. 

Hang on in there. 

Hi Barbara, 

Thank you so much for your prompt reply , is so nice of you  ! Sorry to hear you had thyroid problem. But at least  the tumor is removed and not to bad looking is good news. The cancer was removed, right? I am trying to hang in there  , just feeling tired, I don't know if is normal, probably it is, so many physical and emotional ups and downs, it may make your body tired. Thank you for making me feel better at least emotionally. I need to take one day at the time and trying to be patient. The healing of the scar that I have is pretty big and may take one year of more to heal. I am scheduled to see the surgeon to take the stiches out next Tuesday. Hopefully I will be and feel better after that. Thank you again for your support and advices. Will keep in touch. You take good care of yourself. 

Nicole 

Hi

I had Mohs on my upper lip on New Years Eve, I was really worried about scaring. The incision was about 1 inch long. I had my stiches out on 14th Jan and I was like you a little concerned at how it looked. My Consultant advised me to use a product called Kel Cote twice a day for two months and I have been doing that. You can pop some makeup on over it if that makes you feel better (I do). My scar seems to be getting better everyday although it is still a bit sore on my actual lip. 

Hope this helps, please try not to worry I think we always think it looks worse than it is. x