Protect yourself from skin cancer and pre-cancerous spots

Second excision got it all!

@sanderson wrote:Second excision got it all!  

Excellent.

@sanderson wrote:Second excision got it all!  

Good news for you.  I have to go tomorrow to get my 8 stitches out of my arm and then I'm not sure what the doc will do with the one on my neck and a few more spots that has cropped up. It's never ending...

I hope only the best for you.

@sanderson wrote:I hope only the best for you.

Thank you. Seems like when I have one removed, another one shows up.

@sanderson wrote:I hope only the best for you.

Went to the Doc today and had 8 stitches taken out from the Basil cell a few weeks ago then he removed a squamous cell on my neck today and put in 4 or 5 stitches.

 I know our gardens can't survive without sunlight but WE can certainly live without it.
PROTECT YOUR SKIN...

Whack a Mole . . . sorry I couldn't help it. One gone, another pops up. I have joined the club of "putting the dermatologists' grandchildren through college."

@sanderson wrote:Whack a Mole . . .   sorry I couldn't help it.  One gone, another pops up.  I have joined the club of "putting the dermatologists' grandchildren through college."

"Whack a Mole"   That's funny.  ...    I was in the doctor's office yesterday at 09:00.
At 09:35, I was out and all stitched up.  I'm getting prepared for sticker shock. I actually paid less before I signed up for MediCare 6 years ago. 

Went to the dermatologist today for my 3 month checkup.  She removed 4 suspicious moles for further testing.  Hopefully they will come out ok.

Hopefully they are okay.

Reading this topic was a wake-up call for me - never worried about the sun and any effects on my skin. Now, I need to make appt with a dermatologist and have my body checked over after many years in the sun.

So sorry that several of you have had various types of skin cancers, hoping that those days of cutting stuff out are behind you.

Judy, That's why I posted, as a caution to others to keep a watch. I've had small pre-cancerous spots frozen off with dry ice and chemical/light treatment, but nothing like what I just went through.

My annual body scan (covered by Medicare) will be quarterly for the next year (also covered by medicare).

I have been dealing with pre cancerous spots about 25 years. Basil cell is not life threatening but will get aggressive if left untreated. Most early treatments are simple and painless.

  The doctor just sprays a little liquid Nitrogen on the spot and freezes it. Shortly after, a blister will form and when it dries up, the blister will fall off taking the cancer (or dry spot) with it.

    If you have a simple dry spot on your skin and it won't go away, SEEK TREATMENT. If you catch it early, it most likely can be just sprayed and frozen off.

  If left untreated, it will have to be biopsied and cauterized. If the biopsy comes back as cancerous, it will have to be surgically removed and you may need stitches  ...  


  A simple dry spot can appear almost over night. Please don't wait to see if it goes away by itself. It most likely WON'T.

Thanks, MrBooker!

I had 4 moles removed about 2 weeks ago.  All 4 moles were abnormal.  2 moles they will watch to make sure they are clear and do not regrow (?????).  I need further info on these 2 they are just watching.  I don't get that.  I have to have the other 2 a deeper shave and freezing/nitrogen.  Hopefully these last 2 will come back a-okay.

@yolos wrote:I had 4 moles removed about 2 weeks ago.  All 4 moles were abnormal.  2 moles they will watch to make sure they are clear and do not regrow (?????).  I need further info on these 2 they are just watching.  I don't get that.  I have to have the other 2 a deeper shave and freezing/nitrogen.  Hopefully these last 2 will come back a-okay.

Yolos. Today I had five stitches removed from the Squamous Cell carcinoma they removed from my neck a few weeks ago. Today they prescribed a salve they say will kill the pre cancerous cells below the skin before the get aggressive.


The name of the salve is Flourouracil 5% cream. It's a little expensive at $80.00 per tube but if it works, it's worth it. I will post on this site weekly to update my progress using this salve.


Good luck and protect yourself against too much sunshine.

 OBTW  Less than a month til SPRING TIME... 

Yolos, Keep us posted. Nothing worse than waiting for results.

Mr. B, I hope the cream does the job.

For both of you, there is a treatment that is covered by Medicare that involves a cream and lights. Precancerous areas become apparent after the treatment. It's supposed to kill those abnormal cells. The treatment was why I started this thread.

@sanderson wrote:Yolos, Keep us posted.  Nothing worse than waiting for results.

Mr. B,  I hope the cream does the job.

For both of you, there is a treatment that is covered by Medicare that involves a cream and lights.  Precancerous areas become apparent after the treatment.  It's supposed to kill those abnormal cells.  The treatment was why I started this thread.

My doctor told me about the cream and lights. I think you have to have the cream on for 1 hour then sit under the blue lights for so many seconds.

Here's something everyone using the cream should know. DO NOT rub the cream on with your bare fingers. Use a rubber glove because just as the cream will kill skin cells on the affected area, it will kill some cells on your fingers, according to my pharmacist.

Remember this photo at the beginning of this thread?  I think it was 45 minutes with the cream and 15 minutes under the lights.  It's been modified to a less painful and sensitive procedure.

 

Bumping as a reminder.  Many of us had a late spring and are just now getting the sunshine.

Follow-up:  At my first quarterly checkup, she froze 3 spots: v-neck area on my chest, my forehead and the tip of my nose!!!  No, not the nose!   She can freeze my nose all she wants if it will prevent full cancer.  Between the cancer and mosquitoes, I have to wear long pants, long sleeves and a mask or hat.  Not fun in the heat.  But, wiser.

I just had a melanoma mole removed by surgery from the back of my shoulder and a precancerous mole removed surgically from my ankle.  Inside stitches  (about 5) and outside stitches (about 7).  I am wearing long pants also but no long sleeve shirt.  But for the first time in my life, I bought sunscreen to put on my face and arms.  I have about 5 moles removed every 3 months.  It is getting to be almost all moles removed are abnormal or worse.

Yikes!  The back or shoulder means limited movement while it heals.  We just don't know how much we depend on our range of movement until we have to limit it. I hope the lab results are good.

@sanderson wrote:Yikes!  The back or shoulder means limited movement while it heals.  We just don't know how much we depend on our range of movement until we have to limit it.  I hope the lab results are good.

The shoulder wasn't bad but the ankle is a big problem.  The cut is right where the ankle bends (connects to the foot) and every time I take a step it pulls on the stitches.

@yolos wrote:The shoulder wasn't bad but the ankle is a big problem.  The cut is right where the ankle bends (connects to the foot) and every time I take a step it pulls on the stitches.

YIKES! No fun at all! Would one of those scooter things help that people prop their bad foot on to get around when crutches and wheel chairs aren't practical?

I had a basal cell place removed on my forhead. It just looked like a dry spot that would peel.  On the follow up he said the labs showed that he should have taken more tissue.  Ugh.  Now I have a dry peeling spot at the top of my nose.  It looks about like the basal cell did so I guess it will be checked soon.  Pay attention to these places that just won't quite get well or clear up.  I just recently saw an article about getting cancer under a nail. It looks like a dark line.  The story said Bob Marley had that.

I had several people tell me it was just a dry skin spot.  Listen to your gut.