Mole biopsy anxiety

[dawners]

So two days ago i had an apoinment with a dermatologist ive had this big mole on my back for over 5 years I'm also pretty moley but he looked at all of them and said they looked good but he wanted to biopsy the one on my back because its big with miscoloration well they did the biopsy and i have to wait two weeks. I'm kinda freaking out about skin cancer now and I'm not sure what to do.

[mena52]

Hi Dawners first of all stop panicking and working yourself up. I have always been a freckly and moley person having inherited a fair Irish skin type. I was never a sun worshipper but in 2014 whilst working in a London hospital a nurse kept telling me to get the mole on my neck looked at. It hadn't changed shape and it didn't have any discharge and I had had the mole for a while. Eventually I went to dermatology department to have it looked at. The nurse was right, I had stage 4 skin cancer and have to have it removed along with a lymph node. I had no chemo or radiation just a few biopsies. I had a few other dodgy looking moles removed following biopsies a few years after that. Since then I watch my moles or if they are on my back or somewhere I cannot check them get a friend to look at them but I'm not paranoid about it. I make sure I use a high factor sun cream or block and ensure my eyelids and lips have a sunblock on to. I wear hats in summer and sunglasses, long sleeves and trousers or cover my legs if possible. I do not totally avoid the sun because lack of vitamin D causes more problems which is what I learnt after developing terrible joint pains and if you live in the uk most of us are lacking in vitamin d. I am still here and have not had a biopsy in about 9 years now. A biopsy is simply just an examination of the mole, to see if it can develop into cancer. My son (who is now 32) in 2004 had a biopsy taken off a mole he has on his arm and my daughter (now 30) had a biopsy of one on her face. Both of my children were skin cancer free. I myself suffer with depression and anxiety issues but I would say don't work yourself up, it's unlikely to be anything to worry about and you would hear within 2 weeks if it was anything to worry about. Anxiety is difficult to control but try and occupy your mind with other issues, read, go for a walk, watch a favourite movie etc. Worrying will only cause you more health issues. I wish you well and keep us informed as to how you get on. I'm living proof that skin cancer isn't always a death sentence. Good luck xx

[HearYou in reply to mena52]

Amen. Keep this as it may be asked again in the future. The biopsy is good doctoring. Better to be sure than not. And even if needs to be treated, welcome to the thousands of people to move to Florida only to learn their moles and skin issues came from their youth when they didn't use sun screen. Every year a fair skinned member of our family is checked from top of head to tip of toes by a dermatologist who specializes in skin cancer. And every year several are found, and are not a basal cell, or are removed easily. With very light target radiation only skin deep a large butterfly growth was removed and healed. This member of the family was raised up north.....but no sun protection. I was raised Southern but was not out in the sun and water as there were no rivers or lakes or beaches. I've never had a problem. Life is constant maintenance for something or another.

[Hidden]

Just had this done. They scrapped it, sent it off. It came back abnormal, not cancerous, but abnormal. They cut it out 2 days ago and I don't have to worry about it anymore. You're all good.

[dawners]

Mine came back normal thanks for all the support!