OT Skin Cancer

[Len J]

A few weeks ago, I noticed a mole on my chest that had doubled in size and changed color. Being a guy, I watched it for a week or so to make sure it was really different and then asked some other friends what they thought.....most advice was to get it checked by a Derm.

About a week or so ago, I finally got an appointment with a Derm, and went in thinking; "I really hope that I'm not making a mountain out of a mole hill.".......well 2 minutes after I took my shirt off, and the DR. started looking at it, I had my answer.......the look on his face spoke volumes......."We need to take this off immediately and get it biopsied ASAP!"....followed by a shot of lidocaine and quicky surgery and a sit down......"I'm not going to sugarcoat this, there is a strong possibility that it's a melanoma, if it is, I'm worried that we haven't caught it early enough!".......

I honestly don't remember much he said after that.

For a week, I've been confronted with the strong possibility that, for the first time in my life, I might be really sick.......all the what ifs running through my head......struggling with who to tell, what to tell, when to tell.......swinging from denial to fear, trying to stay in the moment. Definitely not sleeping much.

Well, I finally got the call .........

It's a beautiful Day!!! Benign......who knew that one word could be so beautiful, so powerful, so welcome. I called my wife and we just sat on the phone and cried.

One week of uncertainty and I was almost a basket case.......my respect for cancer survivors has increased exponentially.....How the hell do you stay positive while you are fighting it? I was as scared as I've ever been.

Learn from me...pay pattention to changes in your skin, we all spend a lot of time out there.

Len

[kgrooney]

Been there!
Several years ago I went with my wife to her derm appointment and my wife embarrassed me and said to the doc "show her your mole" She immediately took a biopsey and a few days later at 8:00 pm the phone rang and I was scheduling surgery to have Basil Cell removed.
Huge scar on the back of my leg. Not only is the mole gone but they excise the surrounding tissue as well.
Now I ride with plenty of sun screen and use those sunless tan lotions.

[Too Tall]

LenJ - Cool beans dewdddd :) You have no idea how many people I send from the massage table direct to a dermatologist.

[slowgoing]

I have had many precancerous spots removed from my hands, arms and back. Some Irish genes and working college summers framing houses are to blame.

[sspielman]

Wow. I can only begin to imagine how that is....I am so glad for you that it turned out so well....especially given the doctor's apprehension....

[gone]

A few weeks ago, I noticed a mole on my chest that had doubled in size and changed color. Being a guy, I watched it for a week or so to make sure it was really different and then asked some other friends what they thought.....most advice was to get it checked by a Derm.
Len

5 years ago I noticed a mole in the crease between my cheek and nose. Went to a derm and had a biopsy - basal cell carcinoma. Had it removed and boy did it hurt! I'm pretty religious about sunscreen on my face, neck and ears, less so on my arms and legs. Yes, I know that's dumb.

[Kahuna]

Len, Great story. Thanks for sharing that. Living in the subtropics of Hawaii I'm constantly aware of the risk of skin cancer. My skin doc calls me the "poster child for sun screen advocacy". One area often overlooked - especially by cyclists are the lips. I remember my first climb to the summit of Haleakala, I slatherered on the SPF 30 but neglected to apply sunblock on my lips. Big mistake. I wound up with a pea sized blister on the lower lip and the area slightly discolored permanently, or so it seems. Now I'm at increased risk for lip cancer so I have to be very careful *every* time I venture outside.

Treat the sun with respect.

[Smiley]

great news Len

[spincycle]

Len,

Great news that it's benign! Been there done that on waiting for a biopsy. Not fun. I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma back in December 1994. My tumor was a stage 4 and had ulcerated. I'm lucky to be alive so my doctors say. At the time my wife was attending Catholic University and studying to get her Nurse Practitioner's degree. She had just finished her pathology class and noticed a "bad" looking mole on my lower back. Her intervention, the surgery and a lot of prayers were the foundation of a miracle that I'm still cancer free at 10+ years.

I get frequent skin checks, liver function tests and routine chest x-rays still. Skin cancer is nothing to fool around with as you know. The bad kind like melanoma can spread to your lungs, heart, eyes or brain and the prognosis once that happens is not very good. It's not really OT for cyclists. We should all wear sun screen and visit our doctors regularly for skin checks. Catching any skin cancer at the early stages greatly reduces your risk. As for a good report after a melanoma follow-up, it just doesn't get much better than that!

The ironic thing is that being diagnosed and dealing with the challenge of living with the uncertainty has been a blessing. None of the everyday problems that many people seem to sweat are on my radar screen.

[William]

A few weeks ago, I noticed a mole on my chest that had doubled in size and changed color. Being a guy, I watched it for a week or so to make sure it was really different and then asked some other friends what they thought.....most advice was to get it checked by a Derm.

About a week or so ago, I finally got an appointment with a Derm, and went in thinking; "I really hope that I'm not making a mountain out of a mole hill.".......well 2 minutes after I took my shirt off, and the DR. started looking at it, I had my answer.......the look on his face spoke volumes......."We need to take this off immediately and get it biopsied ASAP!"....followed by a shot of lidocaine and quicky surgery and a sit down......"I'm not going to sugarcoat this, there is a strong possibility that it's a melanoma, if it is, I'm worried that we haven't caught it early enough!".......

I honestly don't remember much he said after that.

For a week, I've been confronted with the strong possibility that, for the first time in my life, I might be really sick.......all the what ifs running through my head......struggling with who to tell, what to tell, when to tell.......swinging from denial to fear, trying to stay in the moment. Definitely not sleeping much.

Well, I finally got the call .........

It's a beautiful Day!!! Benign......who knew that one word could be so beautiful, so powerful, so welcome. I called my wife and we just sat on the phone and cried.

One week of uncertainty and I was almost a basket case.......my respect for cancer survivors has increased exponentially.....How the hell do you stay positive while you are fighting it? I was as scared as I've ever been.

Learn from me...pay pattention to changes in your skin, we all spend a lot of time out there.

Len

I went through exactly what you did back in 1990/91. I had been spending lots of time on the water when I was racing crew. Then during a regatta in Seattle during july I was out in the sun all day long with out sunscreen and got burned real bad. Two weeks later I got burned again putting a roof on a building. Right after that I had a mole go "haywire" and quickly did what you decsribed above. I had it checked and quickly removed. The wait to hear back was horrible but it turned out to be benign. Later that year I had another one removed. Again benign. Ever since I cover up, wear hats, and slather myself in sun block.

Playing with the sun is no game and you should protect yourself as best you can. Another thing to consider is that many shirts and fabrics offer little protection. Especially summer type clothes. If you can hold your shirt/blouse up to a light or the sun and see through it, you should be wearing sun block under your clothes.

William

[andy mac]

i had a weird spot on my arm. i asked two doctors about it over a 2 years. both said it was a wart. one tried to burn it off.

i wasn't convinced so i went to a 3rd dr who confirmed it was in fact a stage 2. i now have a nice reminder scar on my arm. there goes my modeling career!

last week i noticed another weird, smaller spot on my other arm. here we go again...

(funny how i tell a forum this but not my family or friends. hmmm??!?!?)

:beer:

[gasman]

Len-

Good to hear everything is fine. I can't imagine the waiting for the results.

William-

What few people know is that almost all laundry detergent has opitcal brighteners in them that increase the SPF of fabrics to the 15-30 range. Certainly good enough for us in the sun, our clothes will protect us.

How often have you been sunburned through a t shirt or bike jersey ? I never have. I do use sunscreen everywhere else, even in Oregon.

[Phil Selisker]

I'm so glad everything is okay. Your story justifies my paranoia. 6 months ago I noticed a weird mole on my leg, I'm good about sunscreen, but riding really exposes all of us. The derm doc said it was just a weird mole and removed it and did a biopsy that was negative. My point is, get things checked out!

[RABikes2]

LEN!!!! So glad that everything turned out well! That is good news!

A friend of mine's 36 yr. old daughter (who has always been a sunworshiper; as a teen, her Mom tells me, she use to lay out on an electric blanket in the winter time to get some "color") recently went for a checkup. Listening to her heart, the doctor said he didn't like two marks on her back. She was sent immediately to a derm and unfortunately, it's melanoma. A quick surgery to take out some lymph nodes, only to have another operation a week later to take more lymph nodes. Two young sons, husband, and she's not doing well at this time. Chemo drugs are hitting her hard.

I also have a client right now that just had two basal cell spots removed on his upper body. He doesn't even go out shirtless that often.

Use sunscreen and get checkups! I should talk, half the time, I forget myself. This has been a good reminder.

Again Len, what a blessing that all is well.
RA

[Kevin]

Len,

I am glad that you are ok.

Kevin

[Ginger]

Len,
Thanks for the reminder. That wait for a biopsy to come back is so hard.
Take care,
Mary Ann

[spiderman]

i am in family practice
do a fair amount of derm myself
and because of reluctance to have someone else do it...
i biopsied my own leg a few months back
...it was a dysplastic nevus.
glad i took it off...
now what am i going to do with the one on my back?!?

[Len J]

I really appreciate the kind thoughts....and the fact that I'm OK.

As i said, my respect for Cancer fighters just went up.

Len

[billrick]

Glad you are okay, Len! Thanks for the reminder, I haven't been to the derm for "mole patrol" in more than a year. Time to make that appointment.

:)

[TimD]

Now go watch the "Magnet" video, you might look at it differently :)

TimD

[Bud_E]

Len, Great story. Thanks for sharing that. Living in the subtropics of Hawaii I'm constantly aware of the risk of skin cancer. My skin doc calls me the "poster child for sun screen advocacy". One area often overlooked - especially by cyclists are the lips. I remember my first climb to the summit of Haleakala, I slatherered on the SPF 30 but neglected to apply sunblock on my lips. Big mistake. I wound up with a pea sized blister on the lower lip and the area slightly discolored permanently, or so it seems. Now I'm at increased risk for lip cancer so I have to be very careful *every* time I venture outside.

Treat the sun with respect.


Right. Don't forget earlobes and head ( for us baldies ). :cool:

[Kevan]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/03/10/people.lance.armstrong.ap/index.html

[Needs Help]

i wasn't convinced so i went to a 3rd dr who confirmed it was in fact a stage 2.
What the? Do we have to schedule 3 different docs per year? What medical schools did the first two graduate from?

[Ray]

Congratulations Len!

I grew up in Arizona before sunscreen was widely available/accepted/understood. And I was just a stupid kid anyway. Had SEVERAL very very very bad sunburns in my teen years, blisters and the whole works. I'm a ticking time bomb for skin cancer - covered with moles. I go to the derm every six months and I can only remember one appointment in the last 5 years that he didn't find anything that needed removing. So far, so good - he gets them when they start looking the least bit suspiscious. I'm happy to put his kids through college as long as my luck holds. I use 48 sunscreen for every daytime ride on whatever skin is exposed.

-Ray

[mike p]

What the? Do we have to schedule 3 different docs per year? What medical schools did the first two graduate from?


Question-What do you call the guy that finished last place in med. school?
Answer-Doctor

[Tom]

Just wandered back into town and read this. Good to hear it was just a quick hacking and nothing further...

I happen to go to a dermatologist every year, given my history and that I'm one giant mole field. There's way too many to keep track of, so the dermatologist takes photos every year and compares the topography. One started to change and she lopped it off right then and there. It was nothing but she's not inclined to let anything get a head start.

The first time was a little strange; I had two women taking pictures of my butt. When I dropped my drawers, one said "My God, it's beautiful! Quick, call everyone!"

No, seriously, she didn't. But seriously, if you have many moles or history it's a good idea to do this.

[William]

Just an FYI.

Don't forget to check your head under that thick growth of luxurious hair on top of your noggin. Toward the end of last summer I decided to shave my head (why? never done it before) and found a mole that I didn't like the look of. Turned out to be nothing but I hadn't seen it before under my mop top.


William

[1centaur]

"I can only remember one appointment in the last 5 years that he didn't find anything that needed removing."

ELM (see the title of the post) is a way of looking at moles that look suspicious to see if they really need lopping off. When I was in California my derm introduced it to me (he'd picked up the technique at a conference - think it might have come from Germany); when I moved to Mass. they had never heard of it. Rather than be chopped into little pieces by derms who haven't learned much in the last 20 years, I kept asking around until I found derms that use it - Mass. General (a top hospital for those who don't know). I see the head of the department every six months, and I have not had one chopped off in years. Makes my life a lot better.

ELM is basically a little hand-held microscope almost like a jeweler's loupe on which some oil is smeared (don't know why) that the derm can use on the spot in 10 seconds to check a suspicious mole.

My mother died of melanoma.

[rpm]

I have a suppressed immune system, and consequently new things appear on my skin every year. I've had four basal cells, but they were caught early, and were not a problem. Many can simply be frozen off. In general, basal cells aren't particularly scary, because they grow slowly and can be removed easily. Melanomas are a different story. They can kill you, quite quickly.

I get a thorough checkup by a dermatologist every year. Most cyclists should probably get their regular physician to give them a look-over each year, just because we spend a lot of time in the sun. If your primary care person doesn't mind, it's probably worth seeing an experienced dermatologist. I once had a primary care doctor who said that he could check me over, and that I didn't need to see a dermatologist. About a month later, I did go see a dermatologist, who found a basal cell 10 seconds after I took my shirt off.