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Barbara
USA
17 Posts |
 Posted - 08/12/2008 : 16:04:51
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I just typed a whole paragraph and it got lost in cyberspace....I have had a basil cell carcinoma on my nose for almost 6 years. It never gets bigger but I am unsure what to do. I do not want to spend 139- on the curaderm and have it NOT do anything.
It seems everyone here is trying to treat their bbc's with homemade concoctions and not in a hurry to get to the doctor. (I also do not want to go really!)
I also don't want the doctor to look for every single little mole on my body. I guess I am just nervous about going. If it is not deadly and has not grown do I really need to go see a doctor?? All replies welcome. Nobody but me really even notices it unless I tell them.thanks
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RidgebackDogs
USA
103 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2008 : 21:34:52
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Was a biopsy done to confirm BCC? If so perhaps it could have been in error and it could be repeated
- i have noticed with me that the areas get larger slowly on the surface as time goes on. I waited a year to deal with one and apparently it got larger underneath - another one I had waited on also took 2 passes on the Mohs surgery rather than 1.
I do sometimes wonder what happens if it is just let go.
Has anyone out there an experience to share like this?
Thanks! |
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dan
611 Posts |
Posted - 08/13/2008 : 02:21:06
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I think most people should feel reasonably comfortable seeing a dermatologist for skin problems. Even though it is not exactly a fun experience, they tend to be OK people. Dermatologists are very good at diagnosis and you can always decline treatment if it doesn't sound right. I think surgery as a main treatment method is effective but is not very satisfying for a chronic skin cancer condition. For a small isolated lesion, surgery is no big deal.
A topical remedy can be awesome compared to surgery if you find one that works for you. Tack on several prevention measures and a chronic condition can really disappear. Such an outcome is unlikely managing skin cancers through surgeries. Other motivations for self treatment include much lower cost, improved self esteem, improved general health, and convenience.
If it were me first self treating a small skin cancer, I would start with Cymilium (pancreatin enzymes, ammonia, aloe vera). For me it was cheap, convenient, and quick, with just a day or two looking worse before it got better. It doesn't work that way for everyone but then there are lots of other things to try too.
I don't think it is the best idea to let things go but there is usually no need to panic either. Unlike other cancers, skin cancers are visible and usually slow growing so you can see progress or switch tactics if it does not respond. At the same time, don't be afraid to see a doctor, especially if you cannot rule out melanoma.
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Barbara
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2008 : 07:02:37
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Hi everyone. I finally had the guts to go get it looked at. He confirmed it as a BBC. I asked him after reading on the web all about it, what would happen if I left it alone. He said over the years it spreads under the skin and being mine is on the upper part of my nose, could spread into the eye socket bone! I read it could spread...I am just sick of looking at it, even tho others hardly notice it???
I have an appt. Sept. 7th. He will give me a needle in the area and it takes about 20 minutes to remove. His nurse said, the most pain comes from the needle to numb the area! Then it will be sent out to biopsy and this will let him know if he got it all. She said if he didn't, he will take a little more at a time to make sure it's gone.
I told him about my years in the sun and tanning beds and he said it really wasn't from that, that there are other reasons.
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anivoc
668 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2008 : 11:32:14
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Hi Barbara,
Being as I know you have insurance my advice is not settle for what your derm offered. It's equivalent to taking swings blindly in the night.
From a medical approach he has 2 choices, "shoot in the dark excision" ( Non Mohs) with less than a 50% chance of getting all of the tumor or using Mohs micrographic which has a much higher probability of getting all of the tumor in the first surgery.
I would tell him that you want the Mohs process and see what he says.
Sadly as much as we would like to think otherwise the skin business is a business and the bottom line is money. Perhaps he is not Mohs certified and thus can't provide the service himself thus loses the earnings from that service.
Certainly just cutting it out is going to get the main tumor. And yes though it is true it is not all that painful, it's not something you want to have to repeat in the same place 2 years later.
As you know I am not a big fan of the knife and am struggling very hard to find a better way.. Being as I just had to succumb to it myself recently, Mohs is the only way I would go or recommend if it gets to that point. |
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Barbara
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2008 : 19:34:53
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| I will mention it to him and try and find out why he doesn't do Moh's besides being a lengthy process from what I heard. thanks for the reply. I will keep you posted. |
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questions about the doctors?
