Netan Sansara Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 100% get it checked. I’m covered in atypical moles, finally went to the doc this year and ended up getting 4 removed. All came back clear but they’ve put me on a yearly check up for peace of mind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxRover Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 2 hours ago, philpy said: I don't know if anyone on here has had or knows anyone with experiences regarding moles. I've had this bugger on my leg for years now, and the area around it has been sore. I've noticed a few black spots, but the wife thinks the pain is just a "thigh strain". Would it do any harm to have it checked?? The comments about “always get it checked are spot on. My insurance here allows a skin check every year, in to the Dermo, whip off the clothes and stand there while she scans the body. Found a few they lopped off and checked, two of which were considered pre-cancerous. Now I make it a point to get checked…easy ways to think about moles… The first five letters of the alphabet are a guide to help you recognize the warning signs of melanoma. A is for Asymmetry. Most melanomas are asymmetrical. If you draw a line through the middle of the lesion, the two halves don’t match, so it looks different from a round to oval and symmetrical common mole. B is for Border. Melanoma borders tend to be uneven and may have scalloped or notched edges. Common moles tend to have smoother, more even borders. C is for Color. Multiple colors are a warning sign. While benign moles are usually a single shade of brown, a melanoma may have different shades of brown, tan or black. As it grows, the colors red, white or blue may also appear. D is for Diameter or Dark. While it’s ideal to detect a melanoma when it is small, it’s a warning sign if a lesion is the size of a pencil eraser (about 6 mm, or ¼ inch in diameter) or larger. Some experts say it is important to look for any lesion, no matter what size, that is darker than others. Rare, amelanotic melanomas are colorless. E is for Evolving. Any change in size, shape, color or elevation of a spot on your skin, or any new symptom in it, such as bleeding, itching or crusting, may be a warning sign of melanoma. If you notice these warning signs and symptoms, or see anything NEW, CHANGING or UNUSUAL on your skin see a dermatologist promptly. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpy Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 Got it checked. 100% not cancer. Getting referred to the dermatologist. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post funky_nomad Posted July 24, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted July 24, 2023 That's me booked in for surgery in a specialist cancer unit in Basingstoke next month to tackle my Colorectal Peritoneal Metastases. They're going to whip out my appendix and "any other bits they don't like the look of" while my peritoneum is wide open, plus a nice dose of hot chemo for pudding. Apparently, the hot chemo aspect of this treatment has improved 5-year survival rates from 5% to around 45% within the last decade or so, which does sound fairly promising. I've been reassured that, with the right recovery regime, I should be able to make my stag do 8 weeks after surgery (albeit booze-free), and be in tip-top shape for my wedding at the end of October. And as an added bonus I'll be looking svelte for the photos!!! 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 All the best! (I got off light compared with you.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 Just got my 6 monthly PSA score in for prostate cancer, 0.9. Started at 145 in Jan 2020 and post chemo and hormone treatment it's been 3 point something ever since. I think that's proof that my alternative therapy of a daily bottle of wine and packet of fags is working. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 3 hours ago, welshbairn said: Just got my 6 monthly PSA score in for prostate cancer, 0.9. Started at 145 in Jan 2020 and post chemo and hormone treatment it's been 3 point something ever since. I think that's proof that my alternative therapy of a daily bottle of wine and packet of fags is working. I was told if mine didn't go above 2, they'd be happy enough. Currently hovering around 0.03. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 On 25/07/2023 at 14:14, Jacksgranda said: I was told if mine didn't go above 2, they'd be happy enough. Currently hovering around 0.03. Turns out I got mixed up with the numbers, my test before last was 0.3, this one was 0.9. They told me that they don't usually worry unless it goes over 4, but as a precaution they'll do another test in 3 months instead of 6 to see what's happening. It's normal for it to go up and down a bit.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 52 minutes ago, welshbairn said: Turns out I got mixed up with the numbers, my test before last was 0.3, this one was 0.9. They told me that they don't usually worry unless it goes over 4, but as a precaution they'll do another test in 3 months instead of 6 to see what's happening. It's normal for it to go up and down a bit.. I'm sure it will be allright, but good that they're being proactive. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpy Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 On 13/06/2023 at 13:49, philpy said: Got it checked. 100% not cancer. Getting referred to the dermatologist. Had my appointment this morning. They are removing it just to be safe. Now a case of getting the date organised. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 4 hours ago, philpy said: Had my appointment this morning. They are removing it just to be safe. Now a case of getting the date organised. That's good 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post funky_nomad Posted August 23, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 23, 2023 Been home a couple of days recovering after my HIPEC/hot chemo op in Basingstoke earlier this month. Surgeons are happy with the op - they didn't find any more cancer while they were rummaging around, and they whipped out my appendix while they were in there. Thank f*ck for the epidural, though - I can't begin to imagine what the pain would have been like without it, and coming off it onto paracetamol/morphine was a nightmare couple of days... Signed off work until the end of September, can't wait to show my colleagues my lovely 10-inch abdominal scar... 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 Got my PSA result back - 0.03. Holding steady! Also my B12 is "normal". Didn't even know I was being tested for that... 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 My PSA is back to 0.5 after spiking up to 0.9 from 0.3. They said it's not a big worry until it hits 4 though, and considering it started at 145 I'm quite relaxed about it! Getting 3 monthly checks rather than 6 monthly now just to keep an eye on it. A side effect of the hormone treatment I'm on is a decrease in bone density and I'm pushing for a yearly 15 minute drip rather than a weekly tablet to counteract it. They want me on the tablets because they're cheaper and less hassle for them, but the tablet's a minor annoyance for me, you have to fast and not take any fluids for 6 hours before taking it, I'd much rather just have the annual procedure. The hormone treatment is just a 6 monthly jab in the bum, alternate cheeks.. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsdad Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 Cancer is having some year with me. A close friend of my wife, my dad, my cousin and now my uncle (Dad's brother), all died of it since February. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest Saints Fan Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 I have clinic tomorrow. The worry of relapse gets worse the longer I stay in remission. I didn't get my results last time as they weren't back yet and I was told if they didn't call then nothing to worry about. Hopefully I get them tomorrow. The blood has to go down to England to be tested. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Inanimate Carbon Rod Posted October 3, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted October 3, 2023 I hope everything goes well HSF. I am having the same worry. I posted last year, my dad was given 6-12months to live due to inoperable liver cancer. He underwent a TACE procedure, this has worked incredibly to the point the tumour has died and his tumour markers are 0 now. Its the best news ever, Prof Evans at the Beatson and Matt Priest at QEUH are my new heroes. My dad is living every day to its fullest, but i suppose in the back of my mind the risk of it coming back is increasing, its non alcoholic fatty liver disease which caused cirrhosis. I feel eternally grateful that my dad got to take my wee boy for his first ever day at school, he got to meet his granddaughter who was born 2 weeks ago, all things we had been told may not ever happen. I suppose what im trying to say is, everyone should have hope and appreciate what a fucking amazing health service we have and how precious life is, but i guess also, its normal to be scared, but if i can encourage anyone to take my dads lead and just be thankful and positive then thats the way forward. 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxRover Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 The change in cancer prognosis over the past 50 years is absolutely amazing. I recall attending school and when you heard cancer, it always seemed to be paired with terminal. Now, less so. In the 70’s the five year survival rate was below 49%, now it’s over 68%! I recall the fund raisers for Children’s Cancer Research, where leukaemia and the like seemed almost a death sentence, and now it’s a (relatively) less scary thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsdad Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 1 hour ago, TxRover said: The change in cancer prognosis over the past 50 years is absolutely amazing. I recall attending school and when you heard cancer, it always seemed to be paired with terminal. Now, less so. In the 70’s the five year survival rate was below 49%, now it’s over 68%! I recall the fund raisers for Children’s Cancer Research, where leukaemia and the like seemed almost a death sentence, and now it’s a (relatively) less scary thing. My grandmother died of cancer 65 years ago this year (my mum was 6). The doctor at the time told my grandfather that they'd have a cure in 5 years. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Honest Saints Fan Posted October 3, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted October 3, 2023 It's absolutely amazing the way that prognosis is changing. Take my cancer, myeloma. It has has the fastest rate of new lines of treatment out of any cancer. The 5 year statistic data is so out of date they would need to re-do it every year. Since I was diagnosed I have lost count the number of new drugs that have been approved and there's hundreds more still being looked at. To end on an even more positive note... STILL IN REMISSION BABY! 5 years since diagnosis on Sunday. Feels like a milestone. 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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