squamous cell carcinoma
 

anybody have some? have some good outcome to share? looking for positives ...

Wifey got diagnosed with a spot, the size of a dime, on her forearm. but not until they tried burning it off. that's when they did the biopsy, now that has to heal cuz it's infected. so in a cpl weeks she'll have it surgically removed completely. I'm kinda frustrated that it took so long for her primary to refer her to a dermatologist & then he did that first procedure, which sounds like a mistake. now she has to wait even longer to get another treatment. I feel like months ago when she first brought it to her primary it could have been treated more quickly. once it's removed it should be OK. it's rare for this to spread & become fatal. but it does happen. poor kid doesn't deserve this worry, she just finished up school for the summer

I've started calling my dermatologist (or even plastic surgeon if it's on my face) directly rather than go through my PCP. Even so, it's aggravating that they first available appointment (dermatologist or surgeon, direct or through primary care) is always three months out. And every time I go in, need to have something cut out, come back in 4-6 weeks. At least so far it hasn't been malignant.

Hope your wife heals up quickly, this time and next time both!

thanks. I had a regular dermatologist exam every year for about 4 years due to something I saw on my face. that they froze off. it was just some minor Actinic keratoses I think they called it. but after 4 years of nothing I stopped going. maybe I should start up again. it was freaky how quickly Wifey's tiny red itchy dot (that I needed a magnifying glass to inspect) progressed into something raised & ugly

I had one of those, was no big deal. I don't remember being told there was any possibility of it becoming malignant. This was years ago and they just cut it out. My wife had one a couple of years ago and had to jump through some "try this first" hoops before they finally cut it. They may want to check her yearly, catch things before they get big. Good luck!

I had one cut off my hand about 9 years ago. In general, it is not something to panic about, but about 10% can go metastatic (unlike basal cell), so you definitely want to be rid of it. I avoid peak UV and wear long-sleeve jerseys and use zinc sunblock rather scrupulously.

Dermatologists can be a bit dim-witted. Mine, for example, told me to wear sunblock when flying in an airplane to protect me from cosmic rays. They tend to give the same priority to someone with pimples on their face.

Teenagers with zits? Big money! Big money!

I have a friend who is an MD that I've known long before he was an MD. He assures me many doctors are idiots. From what I've seen, he is right.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma
 

I had a Melanoma on my left arm. The Dermatologist/ surgeon took out an area a little bigger than quarter doing something called a Mohs procedure. They went pretty deep and did biopsies until gone. It healed with a small scar. The Dermatologist looks at it and the rest of the body every 6 mo. Yesterday she found a little Basal Cell Carcinoma and sent it for biopsy with the expectation it will have to be surgically removed. If they get these things early they can be removed. She tells me it is 77 years of my exposure to sun. I do everything I can to stay on the bike.

I had my 6 month skin check this morning. I actually left the office with nothing removed and nothing freezer burned. I have had numerous basel/squamous cells removed, including one on the nose that was a Mohs surgery. Also had a squamuos cell removed from in front of my ear at the same time. I have a visible dent on the upper right side of my forehead from a squamous growth. My last check up I went back on the dermatologists surgery day and had an incision on my left shoulder blade, about 4 inches long, to remove a squamous growth. I do what I can to protect myself. I bought some new 50 SPF lotion, CVS brand, that claimed to not sting the eyes. I have used it numerous times now in temps up to the mid 80's and it has not irritated my eyes. It really stays on the skin very well, but does feel sticky when sweating a lot. I love riding my bikes, but, when it is hot, I get my miles in before 11 a.m., at the latest, usually by 9:30 or so. I also where a bike cap under my helmet and either sun sleeves or some kind of light long sleeve jersey with at least a short collar. I sometimes do not like all the preperation to go for a bike ride. I do like the pay off of not having any kind of procedure this morning. I hope to be riding for quite a few years still. It is THE thing that when I do it, I feel most like I am where I belong, doing what I should be doing at that moment.

About ten years ago I had a spot on my left temple about the size of a pea that was discolored and scaly. I asked my dermatologist about it while when I saw him for another issue. He said something about it being a pre-cancerous lesion and gave me a brochure about it and told me to watch it to see if it changed, and to see him again if it did. Around that time I had also read that apple seeds contain an anti-carcinogenic compound called amygdalin. So I bought a 3 lb. sack of small apples that ended up being chocked full of seeds. I ate a couple of apples a day and chewed the seeds along with the apples. The bag lasted about a week, and at the end of the week the diameter of the spot was reduced by at least half. So I bought another bag of apples and ate a couple each day and chewed the seeds. At the end of the second week the spot was completely gone.

About 18 months later the spot re-appeared in the same general area. So I did as before... ate apples and chewed the seeds. After two weeks the spot was gone. It has not returned since, but perhaps that is because when I eat apples now, I always chew the seeds, too.