Re: you're amazing, Jim
Posted by Chris in Tampa on 4/25/2023, 7:06 am
It's a great message that people should check themselves, especially if they have had a lot of exposure to the sun. And they should always use a hat like you do if they are out for awhile and use a high SPF sunscreen if possible too. I always wear thin t-shirts, so if I do go out a lot in the sun, I need sunscreen under the shirt, around my neck especially. I'll get burned as the hole in the shirt is really loose fitting and moves around. I probably should not wear thin t-shirts either, but I rarely go out in the sun. I used to hate sunscreen when I did go out more because it got in my eyes, but if you have a really nice big hat, you could avoid putting sunscreen on your forehead which I only thought about just now.

My dad gets checked every 6 months at the dermatologist. He'll schedule the appointment well in advance. But the follow-up if needed could take time to get an appointment. For a time where they had to do some more in-depth cutting when he had minor skin cancer, he had to schedule it and it took a month maybe before they could remove it. He just went in the past week for a regular checkup and they didn't find anything they needed to biopsy this time.

He does gets lots of fatty tumors (lipomas; different from cysts based on a Google search), has had some for years I guess, but the doctor checked him and didn't say those needed to be removed. Based on watching that you had a cyst, I decided to ask him specifically whether the doctor had seen what he had.

It's always best to go the doctor when something appears to change on your body. In just looking at some things related to things appearing on the skin I find where some things online can make something seem more serious or less serious. You can't tell of course by just looking online, so a doctor needs to look at things that appear or change.

I have two moles on my body for example that I've had forever and I look occasionally to see if they've changed at all. (one is on my face so that's easy to see, but the other is on my side/behind and a mirror can be more helpful for that one)

I may have said this before, but some people are afraid to go the doctor because they are afraid they'll find something. They think it's a bad thing. It's not. Finding it late is the problem. You always want to find something as early as possible. It can be the difference of something being treatable, and not, between life and death. I didn't realize some skin cancers can be so dangerous so fast. It does really pay to check yourself more often than even regular appointments at the dermatologist. I've started checking myself more frequently. (including looking in the mirror) Skin cancer can occur at any age. (though rare in children)
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My Melanoma story - jimw, 4/24/2023, 8:14 am
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