Crying....I just found a new mole!

[smmaho]

I posted on here a couple of days ago about worrying about moles I've always had. Well I went to the dr showed him the ones I was worried about and got a referral letter for cbt therapy (dr knows about my anxiety) well I looked in the mirror tonight and found a new red mole that I swear was not thee yesterday! And it's red and flat. I have no red moles so this is the ugly duckling! I've read google pages about red moles being dangerous. I wish it was there yesterday and I showed the dr this mole. I'm laying in bed crying I feel helpless I don't want to die at 25 if I go to the same gp tomorrow he will think I'm crazy but I know it's new red and bad I just know it. Red moles are not normal

[PennyPanic]

Ok, to put your mind at ease....I had a red mole once.  Came out out of no where...and was really really weird looking.  It was like this long stick up thing.  I went to the specialist and he told me he had no idea what it was.  That in all his years he had never seen anything like it.  I asked him if it was cancer and he said he didn't know...and again said he had no clue what it was and was very interested in seeing the pathology on "this one."

For some reason my HA was no so bad then.  Yes I was concerned but I somehow didn't freak out.  Hmmm....  I turned out to be a normal, "garden variety" normal normal normal benign mole.  Go figure.

Moral of the story:  "It ain't always bad."

Now, would I get it checked out?...Yes for my own peace of mind, but to go from "new mole" to "25 and dying" is a big stretch.

Hugs hugs hugs.  It's so funny, I tell you this while I have an appt tomorrow to get a full skin check and I'm freaking out.  For some reason, I can be logical for you but not for me....go figure!

Hang in there and keep us posted.  We care.

[Hohum]

OK, first step is to leave Dr. Google's office! Seriously - I could Google just about any symptom in existence and there would be a website out there with information stating that it was deadly.

The vast majority of skin growths (even red ones) are perfectly normal and benign. It might not even be a mole. Whether or not you get this checked is your call - Doctors have a very, very low tolerance for suspicious lesions, so if there's even a chance it is something to worry about you would get a dermatologist referral. It would put your mind at ease, until the next mole at least! That is where the therapy can help.

The follow-up from your doc for CBT is great though. Do you have any idea when your therapy sessions will start?

[marc]

My internal medicine physician told me that it is best to go to a dermatologist for any skin concerns.

[gcalex]

How many of the various scares and fears you have posted about before have turned out to be "real"?

[bertybotts]

Red moles are totally safe.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002413/


A cherry angioma is a noncancerous (benign) skin growth made up of blood vessels.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Cherry angiomas are fairly common skin growths that vary in size. They can occur almost anywhere on the body, but usually develop on the trunk.

[smmaho]

Thank you
For all of your replies. I don't think it's a cherry angina thing because it is not bright red its a rusty colour red and its flat not raised. I would give anything to see a dermatologist and will probably keep ringing around until one can can fit me in.

[SighNoMore]

I have TONS of moles and TONS of cherry angiomas. They all look different. Some of the angiomas are raised, some are flat. Some are bright, some aren't. I have them on my arms, legs, chest, back, and so does my spouse. Several of mine are completely flat.

There isn't going to be a picture of every single kind on Google (and you shouldn't google anyway!), so try and stay calm!

[smmaho]

Thank you sigh no more that information is comforting. I've managed to get an appointment with my dermatologist tomorrow just a short
One because he wanted to
Recheck a different mole and I will dinfintely be asking him
About this red mole. I am terrified and trying to get through today and tonight will be a challenge but I will so my best and try to think positive which is going to be extremely hard.

[smmaho]

Oh and on more of a am anxiety front I feel like I don't want to do anything or plan anything because my mins is telling me there's no point. I have to go into work today to set up my classroom for the new school year and
Part of me thinks that if its cancer improbably not
Going to be able to teach this year which would devastate me. I'm also planning a wedding and was going to
Call car companies today but now I'm thinking there's no point. I know this is really negative thinking and hoping this is where cbt therapy will help me!

[SighNoMore]

Yep, that is anxiety telling you that these what ifs are going to get you. The what ifs eat at me, but you can't let them win. Gcalex recommended starting with positive affirmations. Such as so and so loves me. I have this good thing in my life, etc...I haven't been doing it long, but when I start to panic I tell myself that. It helps reframe and refocus my mind on the positive as opposed to the negative.

[scaredstupid]

I get them all over my neck. I was worried a bit too until I took my physical. My dr said with age and diet and all that different things will happen. Im only 27 and noticing changes that are gonna happen Ive realized.
And when you start googling just about anything can be a symptom. I got my foot stepped on and this caused the nail to bleed. I forgot that my foot was stepped on and immediatly thought either diabetis or hiv. A simple stomach ache Can make us thinkg cancer.
I also freaked over constipation thing it was something deadly! forgetting to think how many times in the past ive had the same problem and I also drink around 2 to 3 energy drinks a day which make it hard to go.
Point it I think is when your mind is set in thinking one thing itwill pretty much only think that one thing. I just recently rubbed my eye for about a minute straight than freaked out cuz it got red! how dumb does that eve sound?! but its true. My mind was convinced it was a symptom of something and the first thing I googled was gonna be what it was. Even if it wasnt!
Anyway Hope you get checked soon and can put your mind to rest.

[Hohum]

Absolutely - the more positive thoughts, the better.

Also try to realise what your anxiety is doing to you. You've gone from "I have a red spot on my skin" to "There's no point in planning anything else in my life, as I have cancer". That's a heck of a leap!

The chances are overwhelming that you do not have skin cancer. Hopefully your dermatologist appointment tomorrow will give you some peace of mind, but peace of mind from reassurance isn't a permanent fix. Your therapy needs to be aimed at resolving the underlying issues and retune your brain to be optimistic about these things rather than immediately looking for the worst case scenario.

Good luck at the appt!

[smmaho]

Hi hohum thanks for the post. I read your post before writing mine and can onlyy hope that one day I will be as calm and clear minded as you were when you had your moles checked. I know that I really need need to start being more positive about health issues. No one in my family has ever had any health anxieties. I will ask oh is that spot new on your leg and they just say what I dunno it's a moles I guess and that's the last time they ever think about it. Or I'll ask how they got that bruise on their leg and they will say didn't even know I had a bruise I wish I was like that and someday I hope to control my anxiety
And I think my first step after the appointment tomorrow is to promise myself that I will not google my
Symptoms because nothing good has ever
Come from it in the 5 years I've been dealing with this!

[Hohum]

Breaking the Google cycle is a great start. If you are able to disassociate your anxiety from the process, it's a great tool. Sadly most of us can't, so it's simply inflammatory to our fear. There's a horror story out there for just about every symptom you can name, and they're all available on the Internet!

I'm not sure if anyone is ever "cured" of health anxiety, but you can certainly learn to live with it and control it, rather than it controlling you. I've lived with it for the better part of 20 years now. I still have my off days, but can cope well on the whole. Personally I never went to counselling or any other kind of therapy, I simply kept plugging away on my own until I found methods that worked for me. I think professional help can certainly fast-track the whole process though, so you're absolutely doing the right thing in seeking it out.

You're also right that there are people out there with no concern for their health at all - it's not even on their radar. I remember my cousin had a huge, bleeding sore on his arm when we were in our 20s. I was horrified when I saw it, and about 30 different conditions sprang to mind, none of them good. He told me he's just been slapping Polysporin on it for the last 4 months and was "considering" going to the Doctor    Fortunately for him it turned out something rare, but benign (I forget what it was). If there is a silver lining to living with HA, it's that we're mostly on top of our health issues more than the average person, so are statistically more likely to find potentially serious things earlier and have better outcomes. Not true for everyone of course, but you definitely minimise risks by being responsible with your health and well-being.

Good luck for tomorrow, let us know how it goes.

[smmaho]

So been to the dermatologist and the red mole is fine. He said the red appearance is because it has some red blood vessels in it but harmless. I showed him a couple of other red dots I have and said it's the same thing but the new one was just bigger. The mole on my ear that he wanted to check was also fine and no changes. So he said I don't need to come back for a year. I'm going to try very hard to stay away for a year, avoid google and book myself into cbt therapy. Thanks for all your support :)

[bertybotts]

Told ya!!!

Red moles are harmless!

[PennyPanic]

Yeah smmaho!

[Hohum]

Good news, congrats!

I would highly suggest you keep this thread bookmarked for when you start therapy sessions. Re-reading your own posts made at the height of anxiety is very valuable. Going from blind panic (argh, found a mole!) to depression (no point in planning for the future) is a very common train of thought when HA flares up.

The reassurance from a doctor feels great, but as I have said before, not a permanent fix. Therapy will help, but you need to stay committed to identifying the traits of your anxiety and recognizing it before it has chance to take over.

Good luck in your therapy !