What if I have to wait too long for an appointment and my skin cancer spreads?
Many folks in the community experience the anxiety that their skin cancer will spread while they wait for an appointment. Have you experienced this? Do you have any tips? Share with the community!
We recently asked the community on Facebook this question. They suggested a range of approaches, including advocating for an earlier appointment, second opinions, and trying to stay calm:
"OMG, I worry about this all the time. The anxiety is always present. My doc is excellent though and tries to fit me in quickly if I'm seriously concerned."
"You could draw around its perimeter with a marker pen. That way you would know whether or not it was spreading and quit worrying about it. If it is spreading, you would have grounds to ask for a sooner appointment."
"How far out is your appointment? A skin cancer lesion shouldn’t be spreading THAT quickly."
"Depends what it looks like. I monitor for growth and I'm fortunate to get in sooner if seems urgent."
"I guess I am blessed: if I am concerned about a spot or lesion my doctor will see me ASAP. I have gone to her for many years and, based on our long relationship, she knows I'm pretty experienced at 'finding stuff.'"
"If I cant get in fast enough my oncologist will make sure I get seen."
"Definitely would have to depend on what type of spot it is. If it’s a melanoma then yes I would be worried but I don’t know that you can see what’s going on underneath there. I generally don’t worry about the basal which I’ve had several times and I know it is slow growing."
"By staying busy while listening to excellent music and getting as many hugs as possible, I've been through this too many times to worry my life away. "
Badgers will gnaw off it's own foot to survive a hunter's trap. we all heard of the guy trapped in a canyon out west who severed his own arm [if I remember] to 'live'. Right now, while this lesion is small, seems like I could try and just cut it out myself [now about size of a nickel, but deep as a carbuncle in feel; squamous]. Waiting 10 days just be assigned more tests...well, the badger speaks in me just now [sic]. Thoughts? Crazy...right?
RHary33, we ourselves aren't medical professionals, but I have to agree with Tony-B that this seems quite dangerous. A professional could assess the extent of the cancer and test for clear margins, not to mention perform everything safely. I see what you mean about the annoyance of waiting and testing. But I would also fear causing damage by taking it into your own hands. Is there anyone else you can go to for an appointment? - Nina, SkinCancer.net Team
The simple answer is do not do it yourself.
If the lesion is cancerous, you have no idea how much of the skin is affected. You may not cut it out and then you are back at square one.
A 10 day wait is nothing. Sit it out and wait for the experts to do their job. Cancer is not a DIY job.
