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Before I decide to go to the doctor about this, I thought I'd see if any of you have any idea what this weird bump is on my shoulder. It's about the size of a button, and there are two of them close together under the skin. I've attempted to take a picture, but it's a little tricky to operate the camera at such close range with my left hand. If the big mole is at the center of a clock, the button is at about 8 o'clock. Thanks!
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is it new? is it painful?
not likely an enlarged lymph node (or maybe? have you been fighting off a cold?), maybe a benign cyst/lipoma, maybe an enlarged bursa?
go and show it to your doc...
Does it move around? Please go get it checked out.
It's been there for a few months, no pain, no recovery from a cold. It doesn't feel like the fat lumps my dogs have (seems to be attached and is fairly firm).Quote:
Originally Posted by alpinerabbit
Your big mole scares me, too (I've had some moles removed...). Please make an appt.
I wonder---do ganglion cysts happen at the shoulder, since it's a joint? I have one on my wrist - just showed up a month ago - doesn't hurt, doesn't move, is firm.
Actually, it's not really a mole, just a dark spot, and has been checked many times. That's what happens to 52-year-old skin after spending every day as a kid at the swimming pool getting blistering sunburns in the days before sunscreen!Quote:
Originally Posted by mickchick
I guess I'll make a doctor appt for January...
My diagnoses is benign abnormal cell growth.
DNA and RNA can only transcribe and transpose so many times before making an error in coding.
According to this Wikipedia article, it's not a ganglion cyst.
Twenty dollars, please. Payable in jam :D
can I call you Lumpy now?
And so what is the treatment for benign abnormal cell growth, Dr. Zen?Quote:
Originally Posted by Zen
You can call me Lumpy if you'd like, I guess, but it won't earn you any jam.:p
Bed rest and sweets.Quote:
Originally Posted by divingbiker
Just to make the basics of possible skin cancer more clear to everyone (what the picture shows there is called an age spot in my language*, it's just a pigment irregularity.)
The ABCDE of skin cancer:
A- Asymmetry:
Normal moles or freckles are completely symmetrical. If you were to draw a line through a normal spot, you would have two symmetrical halves. In cases of skin cancer, spots will not look the same on both sides.
B- Border:
A mole or spot with blurry and/or jagged edges.
C- Color:
A mole that is more than one hue is suspicious and needs to be evaluated by a doctor. Normal spots are usually one color. This can include lightening or darkening of the mole.
D- Diameter:
If it is larger than a pencil eraser (about 1/4 inch or 6mm), it needs to be examined by a doctor. This includes areas that do not have any other abnormalities (color, border, asymmetry).
E- Elevation:
Elevation means the mole is raised above the surface and has an uneven surface.
* oops - did I just say that?:o
Alpine - Thanks for posting that info.
A yearly skin cancer check is important, particularly for those of us who spend a lot of time outdoors and are fair skinned. You cannot be too careful. I have a family history of melanoma and have several suspicious moles removed. That's why I'm sensitive to this topic.
Finally went to the doctor today, and the "button" is a benign sebaceous cyst. Nothing to worry about unless it bothers me, and then it can be removed.
I have some instruments i only used once in anatomy class.
Dissection of a cow eye, I believe it was.
A simple outpatient procedure ;)
Thanks for updating us. Coincidentally, I was thinking of your "button" the other day! Glad to hear it's nothing serious.Quote:
Originally Posted by divingbiker
Stay away from Zen and her scalpel!!
F - find a doctorQuote:
Originally Posted by alpinerabbit
G - go, just to be sure
H - have some jam :D
she went to the Dr
But has she had jam? ;)