I know this is not a place I should ask for medical advice. I really just want to see if someone else has experienced this. I'm still wondering, if this even warrants a trip to the Dr. I have no health insurance currently, so I have to be selective. Anyway...
I have a birthmark on my head. It's really a mole, but I've had it since birth. It is towards the front of my head, you can't see it because of my hair. I have to pull my hair in different directions to see it. I check on it every few weeks, just to look for any changes in shape, or any of the other signs. I don't see any changes, at all. BUT, that side of my head right around the birthmark feels funny. Not a like a normal headache, but a tightness. It is also a bit sore to the touch on that side. I guess I would say it's very tense, perhaps like a tension headache...but, I've never had one. It's just that one side of my head, closer to the mark. (I tend to sleep on that side of my head, if that even matters.)
I'm wondering, if this would warrant a visit to a dermatologist. I have looked online, but can't find anything similar to what I'm feeling/experiencing. I really hate spending so much money at the Dr, and it turns out to be nothing. I certainly would spend the money, if I need to. I'm not necessarily worried, so I'm just not sure. Has anyone else experienced this? Do you think you'd see a Dr. for something similar?
No, I won't have insurance anytime soon. I have not had it since my pregnancy. It's too expensive.
I will just eat the cost and see a Dr.
Added: Two of my uncles had skin cancer, but they grew up in Florida with no sunscreen. Other then them, I don't believe there is any more history on either side.
I would see a dermatologist. I would personally rather have it be "nothing" than have a problem and not have it taken care of in the earlier stages. Things like melanoma can be cured if caught early, but can be deadly if caught later. DH's friend's wife died of melanoma when she was in her early 30s. Whatever is going on with your head, it's a change you have noticed. Get it checked out.
*****i found this after i typed this response:
Free Skin Screening Clinic
Are you worried about a freckle, mole or spot on your skin? Make an appointment for a free screening to have it checked out.
A free skin cancer screening clinic is offered the third Friday of each month (see dates below), 8:30 - 10 a.m. The appointment should last about 10 minutes. The skin cancer screening clinic will be held at the new:
Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center
3410 Worth Street
Oncology Outpatient Clinic, Suite 250
Dallas, Texas 75246
Find Driving Directions, Maps and Parking Information
Appointments are required and are at 10 minute intervals between 8:30 - and 10 a.m.. Please call ###-###-#### to schedule.
2011 Dates:
May 20; June 17; July 15; August 19; September 16; October 21; November 18; December 16
call your local hospital and see if they have any free screening days for skin cancer coming up. The American Cancer Society and the American Dermatological Society often team up to offer free screenings. If there is nothing soon, go get it checked out --call and ask if any of the dermatologists have special cash prices for the non insured. There are the standard things to look for:
Asymmetry: One half of the mole does not match the other half
Border: The border or edges of the mole are ragged, blurred, or irregular
Color: The mole has different colors or it has shades of tan, brown, black, blue, white, or red
Diameter: The diameter of the mole is larger than the eraser of a pencil
Evolving: The mole appears different from others and/or changing in size, color, shape
or something we learned at MD Anderson Cancer Center --sometimes just your gut reaction that something is wrong.
Go get it checked out! At least for peace of mind.
Good luck!
I had a flesh colored bump very high on my forehead that I got checked out. The biopsy came back that it was a squamous cell carcinoma - very small on the exterior but far reaching inside. The surgeon created all sorts of flaps to close the darn thing,
Will you have insurance shortly? I think you should go to a dermatologist. Best of luck!!
I would definitely see a doctor about that. I don't mean to scare you, but what if something was going on, inside your head, in the spot that the mole is on? Maybe that is why it is tender to the touch, or tight feeling. It is better to be safe than sorry.
You could see the dermatologist and do the whole-body check while you're there. Do you have any family history of skin cancer?
