newbie here and just diagnosed with bcc

cutlass
cutlass Member Posts: 3

  The bcc is on my back and I don't know how long it has been there.  About a month ago I scratched an itch on my back and something bled.  I assumed it was an irritation from my bra.  I looked in the mirror and saw a red flat mark.  I decided to see my dr. who biopsied it.  It came back pre cancerous bcc.  I have a dermatologist appt. in 3 weeks and I am hoping she will remove this.  My question is being this is not raised but red did I wait too long to discover this as i understand bcc's left untreated too long can go into tissues and bones.  Thanks for any advice.

Comments

  • Shiraz61
    Shiraz61 Member Posts: 15
    edited February 2018 #2
    Hi cutlass

    Maybe it was red because you scratched it?  I thought mine (by my right ear) was a particularly obnoxious zit that wouldn't go away.  I admit I picked at it a few times because it kept coming back and I didn't think of it as anything else.  It was red too, because of me.  It was only diagnosed as a BCC when I went to see my Dermatologist for another matter.  I had noticed a suspicious mole on the back of my left shoulder. It was biopsied and the results said it was a Melanoma.  The BCC was discovered when I had a full body scan.  She pointed it out right away and I told her I thought it was just a pimple but she said, no, it was clearly a BCC.  And she thanked me for removing the top portion of it, with all my picking ... ha ha.  So it was a lucky find, only because I found the Melanoma.

    My BCC had probably been there at least 8 or 9 months.  I had Mohs Surgery on it last month and it took 3 layers before they got clear margins, so fairly deep but it hadn't spread anywhere else.  I know it's all a big worry for you, as it was for me, as it is for all of us diagnosed with any skin cancer.  I can't really hazard a guess as to whether it was left too long for you or not, or whether your Dermatologist will remove it for you.  You'll find that all out when you get there.  In the meantime, try not to stress it too much (difficult, I know!).  All the best, and keep us posted.

  • Bill1958
    Bill1958 Member Posts: 67
    BCC and awareness

    I have had BCC and have had 4 areas removed about 5 years ago.  BCC takes a long, long time to spread and hardly ever does but it can if left untreated.  

    What I did learn is that if you do have BCC, you may want to seriously consider changing your diet to zero refined sugars and as lttle sugar of any kind as possible.  And the most important thing I learned is that having BCC may make you more suseptable to more serious cancers in the future.  Not because of having BCC but because your defenses may be weaker than normal persons(the lymphatic system, and things like that).  So it is best for you and your loved ones that if you suspect anything abnormal or just sense something is wrong, get to your doctor and insist on test and so forth.  Please think about what I just said and God bless you!