This might be the day (I have found out about trouble)

Hah, that's first on my list, Butrflynet. They were closed when I called.
Back when I know more in a few days.

Meantime, my computer's keyboard is fine today. Yaaaay.

Well, I'm as much trouble as I'm worth, eury.

I was clearly all worried when I made this thread, and moving into philosophical.. given other stuff crashing around in daily life. I'm hoping JPB is right and if melanoma for sure, just a spot, and that more years will go by, while I then just have to watch out for it with checkups. I've weathered some other stuff, have my feisty side.
Hey, there's even a recent new drug for it in the news of the last couple of weeks.

Glad to see butrfly's recommendation of my primary's choice of place, even more than UNM. That's a help.

Pem, my dear - thanks. Well, no, it's very dark now and has funny edges.
I was never that much of a blazing sun person, except for some key years of beach baking in my late teens, early twenties, sunburn city. Oh, and I'm 15/16ths irish.

Sure begorrah you're practically a leprechaun.

You stay feisty girl and I for one will be rooting for you, one of many I'm sure.
You'll be fine.

Just saw this. I'm sorry to hear about such a worry tumbling you about. I can only give you my sincere wishes for all things to turn out as well as they can.

Thanks, Greenie.

I am trying to follow you but I have no idea what you are talking about. Arthritis v melanoma? what even made melanoma arise ?
Youve gotta assume that some of us havent read anything that youve written about this in the past.
These threads, Ive found are best delivered as a stand alone statement.
Now, from the top. Im ot trying to be a smartass but Im lost here.

If you want to read up on the practice and doctors, they've been written up many times over the last several years by local magazines. The articles have good background stories on each of them.

http://www.riograndedermatology.com/news/press.php

You have my permission to use my name if it will help get you in there. And, if you need a ride, let me know.

Good luck and hugs to you, osso. I hope you can communicate a sense of urgency to a doctor (or their keeper) on Monday and get your hand seen to, pronto.

Thursday was the day I found that the spot on my palm very well might be melanoma.

I was remembering that my hand, the one with the spot on the palm, was looked at closely by three doctors not very long ago to see if I had carpal tunnel or just arthritis or, some other possibilities like, er, tendonitis. I was kvetching about their missing the spot if - of course - it isn't just some freckle. They looked at my palm while attaching electrodes, for example. I don't remember for sure just how brown the spot was then.

What made melanoma arise is that the spot had been turning brown and browner and my light bulb went on. I've waited six weeks to see my primary, which I also talked about in this thread and one other (the grit and grimace thread). Turns out that spots on palms can be worrisome, since that is where melanoma often/sometimes presents itself.

Thanks, Butryfly. Now I well may mention it on the paperwork I have to fill out.
On the ride, that's a maybe - dunno if they do a biopsy immediately and if that makes driving a difficulty. Will find out when I call.

Ill bet its not. I had a huge spot on my forehead two years ago. It was getting gross. So I went to my internist and he looked at it and wasnt worried but he sent me to a skin guy, who biopsied it just to make me feel good. Then he removed the whole thing by freezing the **** out of it. Now I have a beautiful spot free visage.

Good! And the same happened to Bear here not all that long ago, he was definitely worried and relieved when it turned out ok. His was also in a place melanoma presents (soles of the feet).

Actually, Butrfly, I'll take that back, about the driving. I'd appreciate your company if you wouldn't mind and are available.

Just let me know when. So you can judge your departure time, it is about a 20 minute drive on Coors during non-commute hours. You can about double that during commute hours.

I have a friend who gets these things excised regularly. She's completely fine, except for the excising itself, which she doesn't mind that much. Last time she went in she had seven that had to go.

Her daughter was showing me where -- left shoulderblade, right shoulderblade, left upper arm etc..... and I joked that she was doing the melanoma dance. (She was looking kind of macarena-ish.) I felt comfortable doing so because my friend is really not phased by it, just something she has to deal with occasionally, at this point anyway.

I'm really hoping it will be the same for you (as it was for farmer & Bear), osso.
It would be wonderful if your concerns were put to rest, really soon.
Fingers tightly crossed for you!

Thanks, Soz. Clearly I was feeling the bell start to toll back there, dinggggg, but I'm back to my give 'em hell ways. The stories about people dealing with it are useful antidotes for me to get and keep a grip.

Interesting, some medical words have so much power.

Will let you know, Butrfly. The primary had given me their place on Montgomery, but she's probably from that end of town. Rio Rancho more comfortable for me.

But even if it's not, Olga, this thread has balanced my, um, perturbation.

I will try to shut up for a while and not post more until I know more.

Post as much as it helps, osso.
All of us here understand why you'd be really worried until you know for certain that you're OK.
I certainly do, that's for sure.
You don't have to be stoic, OK?

Thing is, I post easily on med issues since they've been an interest since I was ten and wanted to be a doctor, and spent some years in the med world after that. So I also post easily about mine. It can feel very me-me-me, though, especially when it is...

So, I'll be quiet for a while (I know I just said that, heh).