UPDATE: Mole removed today (punch biopsy) - is this normal?

[ilovetivo]

15 hours later and it really hurts all around it! The dermatologist removed 2 suspicious moles: inner thigh and behind the knee. I got 2 stitches in each one. I walked a lot today and the knee one was sore but not anymore. The thigh one, though, burns pretty badly at the site and 2 inches all the way around. Is this normal? It also was still bleeding red. I had to put a new bandaid on it (although I wasn't supposed to until morning). Granted, I just had the laptop on my lap for the past 2 hours. Both sites look pretty bruised. TIA!

ETA: The results were normal...whew! And I don't think it was infected. Pretty bruised now though! Thanks!

[Marisa6826]

Yeah. They hurt like hell. What's burning is the fact that there's really no 'meat' to pull back together to close the hole, so the skin is being pulled. The actual cautery (the needle they put in there to burn the vessels shut) and local anesthetic are pretty irritating as well.

Have you iced it to constrict the blood vessels? Try a bag of frozen peas. Also try some of that pain relief Neosporin or Dermaplast (if you have any from your delivery). You can get both at any pharmacy.

I had one done just to the side behind my knee. Owies! What's even worse is that I'm allergic to bandaid/tape adhesive and had blistering skin around the stitches. I finally took the stitches out myself 10 days later. Felt SOOOO much better.

Good luck. I feel for ya! ;)

-m

[ilovetivo]

Thanks!! DH just said, why are you posting this? I said, cuz they know everything :)

I haven't iced. Instead, I "heated" it w/ the computer - Doh! My instructions don't say anything about icing though. Is it ok? Will that inhibit healing? Nor does it say anything about pain. I can put neosporin on tomorrow it says. Dermaplast I think i have. If it's what I'm remembering, it has lanolin in it, which i think is what made me itch so badly all over.

How did yours turn out?

Thanks!!!

[jasabo]

I agree with Marisa. I've had a few suspicious moles removed and was surprised by how much it hurt. After a few days, the pain lessens and after I took the stitches out, it felt fine.

Just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get infected.

Lisa - mom to 2 yr old twin boys

[s7714]

I've had two biopsied, one on my upper chest and one on my lower hip. Both hurt for a day or two afterwards. The one on my hip hurt for a little longer because it was in an area that the skin/tissue moved anytime I moved. The one on your thigh is probably a lot like the one I had on my hip, it just hurts more because the skin shifts a lot more in that area when you move. I had visible and tender bruising in both areas as well.

I think the thing that's misleading about having moles removed, is that you think they only remove an area about the size of the mole you see, but in reality they remove a much larger area to make sure they get the entire growth out and not leave anything that could regrow if it is indeed (and heaven forbid) cancerous. My doctor showed me both of the ones I had removed afterwards, and I was a little shocked at how much tissue was actually removed!

HTH,
Jennifer
Mommy to
Annalia 3/03
Sophia 6/05

[ilovetivo]

Thanks ladies! You're all amazingly fast :) I thought I was going to have to wait til morning for only 1 person to reply. Now I can sleep better. I thought it was a bad sign for infection, but I'm sure it's not now.

[Marisa6826]

A sign of infection is if it's red, swollen and hot. The red area will grow and you will start to see streaking extending from the area.

Just keep it clean and dry and you will be OK.

-m

[Marisa6826]

Yeah. It's bleeding from the blood vessels dialating due to the warmth of the laptop. I know that ours gets really pretty hot.

Ice will not inhibit healing at all. Just don't put ice directly on it. Use a washcloth or something to put in between. 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Also pop a couple of Advil or Motrin. The anti-inflammatory will help keep the swelling and pain down.

I would just use the Neosporin if you had a bad reaction to Dermaplast. It will get itchy if you let the scabs/stitches dry out - hence the thin layer of Neo.

Mine turned out fine. You can't really notice it unless you're looking for it. I guess the incision line from the stitches is maybe a 1/4" or so. I have another on my right calf that is driving me crazy. EVERY single freaking time I shave my legs, I catch it and it bleeds all over. I really need to have it removed but I keep putting it off.

Lemme know if you have any other questions.

-m

[starrynight]

My mom had one removed from her arm and she said it hurt for awhile, she had 1-2 stitches also. I can't remember when it stopped hurting for her but I know it was at least a few days, maybe a week?

I would keep the laptop on a pillow so not to put too much pressure on the site. If it starts to bleed again badly or you see anything that might look or feel like infection I would have it checked again.

[sntm]

It shouldn't be red from infection this fast -- that usually takes at least a couple of days. You can use ice for short periods of time to reduce swelling and redness, but ice can actually promote bleeding (blood doesn't clot when it's cold). The best way to stop bleeding is to hold pressure on it with one finger for 5 minutes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 2 years & counting

[ilovetivo]

Thanks ladies, I'll keep you posted. Today the redness was about a silver dollar size. I circled it w/ a pen to see if it gets bigger...so far it didn't.

I hope everyone's biopsies were normal!

[jlmardlin]

Hello...

I had a biopsy on Monday on my upper thigh, about 6 inches above my knee. The lidocaine hurt horribly, but not as bad as when I had the biopsy done on my lip last summer. I was very surprised that the Dr. had to stitch it and how badly it hurt. It's now 6 days later and finally not hurting so bad. I keep neosporin on it constantly.

What gets me though is that I have to leave the stitch in for 14 days! Won't it heal to the skin by then and be awful to take out?!?!?

Hoping this spot comes back clean. The one on my lip was pre-cancerous and I'm only 34. Needless to say I am now an avid supporter of sunblock!

Good luck!

[bubbaray]

And another old thread lives on.... This might be a record though, the original thread is six years old....

[tambo]

14 days is standard for suture removal from the leg, and it really won't be painful at all (they slide right out). Really the worst part is the lidocaine injection from the initial biopsy.

If you were really bothered by the lidocaine, next time (though hopefully there won't be a next time!) ask your doctor to inject really slowly, which minimizes the burning sensation. You can also ask whether he/she uses buffered lidocaine, which is much less painful when injected. Finally, if you know in advance that they are going to be doing a biopsy, you can ask for a prescription for EMLA (topical anesthetic) that you can put on 1-2 hrs before your biopsy... you will hardly feel a thing!