Sub-Qs, Nodular Melanoma
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Sub-Qs, Nodular Melanoma

› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Sub-Qs, Nodular Melanoma

  • Post
    • May 27, 2015 at 1:20 am
    casagrayson
    Participant

    So,  my husband has had multiple primaries and I don't know a part of his body that hasn't been cut on to remove basal cell, recurrent basal cell, or squamous cancers.  The last derm check (4 months ago) was the first time in years that he didn't need any biopsies.  I had hoped we were out of the woods.  

    Now, though, he's developed something I've never seen before.  It's about the size of a BB, color between a clear and pearly white, and hard.  It looks to be along an old incision scar, but honestly I couldn't tell you if he had something removed right there or not.  That popped up probably six weeks ago.  Now, it looks like there is an additional lump under the skin right beside it.  I've also notice some other spots on his face that look like nodules under the skin, abou the size of bb's.  I can't say too much to him about any of this because I found the primaries, not the doctor, so whenever I act concerned he gets really nervous.  

    Please tell me that these don't sound like sub-q's, or nodular melanomas.  He does have another derm appointment at the end of June (he cancelled his last one because we were going on a vacation and he said "I just don't want to think about it").

Viewing 11 reply threads
  • Replies
      • May 27, 2015 at 3:48 am
      Julie in SoCal
      Participant

      Hi Susan,

      A lot can go on around an incision.  If the surgery is recent-ish it very well could be stitches that didn't dissolve working themselves out.  I think I had this happen for up to 6-8 months after the surgery.  And I had quite a few of them too.

      My sub qs started in my skin – felt like I had a bb inserted under my skin.  It was only when they grew that they stuck up above the skin.  Then they started out looking like a bug bite.  Some of them grew fast and seemed to pop up overnight. Some of them not so fast at all.

      all of them grew either around my WLE / SNB scar, or in the same lymph basin

      best bet is to have them looked at if you've got any questions about them

      peace,

      Julie

      • May 27, 2015 at 3:48 am
      Julie in SoCal
      Participant

      Hi Susan,

      A lot can go on around an incision.  If the surgery is recent-ish it very well could be stitches that didn't dissolve working themselves out.  I think I had this happen for up to 6-8 months after the surgery.  And I had quite a few of them too.

      My sub qs started in my skin – felt like I had a bb inserted under my skin.  It was only when they grew that they stuck up above the skin.  Then they started out looking like a bug bite.  Some of them grew fast and seemed to pop up overnight. Some of them not so fast at all.

      all of them grew either around my WLE / SNB scar, or in the same lymph basin

      best bet is to have them looked at if you've got any questions about them

      peace,

      Julie

      • May 27, 2015 at 3:48 am
      Julie in SoCal
      Participant

      Hi Susan,

      A lot can go on around an incision.  If the surgery is recent-ish it very well could be stitches that didn't dissolve working themselves out.  I think I had this happen for up to 6-8 months after the surgery.  And I had quite a few of them too.

      My sub qs started in my skin – felt like I had a bb inserted under my skin.  It was only when they grew that they stuck up above the skin.  Then they started out looking like a bug bite.  Some of them grew fast and seemed to pop up overnight. Some of them not so fast at all.

      all of them grew either around my WLE / SNB scar, or in the same lymph basin

      best bet is to have them looked at if you've got any questions about them

      peace,

      Julie

      • May 27, 2015 at 3:51 am
      Julie in SoCal
      Participant

      Hi Susan,

      A lot can go on around an incision.  If the surgery is recent-ish it very well could be stitches that didn't dissolve working themselves out.  I think I had this happen for up to 6-8 months after the surgery.  And I had quite a few of them too.

      My sub qs started in my skin – felt like I had a bb inserted under my skin.  It was only when they grew that they stuck up above the skin.  Then they started out looking like a bug bite.  Some of them grew fast and seemed to pop up overnight. Some of them not so fast at all.

      all of them grew either around my WLE / SNB scar, or in the same lymph basin.

      it's my understanding that modular Mel is a type of Mel, and not a sub-q.

      best bet is to have them looked at if you've got any questions about them

      peace,

      Julie

      • May 27, 2015 at 3:51 am
      Julie in SoCal
      Participant

      Hi Susan,

      A lot can go on around an incision.  If the surgery is recent-ish it very well could be stitches that didn't dissolve working themselves out.  I think I had this happen for up to 6-8 months after the surgery.  And I had quite a few of them too.

      My sub qs started in my skin – felt like I had a bb inserted under my skin.  It was only when they grew that they stuck up above the skin.  Then they started out looking like a bug bite.  Some of them grew fast and seemed to pop up overnight. Some of them not so fast at all.

      all of them grew either around my WLE / SNB scar, or in the same lymph basin.

      it's my understanding that modular Mel is a type of Mel, and not a sub-q.

      best bet is to have them looked at if you've got any questions about them

      peace,

      Julie

      • May 27, 2015 at 3:51 am
      Julie in SoCal
      Participant

      Hi Susan,

      A lot can go on around an incision.  If the surgery is recent-ish it very well could be stitches that didn't dissolve working themselves out.  I think I had this happen for up to 6-8 months after the surgery.  And I had quite a few of them too.

      My sub qs started in my skin – felt like I had a bb inserted under my skin.  It was only when they grew that they stuck up above the skin.  Then they started out looking like a bug bite.  Some of them grew fast and seemed to pop up overnight. Some of them not so fast at all.

      all of them grew either around my WLE / SNB scar, or in the same lymph basin.

      it's my understanding that modular Mel is a type of Mel, and not a sub-q.

      best bet is to have them looked at if you've got any questions about them

      peace,

      Julie

      • May 27, 2015 at 1:58 pm
      CHD
      Participant

      I am not sure what squamous cell looks like in its earliest stages and if can be pearly like that, having just had superficial spreading type melanoma.

      I was going to say that melanoma nodules tend to be dark in color like little veins, unless they are amelanotic, but having read Julie's post, now I'm not so sure.  Now I am curious whether subcu nodular melanoma hurts when it's at the BB stage.

      Are your husband's new nodules painful?

      I have had what seems to be a retained suture for 2 years.  It hurts and it does hurt still.  It feels like a tiny lump beneath the skin.  But again I don't know if anyone else has experienced the retained sutures to be painful.

      I also have 2 clear/pearly nodules, very tiny, develop on my face this past year that my derm has looked at and not been concerned about.

      I guess it is just really hard to speculate on what they might be, but hopefully they turn out to be benign.

        • May 27, 2015 at 6:10 pm
        Julie in SoCal
        Participant

        Hi Anon,

        At the BB stage, my subqs do not hurt and when they are small (rice grain size) it's really hard to see any color in them at all.  As they get bigger, their color comes out and then they look dark blueish, like a vein.

        Yes!  here's hoping that these critters are benign!

        Julie

        • May 27, 2015 at 6:10 pm
        Julie in SoCal
        Participant

        Hi Anon,

        At the BB stage, my subqs do not hurt and when they are small (rice grain size) it's really hard to see any color in them at all.  As they get bigger, their color comes out and then they look dark blueish, like a vein.

        Yes!  here's hoping that these critters are benign!

        Julie

        • May 27, 2015 at 6:10 pm
        Julie in SoCal
        Participant

        Hi Anon,

        At the BB stage, my subqs do not hurt and when they are small (rice grain size) it's really hard to see any color in them at all.  As they get bigger, their color comes out and then they look dark blueish, like a vein.

        Yes!  here's hoping that these critters are benign!

        Julie

      • May 27, 2015 at 1:58 pm
      CHD
      Participant

      I am not sure what squamous cell looks like in its earliest stages and if can be pearly like that, having just had superficial spreading type melanoma.

      I was going to say that melanoma nodules tend to be dark in color like little veins, unless they are amelanotic, but having read Julie's post, now I'm not so sure.  Now I am curious whether subcu nodular melanoma hurts when it's at the BB stage.

      Are your husband's new nodules painful?

      I have had what seems to be a retained suture for 2 years.  It hurts and it does hurt still.  It feels like a tiny lump beneath the skin.  But again I don't know if anyone else has experienced the retained sutures to be painful.

      I also have 2 clear/pearly nodules, very tiny, develop on my face this past year that my derm has looked at and not been concerned about.

      I guess it is just really hard to speculate on what they might be, but hopefully they turn out to be benign.

      • May 27, 2015 at 1:58 pm
      CHD
      Participant

      I am not sure what squamous cell looks like in its earliest stages and if can be pearly like that, having just had superficial spreading type melanoma.

      I was going to say that melanoma nodules tend to be dark in color like little veins, unless they are amelanotic, but having read Julie's post, now I'm not so sure.  Now I am curious whether subcu nodular melanoma hurts when it's at the BB stage.

      Are your husband's new nodules painful?

      I have had what seems to be a retained suture for 2 years.  It hurts and it does hurt still.  It feels like a tiny lump beneath the skin.  But again I don't know if anyone else has experienced the retained sutures to be painful.

      I also have 2 clear/pearly nodules, very tiny, develop on my face this past year that my derm has looked at and not been concerned about.

      I guess it is just really hard to speculate on what they might be, but hopefully they turn out to be benign.

      • May 27, 2015 at 2:14 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      My first thought was SCC.  My one and only squamous was a tiny white bump above my eyebrow.  Didn't look like anything of interest but I had noticed it as being new.  It was a superficial SCC that was just at the top of the skin and no real invasive component.  Derm basically scraped it off and it never recurred.  

      Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure is pointing them out to the doc for evaluation and biopsy.   Wishing you the best!

        • May 27, 2015 at 4:02 pm
        casagrayson
        Participant

        Well, I went back and found the treatment notes on that area of his face, and the original description was "atypical squamous process".  I don't have the actual pathology report, though, so I don't know how it was eventually categorized.  My guess now is recurrent SCC.  Typically, I don't get overly worried about SCC, but given it's a) recurring and b) on the head/neck my anxiety level just went up a notch.  I'm not going to push for an earlier appointment because I doubt a couple of weeks will make much difference.

        Thanks for all of the input!

         

        • May 27, 2015 at 4:02 pm
        casagrayson
        Participant

        Well, I went back and found the treatment notes on that area of his face, and the original description was "atypical squamous process".  I don't have the actual pathology report, though, so I don't know how it was eventually categorized.  My guess now is recurrent SCC.  Typically, I don't get overly worried about SCC, but given it's a) recurring and b) on the head/neck my anxiety level just went up a notch.  I'm not going to push for an earlier appointment because I doubt a couple of weeks will make much difference.

        Thanks for all of the input!

         

        • May 27, 2015 at 4:02 pm
        casagrayson
        Participant

        Well, I went back and found the treatment notes on that area of his face, and the original description was "atypical squamous process".  I don't have the actual pathology report, though, so I don't know how it was eventually categorized.  My guess now is recurrent SCC.  Typically, I don't get overly worried about SCC, but given it's a) recurring and b) on the head/neck my anxiety level just went up a notch.  I'm not going to push for an earlier appointment because I doubt a couple of weeks will make much difference.

        Thanks for all of the input!

         

      • May 27, 2015 at 2:14 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      My first thought was SCC.  My one and only squamous was a tiny white bump above my eyebrow.  Didn't look like anything of interest but I had noticed it as being new.  It was a superficial SCC that was just at the top of the skin and no real invasive component.  Derm basically scraped it off and it never recurred.  

      Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure is pointing them out to the doc for evaluation and biopsy.   Wishing you the best!

      • May 27, 2015 at 2:14 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      My first thought was SCC.  My one and only squamous was a tiny white bump above my eyebrow.  Didn't look like anything of interest but I had noticed it as being new.  It was a superficial SCC that was just at the top of the skin and no real invasive component.  Derm basically scraped it off and it never recurred.  

      Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure is pointing them out to the doc for evaluation and biopsy.   Wishing you the best!

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