Biopsy for my son, scared!

So my son is eight years old and used to have very bad eczema. We took him for years and tried all different creams and stuff for it from our dermatologist. At one point his right nipple began to get very red and swollen and would weep the clear liquid. He would sometimes have to miss school because he couldn't even stand to have it bandaged it was so painful. As he got older the eczema cleared up except for his nipple. It got bad less and less but it just never looked normal. I assumed it was because of scar tissue that had built up. I finally decided that even though it wasn't flaring up nearly as much as it used to that it was still a painful issue for him. So I made him an appointment at Mayo dermatology.

We went last month and the doctor wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She gave us some different steriod creams to use for a month. She said that if it wasn't improved to the point that it looked as normal as the other nipple that she would want to do a biopsy. That terrified me as you can imagine. I didn't ask her then what they would be looking for because I was so anxious I couldn't bear it.

So fast forward to his appointment today, a month after using the creams. His nipple looked so much better! To us it looked normal and like the other one. Because of this I decided to just let my husband take him alone to the appointment so I could stay home and get our daughter's off to school. They have all had to miss different days for my son's appointment and mine and I didn't want them missing anymore. Plus I figured since my son's situation was so much better that the appointment would be a simple one so I was okay with letting just my husband go.

Well the doctor said while it had improved that it hadn't improved as much as she would like and she did the biopsy. My husband said my son didn't even cry which amazes me. I'm SO mad at myself for not being there. Then I asked my husband what she said, what was she looking for or thinking it might be? He said she didn't say and he didn't ask. He said she said maybe it was some sort of birthmark that came on later in his life but she didn't think that was it because he had had it for so long. Then I asked him if she mentioned anything about cancer and he said "NO!" like I was crazy.

So they won't be home for a couple hours and I am so upset. I'm thinking about calling but I don't want to get even more anxious. I keep telling myself it couldn't be cancer because he's had it for years and wouldn't it have made him sick by now? I'm just beyond upset.

Then last night my best friend who is like a sister to me told me that she had an abnormal pap with hpv cells that they thought were cancerous. My mom died at 46 of cervical cancer. You cannot imagine how devastating this is to me. She is going to get another test and I'm trying so hard not to worry but these two things are just getting to me.

I'm just plain scared. Do they do biopsies for anything other than cancer?

A good doctor WOULD take a biopsy to rule out anything. They test for more than just cancer. How old is your son now? I can't tell you not to worry bc if the vet wanted a biopsy off my dog, I'd worry too!

Do you pray? You don't have to be any religious affiliation to pray. Praying helps me with things like this. I pray every morning in the shower! Try it.

As for your friend, even worst case and it's hpv, it doesn't mean cancer. A lot of times they'll do a "clean out" (sorry don't know medical word lol), and get out the cells. Not all HPV = cancer. With that being said, again, I'd have trouble not worrying too, especially since your mom passed of cervical cancer. They have advanced testing now & cancer can prevented or caught early & treated early.

Keep us updated. Ps: it wouldn't be abnormal to call the doctor & ask why specifically she wanted a biopsy IF it wouldn't be an additional trigger. Sometimes I think we are all overstimulated with TMI but I'd support you whatever you do!

Hugs!
Lisa

Thanks guys I'm hanging in there. Haven't freaked out yet and haven't had an attack. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared though. I always jump immediately to worst case scenario in my head with the thinking that then I'll be prepared for whatever comes. That obviously hasn't served me too well over the years so it's time to try to change that. I've decided I won't call the doctor, I will just wait it out.

My son is eight years old for the person that asked. As far as my friend her doctor actually used the words cancer to her so I'm not reaching there. Since my mom had hpv and cervical cancer I made sure to read up on it myself because honestly because dying of cancer terrifies me. I know that not all strains of hpv cause cancer and that just because one has it doesn't mean it equals cancer. However the fact that the doctor said they thought it might be cancerous has me concerned.

The good thing is that early treatment is going to give her a way better chance than my mom had if it is cancer. My mom had terrible symptoms for years and didn't go to the doctor. I guess it was a mixture of fear and the fact that she just felt she had to keep working no matter what. She was diagnosed at 35. It wasn't an easy ten years from that point and the time she died (she had literally just turned 46) but it was still ten years. She went through very bad times and surgeries and chemo and all that terrible stuff in those ten years. However she also got to see me kick drug abuse, marry a great man, and have my first child. She got to have an incredibly close relationship with my first daughter that I think really helped us both on the path to healing our fractured relationship. So even though hers was caught very late we were still blessed to have those ten years.

So if the worst case scenario is true early detection is better than her not ever finding out at all. Again I'm very scared. I love this person more than anything and one of my greatest fears is of cancer touching me or anyone I love. But I'm REALLY trying to just handle it. I'm trying not to just ignore it or push it away but just take it one day at a time. I'm tired of jumping straight through to the worst case scenario and wasting all the hours and days worrying. So many times what I put myself through is worse than any outcome. I have to finally realize that worrying won't actual protect me from any inevitable pain. Wow that was kind of an epiphany right there! Lol, thanks guys!

As far as I know it was on his nipple and they did do a punch biopsy if I remember right what my husband said. He also has one stitch. They will be home in a few minutes so I'm excited to hug him! Still feel so guilty for not being there. The idea of him having a shot there and not crying amazes me. Maybe it was better that I wasn't there?

Janet, thank you. I've been thinking just what you said that if it was something very bad that it would have gotten much worse over the years and certainly would have shown other symptoms in him. I'm trying very hard to just be calm and wait for the call from the doctor and then dealing with it. Like I said worrying for the next week isn't going to change the outcome anyway.

I can relate to the mom anxiety, especially with the unknown medical issues like your son's. There have been lots of good responses to your posts, especially the encouragement to pray. I'm a believer in prayer, too, and I also believe that God cares about everything in your life. He can handle all of our problems much better than we can anyway! Praying for you.

Billy, you are a simply fantastic Mother, "worrying is one of the qualifications for the job",

We will all Pray for your Son! Peace,

Larry ***