Hi...melanoma in situ survivor from 96 and woke up this morning with old dried blood on my left arm mole(forearm) that I have had since I can remember. I'm now 37. I thought maybe I scratched it in my sleep. After showering, I dried with a towel and it started to ooze blood again. Took a few minutes to stop bleeding. later that day in the store, I noticed it oozing again. That was at like 2P. It's after 10P and no more bleeding now I have a bandaid on it.
Just wondering...does bleeding have to mean a possible cancer issue? I did call my doc and ask for a referral for a derm doc(appt next Mon).

Also, I have a ton of moles/freckles etc scattered on my body all of my teen/adult life. I find that docs say oh it'sfine. It's ok. They(the moles) are all ok. Come back next year. But yet the doc that took my original melanoma thought it was fine too but took it because I said I didn't recall it being there ( which I don't know how I knew...I have so many!). I'm concerned that in the future it may not get picked up b/c the docs say it's fine (I'm on an HMO so I worry about cost constraint-type decision making). Anyone else have this issue? Thanks!

Hi kcrn1
I'm a melanoma survivor too so can relate to your concern. I don't think bleeding necessarily indicates malignancy though. I've had a couple of bleeding ones removed which turned out to be benign. They do tend to bleed a lot & for a while.

I find if I tell a doc it's itching, changing, bleeding, they'll remove a mole pronto, due to my history of MM. If it concerns you, I wouldn't settle for 'it's fine' as I don't see how they can be so sure just by looking.

Hope you get to the dermatologist ok & get that one removed. Try not to worry & let us know how you get on.

Best wishes.
Lidia
:)

I agree. Anytime a mole changes in any way, it should be a cause for concern. Not to say for sure it's cancer, but it could be. It's best to checked by a dermatologist and safe.

I have had melanoma in-situ also in 87, then I had a melanoma one in 92...

I was going to a dermatologist in Washington DC in 92 and told him I noticed
this little black pin head behind my knee in the crease of my leg. The
doctor said he didn't think it was anything but if I would feel better he would
biopsy it. He did and three days later he called me and told me it was
melanoma.

I was sitting watching TV and had my hand down there and felt this little
lump and then got the magnifying glass and looked at it. It was black
and shinny and didn't fit the melanoma mold at all.

You have to check your body and check to see if any mole has changed
or something has appeared that wasn't there before. If anything looks suspicous have it biopsied, they really can't tell for sure if they don't biopsy.I have a lot ot moles also....

A lot of doctors don't know about melanoma although they are learning the
same as we are....This cancer is becoming so widespread.....I had two
doctors look at my first mole and said it wasn't anything...The third one took it off....