[*Anya*]

My GF and I were in Palm Springs 3 weeks ago.

I took care to put 50 plus SPF on the whole time we were there.

I looked down on my thigh the first day we were there and noticed a strange little round growth that just seemed to pop up.

I watched it for two weeks and it got bigger. Sometimes, even as an RN, potentially negative things that many people would not give a second thought-I don't either.

A week ago, the light bulb went off: non-healing growth or sore- yes.

I got an appointment with a dermatologist yesterday and she biopsied it.

She said it looked like squamous cell CA but we won't know for sure till pathology comes back-up and it may take up to a week. Now I wait.

I have had thyroid cancer-clean for 14 years now-that potentially could have been much worse but I wanted to remind everyone:

Any suspicious non-healing growth or sore: get checked out!

Oh, the doctor said if it is squamous cell, I did not cause it by my couple of days in the sun.

It is usually caused by all those cumulative years of sun damage, such as in my 20's when my girlfriend and I would baste ourselves with baby oil! Yikes! Hard to believe I was so dumb.

Glad for those with clean bills of health and prayers and best wishes for others that are dealing with their own or love ones' cancer.

Here is a small factoid about squamous cell CA:

"Squamous cell carcinoma is second most common type of skin cancer, after basal cell carcinoma. Squamous cell cancer spreads faster than basal cell cancer, but still is usually relatively slow-growing. It can spread (metastasize) to other locations, including internal organs. Squamous cell lesions should be removed surgically as soon as they are diagnosed".