Mrs. D.

Thanks much for explaining about EMLA. The odd thing is that I've had several skin tags cut off (16 at one time), YEARS AGO by the way.

The doctor just rubbed some alcohol and used a little pair of snipping scissors, and just cut them off. Then he told me, "some times I put rubber bands around the skin tags which cut off the blood supply and they fall off by themselves".

And more recently (last year), I went to this horrible dermotologist (who had the personality of a flea), and I told him I had the cyst on the side of my nose.

Not only didn't he use any creme on me, he didn't even numb the area. I dont' remember if he used an alchohol, but I will never forget what he did.

I wasn't even sitting on his examination table. He did this so fast, I didn't have time to protest. I was sitting in a chair, and he approached me with this burning thing in his hand and he just burned away the cyst. He kept slicing it a few times, then he put a bandaid on it, and told me "in a few days, it will form a scab and fall off.

It did exactly what he said it would do.

I also remember showing him the little spot on my left hand. It gave the appearance of a burn but I knew that I did not burn my hand.

I asked him "what is this? and he said "oh, it's a burn". and I said "no it's not". And he said 'i have no idea, but here I'll give you some creme, and I believe he gave me some topical steroid cream (a little sample), and told me to rub it in. It did absolutely nothing.

Because I couldn't stand this doctor, the next week I went to another doctor (a dermotological cancer specialist) who is on my plan. I showed him my nose, he said it was fine, I showed him my hand and he looked at it and said to me "do you know how to go on the internet?" and I said 'of course". and he wrote down 'Granuloma Annulare'. (I'll never forget that). He told me to go home and look it up.

He said 'that's exactly what that is, some people call that RINGS.

He then "froze it", and told me "it would fall off but there might be a shadow left over.

I went home, looked up GRANULOMA ANNULare, and almost died when I saw what some people have on their bodies and I said "oh my god, is that going to happen to me??"

Well, guess what happened. The thing vanished. You can look at my hand and you would never know there was a lesion on the left hand. After he froze it, it scabbed, fell off, and there was a shadow. I used to put cover up on the little shadow. Well, it eventually vanished.

Absolutely mind boggling. It also amazes me that one doctor said "i don't know what it is, and the second doctor said "I know exactly what that is".

How the heck can two doctors be dermatologists and one doesn't know what Granuloma Annulare is and the other one recognizes it right away.

I wouldn't go back to the first guy if you paid me. Absolutely no personality. Treated me as if I wasn't even in the room.

Yuck.

I'm so glad this went well for you. I worried so much because I knew so much of your history..(yeah, I could remember it). I hope things continue to go well.

I just don't understand this doctor thing. "You do it, it's not my responsibility.", "No..you do it, it IS yours". I get so tired of that. I am going thru some of it with the ortho, rheumie and pain doctor.

Please let us hear from you, there are a bunch of people here who care.

Billye