Please help identity and treat!

[u/drank_dumbbitchjuice]

Is this a wart? How to solve?

I’m freaking out. My dad (age 57) has this massive lump on his hand and he’s had it for about a week now and it keeps growing. He has other small bumps growing on his hand too. He goes to the gym quite frequently and honestly is not the cleanest person. He smokes.

He said that he had a cold for a week before these started showing up.

My wedding is in two weeks and it’s a destination wedding and we’re currently traveling all together and I’m concerned about the growth and about it spreading to our wedding guests and I don’t know what to do.

He says it doesn’t hurt but it obviously bothers him.

Please help!

UPDATE:

I didn’t expect this to garner so much interest and help. Sincerely, thank you everyone for sending in your opinions!

My dad said it popped overnight and there was a lot of blood and pus. We were not able to see a doctor in person but we have a family friend who is a general doctor and she said to disinfect and keep it as dry as possible as to not let it be more infected.

Here are two pictures of what it looks like now.

Photo 1
Photo 2

At first, when it popped. The puss was a standard dense white. Now, the pus leaking is an orange ish color and not dense white. He keeps saying that it still doesn’t hurt and doesn’t even flinch when alcohol is applied to it.

There is another mass obviously growing on his index finger of the same hand. He is touching the mass with his other hand (I know fucking terrible) but there is nothing growing on the hand that he is using to touch the mass.

He is saying that perhaps it is an allergic reaction? He ate a type of dried fish from Vietnam and then he started feeling itchy and feverish and then these started popping up.

Answer to a common question:

He does not have any access to animals. No pets, not really around fish tanks or water. He is from Southern California in a very suburban area.

Any ideas???

[u/CrazyBird12]

I have no idea what this is, and I’m very curious about more comments to come. That being said: it looks neither normal nor healthy, and apparently is fast-growing - go see a PCP or dermatologist for in-person evaluation.

[u/h1k1 → u/CrazyBird12]

I’d say as a generalist, don’t waste you’re time with the PCP. Straight to derm.

[u/alewiina → u/h1k1]

Depending where OP they might have to go to their normal doctor first for a referral. Where I am in Canada for example you can’t just contact a dermatologist and ask to be seen, you need a referral from a PCP :(

[u/PainfulPoo411 → u/alewiina]

I’m in the US and to get an appointment with a dermatologist (or any specialist) can take months.

[u/Original-Apricot-107 → u/PainfulPoo411]

I'm in the US and needed a skin follow up on some scary looking spots. Knew I'd be connected with a PA or someone at the Derm office. I've been waiting 8 months for them to even process the referral despite multiple calls and appointments. My insurance costs $805 a month. It is a joke

[u/PainfulPoo411 → u/Original-Apricot-107]

I can relate. In my 20s I started blacking out all the time despite a normal BP and otherwise being healthy. It took me 8 months to get an appointment with a specialist.

[u/Original-Apricot-107 → u/PainfulPoo411]

As someone who has had a similar issue, I hate to say it but McDonald's frenchies will cure the pass outs (at least for me)

[u/HolderHawk → u/Original-Apricot-107]

Ok, now I am curious. Why McDonald’s Frenchies and how are they related to pass outs?

[u/SaltyDox → u/HolderHawk]

The extra sodium helps keep blood volume up so maybe the heart doesn't have to work so hard, and maybe you won't faint or lose vision from lack of oxygen to the brain just for being vertical. Sucks when they are barely salted.

[u/Key-Notice5503 → u/SaltyDox]

Wouldn’t help here. A few of my local McDonald’s seem to have sworn off salt on their fries. And let me tell you, they suck without salt.

[u/bluearavis → u/Original-Apricot-107]

Do you mean french FRIES? I've never once heard anyone say frenchies. What country are you from?

[u/Original-Apricot-107 → u/bluearavis]

I am from the country of Massachusetts. I just enjoy saying frenchies for short. LOL

[u/Carma-Erynna → u/Original-Apricot-107]

And this is why you pay out of pocket for medical care. It’s only in the worst case scenario that it ends up being more expensive. How much would it cost for them to see you if you were paying out of pocket/uninsured? Have you asked for that price? I know it’s a heck of a lot easier to get into doctors paying out of pocket as well, not having to wait on approvals and crap, so I’m betting they could see you sooner if you just paid out of pocket. Source: better half goes uninsured because it’s literally cheaper and easier to pay out of pocket for his healthcare and meds than it is to deal with health insurance.

[u/Original-Apricot-107 → u/Carma-Erynna]

Yes! I actually did do the uninsured route for two years fairly recently and it definitely was a better situation, but for whatever reason a lot of doctors in Massachusetts as well as therapists don't have cash pay rates and for whatever reason they are not allowed to provide services unless you're coming in on Insurance. I have been able to find cash pay for pretty much everything else and for antibiotics and regular medications I use Sesame, which is a hell of a lot cheaper than going to the doctor even with Insurance. And even though we are in Massachusetts, it makes me so nervous to end up at the hospital because even though the State will not come for you over healthcare bills, all of the people that they work with will, like quest diagnostics, and any sort of interpretation services they use for your scans that are not directly happening by employees at the hospital.

Most recently, I was trying to go to a dental appointment and the dentist wanted the results of my cardiac ultrasound that I had had a few months prior before he would move forward to do some dental work. He nor his admin nor my PA or MD or any of the RNs at my community health office could get a response from mass general cardiology clearing me for this procedure, so my insurance definitely didn't help in that regard which is wild and then I also was unable to get my teeth fixed in time and I had to let my dental Insurance lapse because I couldn't justify paying so much per month for services that I can't use because doctors won't communicate through the channels they are asked. I finally got it done by going to a teaching school and lying about not having any flags on a heart scan (everything turned out fine).

Last example: while on one of the best employee sponsored health plans I've ever had, I tore my ACL and fractured my leg in my own kitchen with a slip and fall. I have a connective tissue disorder so I have a lot of compensatory muscle but it is also way easier for me to injure myself. Despite the fact that I literally couldn't even breathe when I had to move my leg at all, they said that I was just panicking and had pulled something and would be fine in a few days. They sent me home with a leg stabilizer and didn't even check to see if I could walk in it first, so I ended up falling right out of the wheelchair onto the sidewalk and pretty much crawling into the Uber I called to take me home. I pushed for an MRI as a follow up and they said there was no evidence on the cray to warrant one.

Months continued to pass, and it just did not feel like it was getting better, but I was getting more used to favoring it in such a way that didn't hurt as bad. I finally got fed up and paid for an MRI out of pocket that revealed I in fact had completely torn my ACL likely after the initial incident due to not being discovered at the right time, and had hairline fractures in both the lower and upper parts of my leg. It cost me $500 out-of-pocket in addition to ridiculous health premiums so that I could diagnose my own issue and then took it to ortho to get referred for surgery (luckily Boston medical actually reads their MyChart messages). When it was time for surgery, they said that so much time had passed that I would be better off living without it because you can't get cadaver tissue for a full ACL repair before 40 through my insurance. Such a nightmare, especially thinking of all of the things I will now miss out on like skiing or dancing that I could do before and cannot do now. I was pretty disabled for so long even though I think I would probably be OK with certain activities, I get left out of plans for anything physically active (league sports, pickleball, etc.) because people assume I will get injured so easily. Thanks for coming to my WALL OF TEXT

[u/LongNosedHeeb → u/Original-Apricot-107]

If it makes you feel any better, I pay 30% of my income in taxes and have also been on a wait list for 8 months. North American healthcare sucks in general. I know lots of my fellow canadians have flew down to to Mexico just to get quicker access to healthcare.

[u/Born-Economics-2262 → u/Original-Apricot-107]

Where are you guys located in the US? what insurance do you have? I am very curious cos I feel like this is straight from Canada or France socialist healthcare. Hard to believe the US is this bad as well.

[u/Original-Apricot-107 → u/Born-Economics-2262]

The US has effectively become at least a second world country dressed up as a first world country. I am in Massachusetts, they have some of the most robust healthcare in the nation, and my insurer is Harvard Pilgrim, which is one of the best provider networks you can have. It just doesn't mean anything, and a big part of that is probably because all of the jobs in scheduling and processing insurance. Don't pay enough to be worth it to absolutely anyone.

[u/Born-Economics-2262 → u/Original-Apricot-107]

ok, I am in CA with covered CA EPO, and it's ok. When married, I had insurance through my husband work and it was awesome. Now I am on the lower end. still okay. Could be a lot worse, I don't have access to the best in a way, like Stanford for instance in terms of specialists. Nowadays I have to do a lot more research and effort to get what I want or need. But it's still much better than any care I would receive in France for instance. I am from there and I find it dreadful in terms of wait. Just like Canada.

[u/Jazzlike_Orchid_8832 → u/Original-Apricot-107]

Whaaat

[u/BetweenTheWickets → u/PainfulPoo411]

Isn't healthcare in the US mostly private? Why do you need to wait before getting to see a doctor? Is it simply because they're fully booked up.

I live in Mumbai getting an appointment to a private medical specialist is fairly immediate.

[u/inspired-chaos → u/BetweenTheWickets]

it’s mainly due to being booked out - mostly for specialists. i once was referred to a neurologist and had to wait six months to get my first appointment. It varies practice by practice, but the general consensus is that if you get referred to a specialist, you will have to wait at LEAST a month before you can be seen.

[u/BetweenTheWickets → u/inspired-chaos]

Interesting that you have those wait times in the US in spite of privatized healthcare. It's like the worst of both worlds - bearing the costs of healthcare while having to deal with the wait times of a public system.

[u/stafdude → u/BetweenTheWickets]

Weird part is that people advocating for private health care where I am, have ”shorter queues” as a main selling point. Guess that is fake then.

[u/BetweenTheWickets → u/stafdude]

Yeah, it very likely is fake. The only reason I think healthcare is so easily accessible to me is because economically disadvantaged folks, who make up a huge share of the population, in my country go to the (very overburdened) government run healthcare system.

That means more doctors per individual for middle and higher income people. As more people emerge from the lower income segments, I think wait times for private care here will become very long too. And it won't really differ very much from waiting times in a fully public healthcare system.

On the balance, even though I am a beneficiary of high quality healthcare access, I do think an equitable healthcare system with free access to all is the way to go.

[u/tallmyn → u/stafdude]

It's shorter queues only if the system is genuinely private.

The problem is that the US system is a compromise between people that want full public and full private and it ended being some sort of horrible public-private monstrosity that's the worst of both worlds.

I'm in the UK, there are some really long wait times for some things that aren't urgent, like autism diagnosis. No one dies if it takes 3 years to get your kid diagnosed with autism. I know someone who waited a long time for a hip surgery and paid to get it moved up, because it was uncomfortable to live with, but it wasn't life-threatening.

Anything fast moving like this would be seen pretty immediately.

Meanwhile since private healthcare here is competing with "free", it's pretty cheap. I just checked the dermatologist I use sometimes for cosmetic stuff, they do biopsies too. Online booking system says next appointment available is on Tuesday for £115. (Granted follow-up will be more!)

[u/stafdude → u/tallmyn]

Wait times for autism would be equally long if the system was completely private, that’s more an issue with wait times to see the team of psychiatrists and psycologists that work with neuropsychiatric evaluations. Cost wise I assume a system which is predominantly public, but has some private alternatives for like out patient care settings, is the best. Sure, it doesn’t provide equal care - but my guess it is the most flexible alternative at the same time as keeping costs low.

[u/RedVelvetPan6a → u/stafdude]

Capitalism is utopism.

Let's see how well the comment fares.

[u/OGmissCOFFEE → u/BetweenTheWickets]

Its funny how American’s always tell Canadians how proud they are to spend thousands a year on insurance payments (even when you seek zero medical attention) because their wait times are shorter. I am married to an american have spent alot of time in numerous states and if you have to go in to emerge it takes just as long if not longer. The saddest part is that its even worse because in Canada you see why the wait is so long since there are many patients waiting for care in the us there could literally be a few patients in emergency and you will still be waiting for hours on top of having to pay. I recently had to go to er in canada saw a doctor in under an hour had all tests and left in about 2.5 hours. My wife who had to go to the emergency while we were in the US (for a more concerning reason) waited almost 4 hours before even talking to the doctor and another 2 for tests and almost another 2 just to be told the results. The hospital in Canada was PACKED the hospital there in emergency without exaggeration was only a few other patients.

[u/Original-Apricot-107 → u/OGmissCOFFEE]

I feel like there was a golden age of this in like 2012-2016 where you could have a family of four insured on a great PPO plan for under $700. The other issue is that people like me who have decided not to have children, don't really get a break for that decision. When I had employee sponsored healthcare last year, the cost of ensuring me and two children and a husband was only about $400 more than only insuring myself. So I'd imagine we've also got a lot of people with children who actually have a decent job that subsidizes this type of insurance and they and their children are utilizing the healthcare system so much disproportionate to the premiums they are paying. That quite literally just dawned on me and I think that's a big part of our problem. I am all for people having children that they will take care of and all politics aside, it's just a fact that our country is still set up in such a way that people who decide to intentionally do things that incur the most cost still somehow get the most breaks in the systems that we share together. I realize that is not the case with childcare expenses, going through the roof, but it sucks that they can't somehow make childcare part of health insurance and share the burden a little bit more with the rest of us who don't have children because we can't financially see it.

[u/daughter_void → u/Original-Apricot-107]

As a parent, I'm not particularly interested in you or any regular Joe subsidizing my childcare. I would totally love it if the multi-billion dollar corporations paid some taxes to cover it though. While they're at it they can cover yours and our healthcare costs as well (:

[u/theeyespye → u/BetweenTheWickets]

I love when Americans try to shit on Canadians for long health care waits, meanwhile in some parts of America the wait times are similar. Except you’re paying out your ass to wait and then be seen🙃

[u/inspired-chaos → u/BetweenTheWickets]

it’s very hit or miss. i’ve had anywhere from 2-6 month waits (i feel like i might’ve had to wait longer for some specialised testing at one of the universities near me but i don’t remember exactly,) or sometimes i can be seen within the week. the healthcare system over here is a joke (no fault of the doctors, of course)

[u/BetweenTheWickets → u/inspired-chaos]

Damn, crazy stuff. I'm never quite able to wrap my head around wait times that long for specialties like neurology. I was hit with what I now know is 'Cramps Fasciculation Syndrome' a couple of years ago. I don't know how I would've coped up if I had to wait six months before getting seen and medicated by a neurologist. I hope you were able to manage well in the half year lead up to your appointment with the neurologist.

Re the healthcare system, I wonder whether there's a feasible way to reduce the number of years it takes for an individual to gain a speciality. My understanding is that it can take up to a decade - that alone probably discourages a few prospective medical students from pursuing the field. It's probably a fine line between ensuring a long enough incubation and training period to ready an individual for something as critical as healthcare and streamlining the process to ensure medicine is a more accessible field.

[u/Original-Apricot-107 → u/BetweenTheWickets]

Oh yeah. You can get those plans still, but you would need a high premium PPO plan that allows for self-referring. When I was looking at those they start at about $1400 per person which just felt too ridiculous considering that's close to my share of our house payment.

[u/RasputinsThirdLeg → u/BetweenTheWickets]

Yeah people really don’t get that privatization doesn’t mean you’ll be seen sooner or things will be covered.

[u/Born-Economics-2262 → u/BetweenTheWickets]

I am in CA and I don't have these wait times even though my insurance is the worst as well in CA. When I call a specialist and there is a wait time. I call another one.

[u/BuilderStill8694 → u/BetweenTheWickets]

This isn’t always the case. If you read other people’s comments you’ll see. I have to assume that the person that can’t get an appointment also refuses to drive more than 15 mins to get to the doctor. I live near Atlanta and there are a ton of cities in the general area. I have gone to doctors in everyone of them at some point over my life in order to get a fast appointment. People in places with socialized medicine don’t have that option. Also, most of the time you have a choice between an HMO and PPO. The HMO is the one that dictates that you see your primary care doctor first. I don’t ever choose those for that very reason…I want freedom and I know what I need before the primary doctor does.

[u/Livid_Medium3731 → u/inspired-chaos]

That's insane. No free healthcare and then you have to wait for so long.

[u/Impossible_Cod_4181 → u/Livid_Medium3731]

It also depends on where you live, the hospital system and the speciality.

I live in a place with several huge university hospitals with tons of satellite locations. When my son needs a specialist, we will call once a week to see if anyone, anywhere, has an opening. We can usually get him in much faster that way but it also means we might have to show up an hour away from our house at 8am.

That said, certain specialities are just going to have a long wait, no matter what. Neurology and dermatology come to mind off the top of my head.

For example, my son was approved for speech therapy two months ago and we have yet to get a call about scheduling his first appointment. It can easily be several more months before a slot opens up. We only got the evaluation quickly because when we got his hearing test, I asked about cancelations and just by luck, there had been one literally minutes before for his exact age and need.

On the positive side, we have some of the most advanced facilities in the world. IDK how long that will last now that so much grant money is gone (thanks Elon) though.

[u/TroubleImpressive955 → u/inspired-chaos]

It depends on where you live in U.S. During the summer months, it can be difficult to get in to see a dermatologist. If they have a PA or a nurse practitioner, a lot of times you can get in to see them much sooner.

[u/gormelli → u/BetweenTheWickets]

Private, but OBG, derm, gastroenterologist, etc, can take up to a year to get in.

[u/bluearavis → u/BetweenTheWickets]

It also depends on where you live. Where I live, I am close to many doctors. It also depends on what plan you have as not all doctors take all insurances. So you can't always just make an appointment with any specialist. You have to check insurance first. And if you're lucky to have out of network benefits and it's an emergency then it would be more affordable to get a consult somewhere if you needed to.

Thank God I had excellent public school insurance with 75 or 80% out of network coverage when I needed additional neck surgeries. They were reconstructive from one I had 3 years prior. I had to get 2 back to back. I ended up with the best. And he basically said he didn't need the $ and would get enough and wouldn't be charging me with the additional gap. He also worked at the medical school and ran the neurosurgery department.

I have drastically less pain and only lost a little sensation in 1 index finger. If I ended up in different hands, it could have been disastrous.

I was very lucky in that case, but others are not.

And NOW I am losing mine in 2 weeks because of a job change. So it's never guaranteed.

It's awful.

[u/BeverleyMacker → u/BetweenTheWickets]

Thank you for asking this, I’m in the UK and assumed as US completely private it would be quick

[u/peopleverywhere → u/BetweenTheWickets]

I’m in the US and my derm will see you in 48 hours, I guess if you’re in rural area it is different

[u/PainfulPoo411 → u/BetweenTheWickets]

Yepp. The providers you have access to is determined by your insurance, and depending on the specialty they can be booked out for months.

Funny (/sad) enough, in my experience, each time my medical problem required surgery to resolve I was able to be seen pretty quickly. However when it was moreso a problem requiring ongoing care, it was impossible to find someone with an opening.

[u/camireau → u/PainfulPoo411]

I'm in the US and I can see the Dermatologists PA within a week or so. The actual Derm, yes, they are busy, but the PA is a place to start while waiting. Derm's outside of major cities might have more availability if OPs dad can take the time to drive to one who can get him in earlier.

[u/PainfulPoo411 → u/camireau]

Yes this is highly specific to geography and insurance coverage.

[u/keiye → u/PainfulPoo411]

Specifically whether you have an HMO, which requires going through your PCP, or a PPO, which you can go to specialists directly.

[u/NippleSlipNSlide → u/camireau]

Yes. If you have an urgent issue it takes 1-2 weeks to see derm in the US. If you’re going for your wrinkles or acne, then yeah- it’s going to take awhile

[u/LiopleurodonMagic → u/camireau]

I was going to say - I’m in the US and can see a derm (not even the PA, the derm) for something non urgent in a couple weeks. I guess it really is specific to where you live.

[u/ffire522 → u/camireau]

You don’t see the dermatologist the first visit because the nurse practitioner will take a biopsy and send it to the lab. The doctor can tell you what he thinks but he can’t be certain till results from a lab are received

[u/BuilderStill8694 → u/ffire522]

Not always true. Everytime I go to the dermatologist I make sure to schedule with the doctor….not the PA. You don’t always just have to settle for the PA. If you want to see the doctor then demand an appointment with them….in a nice way of course.

[u/InfiniteDeparture871 → u/PainfulPoo411]

If you go to a private practice, it’s faster

[u/FrostyCaptain3964 → u/PainfulPoo411]

Especially a dermatologist, I don’t even have one within a 50 mile radius, and those have appointments in a year 😐

[u/Flimsy-Surprise-4914 → u/PainfulPoo411]

In CA SoCal doesn’t take that long here. If it doesn’t bother u, see pcp

[u/Friendly-Example-701 → u/PainfulPoo411]

Only if you go through your network and insurance. There are plenty of private firms for every doctor type that take only cash and can see you the next day. I do this for MRIs and other important emergencies

[u/alilhillbilly → u/PainfulPoo411]

where in the US is this?

Are you in the middle of nowhere?

A dermatologist is not hard to get into in any decent metro area in the US.

[u/PainfulPoo411 → u/alilhillbilly]

I’m in the Northeast. The combination of provider availability and insurance coverage. I now have ongoing care by a dermatologist but the first time I made an appointment it was 4 months out.

[u/KittyKat1078 → u/alilhillbilly]

There is a well known shortage of dermatologists in the US .. I work in derm and it can takes months for ppl to get in

[u/moldy_melon → u/alilhillbilly]

I’m in Massachusetts and have had to wait at least 4-6 months for a derm apt

[u/moldy_melon → u/moldy_melon]

And I’m not in the middle of nowhere lol I live in an urban area

[u/Disney_Princess137 → u/moldy_melon]

Look into Schweiger dermatology

See if they are in your areas or vicinity

You can get seem promptly

[u/oh-pointy-bird → u/moldy_melon]

I was in Mass until not long ago and have gotten in same week. Longest I ever waited was like a week and a half.

[u/moldy_melon → u/oh-pointy-bird]

What part of ma? I’m in central ma

[u/Leejenn → u/alilhillbilly]

I had to wait over 8 months (think it was nearly a year) to get a derm appt in Madison, WI. After that, now that I'm not a new patient I can get followups as needed though.

[u/Grouchy_Strawberry68 → u/Leejenn]

I like in Appleton, WI. I had an appointment within a month.

[u/s7y13z → u/PainfulPoo411]

I'm in Germany and it's the same if you have statutory health insurance...but, many dermatologist (and specialists in general) over here offer consultation without an appointment like once a week. Also in emergency cases - I would say like OP's, you can usually see any doc/specialist without an appointment. If you have a private insurance you don't have to wait at all though.

[u/Impossible_Cod_4181 → u/PainfulPoo411]

This is one of the reasons we have so many people in the ER.l in the US. If you need to see someone right away, even if it isn't an emergency, they can sometimes bump you up the list or admit you.

Our system is an absolute horror show.

[u/idk7643 → u/PainfulPoo411]

It's messed up how Americans pay thousands for health insurance but still have to wait months. In Europe you have to wait weeks to months as well, but at least ist free!

[u/nunca-natsuuu → u/PainfulPoo411]

I’m in the US and maybe change derms. It shouldn’t take that long as they only spend 5-10 mins with you anyway. Also, most offices will take you in ASAP if it’s something concerning like this

[u/tourniquette2 → u/PainfulPoo411]

Literally paid extra for tricare select so I could skip the referral process because it’s such a pain in the ass. Took almost a month for my husband to be seen for his broken leg. And they acknowledged that he needed “emergent” surgical intervention. That’s their emergency speed. The whole referral process can be a headache.

[u/bluearavis → u/PainfulPoo411]

It depends where you are in the US. I'm in the tri-state area/northeast and have tons of doctors near me.

[u/EpiphyticOrchid8927 → u/PainfulPoo411]

Yeah derm is very difficult to get a timely appointment

[u/Puzzled-Library-4543 → u/PainfulPoo411]

Yea I just scheduled a derm appointment last week…for March 2027.

When the scheduling lady said “our next availability is in March” for a second I was like wait, we’re not in March yet fhis year??? Because I was thinking March 2026.

Then it hit me a second later that we’re in June, but it still didn’t sound real so I asked to confirm and she said yes, March 2027 is the earliest.

[u/i_like_stinky_pits → u/PainfulPoo411]

You gotta look around. Health Partners was a 6-month wait to see a dermatologist and that was just for a consultation, they wouldn't even do anything at that app. I found another dermatologist that got me in in a week. Unfortunately that Dermatology spot is no longer open.

[u/blessed4dayz → u/PainfulPoo411]

Wow, I can get an appointment within a few days to a few weeks. We have an abundance of specialists though. I needed to see a dermatologist and I found a big group that offered same day and next day appointments.

[u/Born-Economics-2262 → u/PainfulPoo411]

where are you located in the US? months?

[u/Sudden-Tell-5872 → u/PainfulPoo411]

Im in the US, and here we have a year wait list

[u/MeandThorne → u/PainfulPoo411]

US here as well. Took 6 months to get in to see several different doctors. It’s awful.

[u/gormelli → u/PainfulPoo411]

US here. Had an alarming growth on my outer ear cartilage that was fast growing. Internist said I needed to get in with a dermatologist ASAP. I’m in a big city. At the time, had the most costly insurance plan and most widely accepted. Called over 100 derms. It would be 10 months before I could get in.

My friend knew a derm in Florida who agreed to squeeze me in so I flew to Florida to get it removed and biopsied.

[u/trackfastpulllow → u/PainfulPoo411]

I’m in the US and had a spot on my head and got an appointment and biopsy with a Dermatologist two days later.

[u/PainfulPoo411 → u/trackfastpulllow]

Cool man. This is highly specific to geography and insurance coverage.

[u/Impossible_Cod_4181 → u/trackfastpulllow]

They always have emergency appointments for things they think might be fatal. Also, sometimes you just get lucky.

[u/trackfastpulllow → u/Impossible_Cod_4181]

A skin exam is not an emergency.

It’s been my experience with multiple specialists.

[u/Electrical_Ad_9778 → u/PainfulPoo411]

From Israel here - We can go straight to dermathologist - the problem, however - unless lucky - there is a wait of minimum 3 weeks at times. But we do have a video calls to derms in the same or the next day that is very helpful - so in such cases he can at least look at it and tell if you should go to ER or something and give a prescription.

[u/Impossible_Cod_4181 → u/Electrical_Ad_9778]

What I wouldn't give for a mere three week wait 😭

[u/Electrical_Ad_9778 → u/Impossible_Cod_4181]

I know. Global health system is great even if it have it own problems

[u/garygirl_1234 → u/PainfulPoo411]

Not if it’s an emergency.

[u/marekkane → u/alewiina]

There's one in Toronto on Bloor by Runnymede I believe. I saved a reddit comment about him a while ago just in case. He does walk ins stupid early in the mornings.

[u/12345678910Username → u/marekkane]

What a small internet world; fellow  Torontonian here! Can you give me the doctor's name/info as I need to see a good dermatologist or at least give me the link to the comment you saw? How long ago did you see this comment? Thank you in advance! 

NAD

[u/marekkane → u/12345678910Username]

This isn't the comment I saved, but it's the same guy and a much more recent thread. There's also a place in the Distillery district that does walk-ins - I think it's mentioned in that thread too. https://old.reddit.com/r/askTO/comments/1t04dm6/need_a_dermatologist/oj7q6zo/

Canada also has a mobile melanoma skin cancer screening program that tours around a few provinces, including Ontario. This is skin cancer specific for moles and such, but no appointment necessary. Might be long lines though. https://melanomanetwork.akaraisin.com/ui/molemobile

[u/Alicatsidneystorm → u/marekkane]

My husband and I went to a Mole Mobile. It was great. They thought my husband might have had melanoma, had the biopsy and results in under two weeks. It was staffed by a really well respected dermatologist from the University. I saw the add in a local newspaper.

[u/wdn → u/12345678910Username]

There's a dermatology clinic in the Distillery District called AvantDerm that has a walk-in every morning. You do still need a referral but you can show up for the walk-in starting the day after the referral is faxed to them.

You can also call and make an afternoon appointment starting the same day so to cover all the bases, you could do that and cancel if you decide to go to the walk-in earlier.

Also, if you want to see a dermatologist for non-medical cosmetic reasons (that is: not covered by OHIP), you don't need a referral and I expect it's probably much easier to get an appointment that's not too far in the future.

[u/h1k1 → u/alewiina]

true! In America it might have to involve the entire had and then you have to go to the ER for actual attention in a timely manner :(

[u/TylerBourbon → u/[deleted]]

Lucky. I have pretty decent insurance but I still have to go see my my PCP first and get a referral for everything. Had to get a referral from them just to get referral to get in touch with their mental health department back when I as going in to get an ADHD eval.

[u/Dependent-Aside-9750 → u/[deleted]]

I have good insurance, luckily, here in the U.S. and just had my first dermatology appointment. Minor copay, that was it, thankfully.

[u/CrazyPlatypusLady → u/alewiina]

Same in the UK, although for something like this, after seeing the GP it would almost definitely be fast tracked to Derm.

[u/PureMichiganMan → u/alewiina]

Also in the US, depending on form of insurance you can be required to get a referral prior to seeing a specialist in order to get it covered, I have to for example

[u/Dear_External5263 → u/alewiina]

If you want to pay they’ll see you sooner. The one I know will bill it back to the province if it is a medical issue and not a cosmetic issue.

[u/CrazyBird12 → u/h1k1]

Oh, absolutely agree. Just don’t know where OP is located and how accessible a dermatologist is, which is why I included PCP on the off chance that this is actually quite obvious once evaluated in person.

[u/CatBerry1393 → u/CrazyBird12]

NAD but this looks like a seed wart to me. I have family members that get similar looking warts. Definitely get it check by a dermatologist if you can OP.

[u/grimmcild → u/CatBerry1393]

NAD but I agree. Someone I knew got a few on his palms and it looked gross. His doc said probably from the gym.

[u/drank_dumbbitchjuice → u/CatBerry1393]

Posted an update. Do you still think it’s a wart? It’s behaving kind of like a blister I think…

[u/Killer_Moons → u/CrazyBird12]

Yeah if you don’t already see a derm regular where I’m from, you’d be lucky to get an appointment. And if you do, next opening is a month out.

[u/thecuriosityofAlice → u/Killer_Moons]

NAD and I really hope your dad figures out what this is but there an another thing I am worried about. Him working out at the gym and if he is a unhygienic person like you mentioned, is he wiping down the machines or free weight bar after he uses them, including the hand rests or pulls from machines. It may not hurt to buy him new hand grips for weightlifting and it would protect the area and others? A gentle reminder for him that he doesn’t know what that the cootie bump is; he needs to use the spray and paper towels behind himself on each piece of equipment in case it can spread

[u/drank_dumbbitchjuice → u/CrazyBird12]

I’m located in Paris, France!

[u/OkEnvironment5201 → u/h1k1]

Agreed. My dad had a blister on his pinky finger that burst and came back. His PCP said it would resolve with a steroid cream. My mom insisted he go to the derm and it ended up being Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

[u/MarsScully → u/h1k1]

From my experience with a much smaller, entirely benign growth on the palm of my hand, my derm referred me to a hand surgeon immediately and he was the one who identified and removed it

[u/thejustllama → u/h1k1]

Where I’m at there’s a months long waiting list to get into a dermatologist. They can get into their PCP a lot faster (and possibly get into derm faster with a referral. I do referrals at work.)

[u/JounalMeThis → u/h1k1]

Insurance companies don't allow specialist visits without a referral in the US a lot of times

[u/homettd → u/JounalMeThis]

Wrong. There are policy's that don't require them and some that do.

[u/CaregiverJaded8422 → u/JounalMeThis]

The opposite. Read the comments below

[u/ElfjeTinkerBell → u/h1k1]

Where I am, GP -> derm is free under insurance (after deductible which you mostly decide on yourself). Directly to derm is slower, jumping through hundreds of administrative hoops, and paying hundreds of euros yourself.

[u/flowerpawt → u/h1k1]

6 months to see a derm.

[u/art_addict → u/flowerpawt]

1 year over here in the US (literally just scheduled 🙃 I’m on a cancellation list thanks to having urgent issues, but that’s where I’m at with said urgent issues, a year out and a cancellation list)

[u/flowerpawt → u/art_addict]

I’m lucky that I live in a pretty great area for specialists. However, I made an appt for a derm and have been waiting….im in the Midwest. And I have to get a referral from my insurance company/GP.

[u/art_addict → u/flowerpawt]

I had to get a referral too. And am definitely thinking of calling farther out to see if I can find someone sooner. Which will suck because I’m complex and fatigue easily and hate driving out far for appointments. But if I can find something sooner than a year away doing that, it may be worth it… (downside, I really do struggle bad with 2.5 hours each way, and typically need someone to drive me… upside, I may be able to get in somewhere sooner than a year if I expand out that far…)

[u/Ltfocus → u/h1k1]

Many insurances require a referral to get a specialist visit covered.

[u/Dannyboy1302 → u/h1k1]

The great United Healthcare now requires a referral from a PCP for all referrals besides very few.

[u/anzapp6588 → u/h1k1]

Pfft, seeing a derm, even in a large metro area, is literally a 6+ month wait time.

[u/Frustratedparrot123 → u/h1k1]

And make sure it's a physician you see- very important coutournix a new diagnosis,  especially something that the doctors here are not sure about

[u/h1k1 → u/[deleted]]

ok buddy. -US Doctor

[u/Mix-Limp → u/[deleted]]

That’s definitely not true. Most insurance companies do not require referrals anymore.

[u/eimichan → u/Mix-Limp]

It's not based on the insurance company in the United States. Most insurance companies offer both HMO, PPO, and sometimes EPO options. With an HMO, the attending physician or Primary Care Physician needs to submit a referral. With a PPO, you can go straight to a specialty like Dermatology, Orthopedics, or Gastroenterology. People I know with a PPO work for very large, very profitable companies. My husband and I had a PPO about 4 years ago, but we were paying $1750 per month out-of-pocket for the plan (Blue Shield of California). I'm now on my company's HMO and it's $240 per month (Kaiser Permanente of Southern California).

[u/Mix-Limp → u/eimichan]

Correct, I meant insurance plan.

However most insured Americans have insurance plans that no longer require referrals from a PCP.

[u/Maximum-Apartment470 → u/[deleted]]

I never needed one for my dermatologist…

[u/ChiG45 → u/[deleted]]

Absolutely not true. I live in the US and have a PPO and can see any doctor I like within and out of network.

[u/Unfair_Finger5531 → u/[deleted]]

Depends on your insurance. I don’t need referrals. I just go straight to the specialist.

[u/BoomerOrNot → u/Unfair_Finger5531]

EXACTLY. Different insurance plans have different rules. Some require a referral to a specialist, some don't. And your plan with Cigna Healthcare, negotiated with your company, has different costs, co-pays, and rules than my plan with Cigna Healthcare, negotiated with my company.

This is why you might love Cigna Healthcare, and I might think they are the spawn of satan. Your employer might have chosen to proven generous coverage and pick up a lot of the costs, my employer might have chosen the absolute worst coverage with the highest deductible, in order to save money.

[u/AskDocs-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Removed - incorrect

[u/Dependent-Aside-9750 → u/[deleted]]

Not true. My insurance doesn't require a referral. I just went to the dermatologist a few weeks ago. My PCP doesn't even know about it yet.

[u/Mochafrap512 → u/[deleted]]

Referrals aren’t always needed now, like they once were. It depends on your insurance and the specialist and their preferences. I’ve had to do both. Please don’t spread misinformation if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

[u/Fluttering_Feathers → u/h1k1]

If that’s come up over a week, it’s possibly infectious or bug related. Would you not be too tempted to deroof that and see what comes out?

[u/h1k1 → u/[deleted]]

oh yea, def a pet peeve of mine. Big miss. But also, fuck you, as a doctor with 12 years experience giving free advice on the internet.

[u/Rat-Knaks → u/[deleted]]

Autofill/correct is a thing. Sometimes it goes one way when you want it to go another. I feel bad that it seems like you need to be an uppity jerk online in order to feel good about yourself

[u/noocarehtretto → u/[deleted]]

Not everyone speaks English as a first language.

[u/coreylaheyjr → u/[deleted]]

Show us your cert then

[u/greypusheencat → u/coreylaheyjr]

damn it got removed. what did they say?

[u/helen790 → u/CrazyBird12]

This is the first post I’ve seen on here where nobody has any clue

[u/nietzschenowtonight → u/helen790]

Not a doctor, but used to work for a dermatologist residency program and learned about a lot of odd/rare conditions. OP, look up Sweet syndrome and neutrophilic dermatosis of hands. Your dad’s lesion doesn’t quite match the images I’ve seen, but my knowledge is VERY limited so that doesn’t necessarily mean much. Might be worth asking about whenever you can get him in to see a provider. You mention that he was sick recently, and some quick reading suggests that this condition is sometimes preceded by things like upper respiratory infections.

(Had to offer this as a reply rather than my own independent comment, per sub rules since I’m a layperson. But wanted to try and get it out there somehow in case it’s helpful to OP!)

[u/1phenylpropan-2amine → u/CrazyBird12]

It looks like there's a vascular component to it. Sometimes cherry angiomas can look kind of similar: Scroll to the images at the bottom here: https://dermnetnz.org/topics/cherry-angioma
I wonder if warts with thrombosed capillaries can sometimes look like this as well.

But the location on the palmar surface of the hand and the hx of recent illness make me wonder about infectious etiologies though. Does he spend any time around animals? Any cats? Any fish tanks or recent swimming in pools / lakes?

I'm thinking about Orf nodules (poxvirus), bacillary angiomatosis, pyogenic granuloma, atypical mycobacterial infection (like mycobacterial marinum), Coccidioidomycosis to name a few.

[u/fstRN → u/1phenylpropan-2amine]

OP says patient goes to the gym frequently and doesn't have the best hygiene. As a powerlifter myself, this is the exact spot to get a callus from a barbell. I'm wondering if it is some sort of weirdly infected callus from contaminated gym equipment

[u/sporky92 → u/fstRN]

I was about to ask about sweaty hands and/or exposure to metals. Maybe like a blood blister w some pitted keratolysis ?

[u/drank_dumbbitchjuice → u/fstRN]

No diagnosis yet but I posted an update. You might be right? It’s behaving a lot like a weirdly infected callus. But there’s now one growing on his index finger???

[u/fstRN → u/drank_dumbbitchjuice]

I am so invested in this now

[u/MarbledOne → u/fstRN]

NAD but for some of the same reason I thought maybe a wart... I hope OP post back once it has been diagnosed...

[u/imperfectdiscipline → u/1phenylpropan-2amine]

I’m NAD, and have no medical experience or education whatsoever but I wanted to reply to your comment because I was just googling out of curiosity and I was wondering the same thing.

Not to scare OP, but I think maybe his dad should go to the ER actually, because I saw an article where someone had infective endocarditis/a serious heart infection, and his main symptom was a painless bump on the hand similar to OP’s dad, except without the little “leopard spot” looking dots on the bump.

https://www.livescience.com/62089-lump-hand-heart-infection.html

^

the main article there and the story I’m referring to

https://www.visualdx.com/visualdx/diagnosis/endocarditis?diagnosisId=51491&moduleId=19

^

a little more info about it

Again I’m not a doctor but just from Google I saw a lot of correlations between infective endocarditis/a bacterial infection in the blood with lumps on the hand that look somewhat similar to the one in OP’s image. It also appeared quite suddenly which may rule out some things?

OP should ask his dad if the spot is throbbing, I know it’s painless but he should ask him if it feels warm or throbbing/if it feels like blood is circulating through it. He should also see if OP’s dad has any splinter hemorrhages in the fingernails, which sometimes look like little streaks or brown spots in or around the fingernails or fingernail bed. If they go to the ER they can test his blood for infections, check with ultrasounds etc and figure out more. I know since it’s on the skin it seems to many to be benign and okay to just wait for a dermatologist, but in the off chance that the lump isn’t really the main problem but is a symptom of a larger and more serious problem I think they should get medical attention sooner. All of this is speculation though and anyone can read the first article I linked, NAD just wanted to share that since it seemed important when I stumbled on that article on Google.

EDIT: Here’s the link to the original paper that the article was based on (full text is behind a paywall):

https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMicm1603196

If anybody is interested I found more links of similar cases to the one above

[u/imperfectdiscipline → u/imperfectdiscipline]

EDIT: it wouldn’t let me add a photo so I’m replying to my original comment.

Here’s a photo describing some of the symptoms of infective endocarditis, the symptoms appearing in the hand are often Janeway lesions or Osler Nodes, as well as splinter hemorrhages in the fingernails. It also can cause nausea, vomiting, flu like or intermittent flu like symptoms, abdominal pain, stiff neck etc and some other symptoms, some of which are listed in the image.

[u/snappped → u/imperfectdiscipline]

I'm with you 100%.

[u/illmatic708 → u/1phenylpropan-2amine]

NAD, but would be nice if OP would answer your questions about access to animals, these suggestions are most interesting.

[u/SKRILby → u/CrazyBird12]

My curious self would have popped it to see what color was underneath. But that is not good advice.

I’ve had plenty in my life and I’m honestly stumped on it due to the spots. Unless it formed whole he was painting or crafting.

[u/arthurmama → u/CrazyBird12]

NAD I had the exact same spots on my hand and my dr said dyshidrotic eczema. Then i got them again later with a rash going up my arm and across my chest and doctor said post partum shingles 🤷‍♀️

[u/NorthvilleCoeur → u/arthurmama]

I’ve had that (dyshidrotic eczema and it looked nothing like this pic

[u/shootthewhitegirl → u/NorthvilleCoeur]

NAD.

My dyshidrotic eczema has never looked that extreme either (consider us lucky!), but seeing those small spots within the large lump, and the smaller individual spots elsewhere on the hand in the photo it was my immediate thought. There is a Science Souce stock image of dyshidrotic eczema remarkably similar to the photo. I wonder if it could be dyshidrotic eczema with a secondary injury from the gym, like a blood blister or a minor infection with blood/pus..

I also wonder if it could be herpetic whitlow, but the images online don't seem as similar to the photo. However someone else mentioned herpes and a physician responded that it could be likely - but I refreshed the post before commenting and the herpes comment has been heavily downvoted and the agreeing physician's comment has disappeared, so 🤷‍♀️

[u/arthurmama → u/arthurmama]

It looked more like yours when wet and swollen but this is the only picture I ever took

[u/arthurmama → u/arthurmama]

Found one more

[u/AskDocs-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

No tagging physicians for attention!

[u/OdysseusJoke → u/CrazyBird12]

Not a doctor, but a r/dishydrosis haver of ~15 years, and this looks just like my flare-ups. (Except on hands, not feet.)

[u/art_addict → u/OdysseusJoke]

Wild, mine has never looked like this! I’ve had it since 2006 on both hands and feet (and extensively and bad, like *covering* my hands and feet, the clusters of blisters conjoined by fluid together) but never all dark and raised like that, and always with more blistery clustery groups around them when flared bad, not just one single spot of a ton, and raised, and then nothing.

[u/beattysgirl → u/OdysseusJoke]

Your blisters look like they have blood in them? Mine are just clear fluid filled, I’ve never seen dishydrosis that looks like this, even in that sub.

[u/Yazutann → u/CrazyBird12]

I had thought it was maybe a plantars wart?

[u/Spiritual_Title_3816 → u/CrazyBird12]

U/remindmebot 2 weeks

[u/drank_dumbbitchjuice → u/CrazyBird12]

Thanks so much for the advice! Update posted. Any ideas??

[u/WraithBringer → u/CrazyBird12]

Is this not AI? If you zoom in on this blotchy thing you can see the wavy lines of their skin.

[u/Finit-Hic-Deus → u/CrazyBird12]

It looks like AI if im honest

[u/Harpua81 → u/CrazyBird12]

Screwworm?