Sunday, October 5, 2014

Out, out, damned spot!*

(* or: My First Cancer)
Don't pick at that spot!
It started as a zit -- or that's what I thought it was. But zits typically aren't persistent enough to come back to the same place over several years -- especially once one is in their 50s and safely past pubescent hormonal fluctuations. (In my case, any hormonal fluctuations at all.) Of course, the first time I consulted a dermatologist about it, the spot in question had gone into hiding. The other bumps I had examined and excised at that time proved innocent, so I was hopeful that the blemish that made regular visits to my nose was harmless, too.

This summer, though, the damned spot came and stayed. It bled. It got red. And bigger. It had to go. 

Long story short, a month ago I had the spot scooped out and scrutinized, and as my dermatologist suspected, it was indeed a basal cell carcinoma. The literature says that if you're going to have an epidermal malignancy, BCC is the way to go, as it doesn't metastasize. It can, however, run more than skin deep, and the procedure I had may have left some of the overachieving cells behind. So I'll be keeping an eye on my nose -- and on all those other freckles, bumps, moles, and "age spots" that dot my carcass like points of interest on a roadmap. 
 
I guess as long as nobody else is going to take an interest in my body, it might as well be my dermatologist. I just wish I didn't have to pay for the attention.

11 comments:

  1. I hope no more excavation is required. Good luck. Iyt will probably be OK. (Expert medical opinion)

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    1. Thank you, John. I am fairly unconcerned at this point, but I need to find a spiffy sun hat. (Dr. John?)

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  2. I empathize. I've had three removed in the last six months. All of them on my neck and nose. The one on the back of my neck required 20 stitches. I was taken aback by the extent of that. My wife tells me that my nose could easily take that many sutures and then some. Patooie to her...what does she nose?

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    1. I didn't know Nebraska got enough sun to tan ya, let alone cause malignancies -- and then I rememberd you used to life in that F-word place.

      Getting older is fun, isn't it?

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    2. Oh hell no...Nebraska isn't exactly awash with dermatologists. No question that the big F & C did my ass...and derms in.

      For me, the biggest problem with getting older is that my brain can't believe it...but my eyes do not lie.

      An then of course, there is the fun of watching myself fall slowly apart on a daily basis.

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  3. Glad it's been caught, but as you say, it's one of those cancers that can be dealt with fairly easy with vigilance (my dad's a dermatologist). Desperately sorry that cash comes into the equation: the British NHS has some problems but it's funded directly from taxation so nobody has to worry about payment and therefore doesn't avoid going to the doctor.

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    1. Thanks, Vole. Yes, our health care system, even with the so-called "Affordable Care Act" leaves a lot to be desired. I had to get insurance for intellikid this year, but couldn't afford to add her to my employer-provided plan ($280/mo) so I found a plan I could (barely) afford at $176/mo. Only thing is, the plan has a $5000 deductible, so I still have to pay $100 or more out of pocket for her medical visits until and unless she accrues $5000 worth of expenses. How this is "affordable" I don't know.

      Maybe I'll send her to live in the UK.

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  4. It's always good to catch these things early. I'm sure you'll be fine. One good thing about living in the great PNW - not very many sunny days to speak of! Oddly enough, I am in the habit of never leaving my home without my hat (and umbrella). Poets are strange...

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    1. Hey, Dylan - haven't seen you on here before. Glad you are still scribbling away. I've considered exploring employment opportunities in the PNW, as you put it, but I guess I'll have to go hat shopping first!

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  5. Just reading this now, Intelli... hope you have been doing all that you need to for you since.... early is better. You are in my thoughts.

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