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“Pre-cancerous”
I heard that word too many times today.
I have been noticing spots, lumps, bumps, etc. practically all over. Knees, throat, forehead. Finally, my vanity kicked in and I made an appointment to see a dermatologist. I had more stuff frozen off (cryosurgery) of me today than at any other time that I can recall. Some of them burned like hell.
The one on my knee couldn’t be frozen. It had to be sliced. Ugh
My stomach was not ready for that. Mental note to self: never eat McDonald’s cheeseburgers on the same day you’re going to go see the dermatologist.
A shot in the knee while I looked away. Then a slice and drop into a jar and off to the lab it’s going. If it “turns out to be something” then we’ll do the actual “cut”.
Oh yay.
I go back in mid-April for a follow-up and more spots that don’t look like the others. I’m guessing sooner if this thing on my knee turns out to be “something”.
Time to clear the mind with the family tree for 45 minutes so I can sit here and yell at the TV (the news is on at 4) without being preoccupied.
I may even do it topless.
- 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70. (Dad has had melanomas on his face twice now.)
- More than 2 people die of skin cancer in the U.S. every hour.
- Having 5 or more sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma. (I've had two sunburns that yielded second-degree burns.)
- When detected early, the 5-year survival rate for melanoma is 99 percent.
- More people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the U.S. than all other cancers combined.
