3.26.2009

March Madness



So ... it is March and I am mad about something, but most of all I just wanted to throw off those looking to update their "brackets". Sorry guys ... I haven't a clue about UConn, but stick around, 'cause I actually have some practical advice as to something UCan do.

My swollen lip has gone down and the purple is almost all yellow and this morning I got the stitches out on my little dermatology "incident". Truth be told this is the third place on my relatively small face that has been cut into. The purpose of my post today, however, is not to garner sympathy but to serve as a public service announcement. Because not one of these three places was dark and irregularly shaped. Not one fit any sort of description put forth by those wishing to get us into the dermatologist to be checked. And each and every one could have gone un-checked for quite some time to come.

So pay attention, sit up straight and have a mirror handy. 'Cause I've decided that if no one else will come forward, I will. And let's be honest ... I can be a little pushy.

*
My first "spot" was discovered and hacked into last summer only because I was already in the doc's office with PDaddy and casually said ... 'is this something I should be concerned about?' This particular spot was nothing more than a brittle "flake" of skin that I flicked off several times, only to see come back in a couple of weeks. There was no bump whatsoever. Just a flake. Turns out that this is a very common sign of potential skin cancer. Turns out mine was squamous cell. Turns out it was a really good idea to casually ask that question.

* That was the jolt that forced me to dial a dermatologist. Once there she discovered 2 more potential boo-boos on my face. They had been there for months without me giving them a second thought. These two were just teeny-weeny rough little bumps. I thought that they were ... like ... baby warts. They were almost translucent. They had perfect, regular shapes. Turns out one of those was benign and the other one was basel cell. They looked exactly the same. The basel cell one was removed last week and went deeper than she thought. I've got a scar in my laugh line. I'm not laughing.

So check it out peoples. I mean it. And while your are at it, listen up in behalf of your husbands/fathers/brothers/sons (or yourself) who might have a problem with chronic acid indigestion/acid reflux. Check that out too. Because an esophagus is a terrible thing to waste.

Tomorrow I'll go back to cutting up pretty pieces of fabric and putting them back together again. But today I'm mad as heck, and I'm not going to take it anymore. Today I just want to save your life.

(The heirchy of seriousness goes like this: benign > basel > squamous > melanoma.)

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4 comments:

brookegfunk said...

You've always been a life saver!

steph said...

i love me some PSAs!

on the same day you post this, i decide to run a 5k to benefit melanoma research.

coincidence? i think not!

hilari said...

i am thankful for you and your words of wisdom. love you.

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