Wannaskan Almanac for Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The C Word

Well.  That is a good word to say.  Anyone who has heard the C word, cancer, spoken to them is glad to hear that W word...well.  A few weeks back I went to my dermatologist.  She is always using a can of some sort of freezing stuff to kill off areas on my face and ears that are exhibiting signs of being precancerous.  

This time, however, there was a quarter inch mark on my forehead that had suddenly appeared.  She was a little bit concerned as she looked at it, but reassured me as she decided that I needed to get a biopsy from that area.  Being a medical illiterate, I was fine with that.  Then they gave me several shots to numb the area around the mark.  I was less fine with that.  Finally, they took out a blade and cut out an area in my forehead.  My fine meter dropped all the way to zero.  

I ended up with a big bandage on my forehead and was told that they were going to send my sample away.  I mumbled out a dazed answer of "okay" and left the clinic.  It was starting to heal up when they called me on a Monday, five days later.  

"Hi, we got your sample back.  It is melanoma.  We would like to schedule you to get it looked at in our center in Wichita.  They will call you later today."

Watch those suddenly appearing spots!

I was shocked.  I had heard of other people having cancer, but this was out of nowhere!  I felt like it was going to take a while before they could get me in.  That was a short lived thought.  They called me about an hour later and told me they could get me in the next day.  

I drove to Wichita to get the surgery done on Tuesday.  It was kind of surreal as they discussed my options.  I could get a good sized hole cut out and they would sew it together, which would leave my head feeling very tight.  They could patch in another piece of skin from somewhere else (I prayed not my butt, that would be a hard one to live down!).  They said a few other things but I decided on the first choice.  It wasn't that big of a hole that they were going to cut...I thought.  

They numbed it and then started cutting.  I just remember sitting there thinking it was taking way too long.  I am not much for the sight of blood, so I kept my eyes shut the whole time.  Then they started sewing and cauterizing.  When they finished they put a big pad over it, told me to keep it dry for a couple of days, and sent me on my way.

It didn't start to hurt until I was halfway home.  I found a couple of pain pills in my console and finished the drive.  I spent a couple of days wearing a stocking cap at work and then just a large band aid.  After about a week I quit wearing the band aid and just, as my daughter so accurately put it, walked around looking like Frankenstein.  A few days later I got the call letting me know that tests showed that they got it all.

Free face lift with surgery

The C-word.  It is scary.  My prayer for those of you who deal with it is that you are given the strength to get through it.  My episode was minor.  For those dealing with major issues I pray for mercy.  For us who have dealt with melanoma...wear a hat and sunscreen!