Seeing "Spots"

Ever since this post http://sue-thislife.blogspot.com/2008/08/todays-psa.html, I've been very proactive in checking my body. The "thang" in my ear that I'd had for years that ended up being basal cell scared the crap outta me. So in the last 6 weeks, I've had three different bumps come up. One on my left temple and one on each of my upper arms, in almost the exact spot on each arm! I had a Dermo appt scheduled for last week to have some skin tags around my neck frozen, but instead she took biopsies of the bump on my face and three additional spots on my back that she said looked "suspicious." I also had a growth on my left foot that I'd had about a year. She said it was most likely a cyst, as are the ones on my arms, but because the one on my foot was so large and was becoming painful, she would take it off as well and we scheduled that for Tue 20th. She said I'd have the biopsy results back in 4-6 weeks. This was on Wed 14th. They called me on Fri 16th. If I've learned nothing else, when the Dermo office tells you results in 4-6 weeks and they call you two days later, it's not gonna be good news. The spot on my temple was basal cell. Could I come in on Monday 19th while the Pathologist was there so they could do essentially the same thing to my temple as they did to my ear back in August. Cut off part of my face, have the Path freeze and cross-section it to make sure they got everything. If they did, sew me up and go home. If they didn't cut some more. Sure! I'd love to come and let you cut on me two days in a row!! I was at the office from 10:45 til almost 5 on Monday. Not fun. Sitting in a waiting room full of old farts bitching about how cold the waiting room is (it wasn't!) and clicky-clacking their dentures almost drove me to the nut house. I did get to leave for a while after they did the initial cutting, but it was not a fun afternoon. My Dermo is very good and she did get it all the first time, so they stitched me up and sent me home. Then I was back at the office bright and early at 8:30 AM on Tue to have the foot taken care of. Since this was a cyst, there was no need for a Psth report. She did find a "growth" that had attached itself to the muscle in my foot, so she has sent that to an outlab to have it tested. So now I've got a sore face and a sore foot, each with 6 stitches in them! I go back in two weeks to take the stitches out and she will then dig into the three spots on my back that showed "abnormal cells."

Once again I will say. Check yourself. Often. We women know how important our Breast Self Exams are. You do that once a month. When you do it, get into the habit of checking the rest of your body. Have your hubby check your back. We all know how much they love seeing us nekkid!! Make him work for the pleasure! Don't be like the lady they were telling me about the other day. She had a spot come up on her cheek. She ignored it. Monday, they had to take over half of her cheek off because of basal cell. When all she should have had was a small scar that would have been easily covered up with makeup. It's your body. You only get one. Take care of it.