well, i'm cancer free for now.

[mopinko]

had surgery this am. at 8am! talk about insult to injury. lol.
i had a squamous cell removed, and was expecting it to b like that. but melanoma requires taking the fat layer underneath. a lesion the size of my pinky nail, and they took a chunk the size and shape of an orange segment. 3” scar.
now i have a full body exam every 3 mos to look forward to. yumm.
i took pics. the assistant says a lot of ppl do.

[Irish_Dem]

1. I didn't realize they took so much for a melanoma.

I have only had the pre-melanomas, the dysplastic ones.
And the other ones they freeze.

Did your dermatologist do it or did you have to go to a plastic surgeon?

I go every 6 months for the full body exam.
Darn Irish skin. It is lovely, but way too delicate and fair.

[mopinko]

5. yeah, dermo surgeon.

have an ap nurse mostly. surgeon also did 1 of the biopsies, cuz it was right by my eye.
i told her today that if there’s a next time i’ll skip the numbing. the shot to numb was worse than the dental 1s. it was a little mole they cd had snipped w less pain, but they cauterized it, so that wd hurt. still a toss up if u ask me.

yeah, i was shocked at the size of the specimen.

[Irish_Dem]

11. Well the margins have to be a certain size I guess.

I know, what's worse, the numbing crap or the pain?
Knowing me, I am a baby, I better get the numbing shot.
Especially if they are carving out such a damn big chunk.
One thing if it is just a mole, but orange segment. That's big.

That is going to hurt when the novocaine wears off, so keep the advil handy.

I am being carved up tiny piece by tiny piece.
So many moles/freckles removed.

[Botany]

2. May you and you scar have a long and happy time together.

I don’t know you or your family but are gonna share scar peeks @ get togethers?

[mopinko]

4. i dont get together w my family often,

mostly funerals at this point. but prolly, yeah.
gross out the littles.

[lapfog_1]

3. when I had my ablation surgery

with the probes inside my heart...

I drifted in and out while they were doing it. It looked so cool to see 5 catheters inside my heart.

I asked for a copy of the video but they said no... the jerks.

[mopinko]

7. you'd think they have to give it to u if u rly want it.

maybe your primary can get it for you. i’d love that.

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. A woman I once worked with had a melanoma.

Her surgeon took out a sizable chunk of her arm along with the melanoma itself. She lived for years afterwards and never had a recurrence.

Best of luck to you.

[mopinko]

8. it's def a 'good cancer'

easy to keep track of, and can b treated w/o treating the whole body.
hopefully from now on we freeze them b4 they get anywhere.

[greatauntoftriplets]

9. Or maybe its a "nowhere near as bad as some" cancer.

In any event, it's good that you're rid of it.

[bluescribbler]

21. It is not as bad as some other cancers, nor is it as bad as it was two decades ago,

But it's still a bad cancer to have. The specialist who treated Stephanie the last two years of her life, said that melanoma isn't one cancer, it isn't even one hundred diseases. It is a different disease in each patient. Melsuckanoma took her from us in 2009.

[mopinko]

29. i'm still a bit stunned to say i have cancer.

i asked about my odds-
this 1 coming back, very, very low. that u will grow another? 90%.
bump/spot hunting will b a lifelong hobby.

[underpants]

10. Good news!

[marble falls]

12. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

[mopinko]

13. yes, yes i do.

now if only my plan to land a man worked so well.

[Duncanpup]

14. Glad for you

[AllaN01Bear]

15. jolly good show.

[mountain grammy]

16. Good news!

Happy for you.

[RestoreAmerica2020]

17. That's great news. Take care! ❤️ N/t

[barbtries]

18. i probably would.

i asked my doctor to show me my uterus (she said she would but didn't) and another to show me the lipoma he removed from my forehead (he did). I don't think either one had ever heard that request previously.

i told my urogynecologist when she asked me why that i wanted to thank it for serving my children and me well. it was a passage.

I have been treated to the post surgical photos of my niece after she had some fairly radical work done on her face to remove cancers. And now she is cancer-free as well, and I'm glad you are too.

[mopinko]

23. i think they're used to giving ppl stones.

my ex had a near-emergency gall bladder removal after at least of mo of- nah, it’s just indigestion. he had several stones, and they gave him the biggest 1. size of a marble.
he didnt take his tonsils home, but they did show it to him.

[barbtries]

31. lol

i didn't get to look at my kidney stones or my tonsils either. but the stones were sent to the mayo clinic for analysis, so there's that

[rurallib]

19. It is going to be a great year!

so happy for you

[mopinko]

24. i have hope for the year.

aside from this nonsense, it’s been good so far.

[multigraincracker]

20. Extra check up sound like the way to go.

I had a body scan and ended up with a dozen areas treated. Derm took off a bunch and then the surgeon got about 5 or 6.
For a week I looked like I had been in a war. All good, glad I got it done. She never said how often I need to do it. I’ll wait a few years.

[mopinko]

22. i'm sure once a yr wd b the rec.

go get that looked at. i think yearly for anyone w any history is the min, esp if u have fair skin.
it’s the other irish curse.

[multigraincracker]

25. That be me.

Toss in a little Scotch and English.

Might try a different dermatologist next time. Have to research all the local ones.

[mopinko]

26. i had a dermo i loved who retired,

part of a big system, and so hard to get in. (had a crush on him. adorable little viennese guy w an orville redenbacher hairdo)
the system doesnt have very many ap nurses, which pisses me off. i’d much rather have a nurse. but i think they’re common in the big dermo practices. my follow up will b a nurse.
the only place i’ve had 1 in that system is they use them in their urgent care clinics. wish i had 1 for a pcp.

[sinkingfeeling]

27. Good news.

[LoisB]

28. This is very good news.

I am very glad mopinko.

[montanacowboy]

30. Had 2 Mohs Surgeries this Fall

One one they had to do a skin graft and other not so bad. Still scarred and very tender.

[mopinko]

32. i'm just glad

the mole on my lower eye lid was benign. that wd have been plastic surgeon territory.

[LiberalLoner]

33. May you remain cancer free all the rest of your days

And may your surgical site heal quickly and well.

[mopinko]

34. it's good so far. almost 24 hrs

and just a little bit of soreness. way better than expected.
i havent even been icing it like i shd. some, but not as much as i cd. bandaged up, so i cant see, but i dont feel any swelling.

it sure was a strange sensation, the cutting and the way she laced it together like a thanksgiving turkey.
maybe next time i ask for a valium.