In the last five months I have now had appointments with FIVE different Doctors! Three of the appointments were for annual check-ups, the other two were with specialists. Where do I begin? Being born in 1946, the beginning of the baby boom after WWII, I have seen a lot of changes, advancements, and discoveries in medicine.
I suppose I should begin with when I was three and a half and had polio. I remember my mother putting me in hot baths. I remember trying to walk with two doctors holding my hands in the hospital. I remember being very upset because I was a big girl and they put me in a baby bed. Luckily, I had a mild case because I was only sich for a month or so and I can walk today. Then when I was ten, I was told I was allergeric to everything green. I had a rash all of my body, needed to use calamine lotion and wear long sleeve shirts and long pants the summer of 1956. Both of these experiences left a lasting impression on me.
The next thing that left a lasting impression, was growing up with a grandmother who had type 2 diabetes. I remember giving my Grandmother, Nannie, orange jiuce with sugar or a candy bar because she was feeling faint. My mother had several diseases. She had her thyroid out at 12 or 13 and again when she was thirty-five, after having my youngest sister. She was later diagonosed with Addison’s disease when I was fifiteen. She was in the hospital for a couple weeks. I would walk to the hospital on my lunch hour to visit. Yes, being the oldest of four, I did the cooking and had to get my youngest sister on the school bus every morning. That’s a whole other story. My mother later would be diagnoised with lupus and diabetes. She also became a brittle diabetic, where her sugar could drop or rise causing her to possibly lose conscisnous. So, I also gave her orange juice or candy or made her eat something.
Growing up with diabetes in my family I was drawn to reading about it, so when Dr. Atkin’s New diet Revolution book came out in 1992, I got a copy and read it from cover to cover. Over the years I have recommended it and given several copies away. I became more aware of my own diet and gave up most complex or refined carbohydrates, such as suger, white flour. Yes, I gave up white bread. I am hypoglycemic, so if I don’t eat, I may trigger a migraine. Anyway, I was determined not to become a diabetic. Learning about my own body and knowing what it can and can not take is important to me.
Ok, so when I saw my general practioner in January, I finally remembered to ask her about the rash I had on my head just inside my bangs. It had been there for maybe two years, but because it was hidden under my bangs I would forget about it. However, this time I wrote it down becasue I also wanted a wort removed from my neckline. When my doctor saw them, she sent me to a dermitologist. I got an appointment in February. When the dermitologist first saw the spot she said it was probably skin cancer, so she took a biopsy. She also froze the wort right there in the office. It fell off a week later. A few days after the appointment I got the results and yes it was basil cell skin cancer. So then, I was sent to see another dermotoligist who specialized in the Mohs procedure. I had an appointment with him in February. He explained the procedure, where they scrape the skin, test it and keep scraping until there are no cancer cells. However, this wouldn’t be done until May 13!
May 13, after the second scraping for the Mohs procedure was finished and the results came back negative, I took this pic.
Then the Doc stitched me up with desolvable stitches and stapled it with 17 staples! “Holy Shit ” I said taking this pic, just as the nurse was walking back into the room to bandage my head. She laughed. It was shocking, how a half inch spot can turn into a 2-1/2″ incision.
On my way home, I was reminded of an article I had recently read about Warren Buffet. When bad things happen just think about three good things. So I thought, “Good Thing” I have a whole collection of scarves and hats. “Good Thing” I have good insurance. “Good Thing” my hair will grow back. I am very grateful, this type of cancer has a 90% cure rate.
Yes! I got a Cal Poly hat for my grandson’s graduation, and yes, I wear scarves that cover the small bandage to cover the last hole while it heals. I see the Mohs Doctor July 7th, hopefully it will be all healed by then.
Being a Boomer and seeing my doctors is just a fact of life. Until next Blog, don’t wait to see your doctor! Whatever it is you are curious or worried about WRITE IT DOWN!
Cunniforms to Blinking Cursors 