The M word

I was thrown for a loop last week. I found out that the scary M word was now attached to my medical record.

Before I left for Tanzania I had a skin scan. It’s basically an appointment with a dermatologist where they look at your moles. When the doctor said that she wanted to remove some moles I asked, “Does it matter that I’m leaving for Africa tomorrow?” Yep. So I had an appointment for two days after I got home. I had five moles removed.

Less than a week after their removal, I found out that one of them was a melanoma in situ. If you’re going to have a melanoma, this seems to be the kind to have. In situ means that it grows only in the top layer. The next day, I was booked for an excision. My doctor removed an area 5 mm around the mole. In order to be able to fit the skin back together, the sample is actually the shape of a football. Since it’s in the top layer, it’s not very deep. I have 5 inner stitches that will dissolve and 7 outer stitches that will be removed next week.

The trickiest part of this whole experience is the bandaging. At first I didn’t think I was going to be able to change it myself. It’s on my back. One friend joked, “If you could reach it, you would’ve had sunscreen there!”

I can just barely reach my stitches. I was so relieved when I figured that out. I had many people who were willing to help me with my wound care, but it’s a little tricky when you have to travel before you bandage. With practice, I’ve learned to lean up against the wall to get the adhesive to attach to my skin. Now I’ve healed enough so I can use a couple of the big band-aids.

My future will include check ups every six months.  This is completely fine with me.  It will give me piece of mind.  The funny thing was that the doctor told me if I notice something odd before the six month check, to call her directly.  The scheduling people won’t know how to fit me in.  She will.
So even though I now have the M word attached to me, I feel pretty good.  I am very comfortable with how this was resolved and how to proceed.  One thing I do know for sure…  There will be lots of sunscreen in my future.