Holey Moley. Part 2

I go visit my derm.  She does the routine check and circle of a few spots.  In a given year, I probably have between 4 and 7 removed for biopsy. . .and they all come back normal smormal. . .so it is not a big deal for me.  She picks 4 this year and cuts them off for testing.

Two are on my back in a nice little spot that I can't take care of on my own.  My darling darling F quickly tells me how happy he is that our little Drama Queen is old enough to help me.  And that she is not squeamish.

She does a great job of handling my wound care for the next few weeks. . .

And then the call comes.  The call that you think will probably never come.  The call that one of the spots is. . ."severely atypical"  "I'm sorry, what?  What does that mean, exactly? I'm 30!! This is not supposed to happen to me."

It isn't as bad as it could have been. . .it is still considered precancerous. . .but I have to come in and have it "fully excised".  They believe they caught just in time.

I'm a bit shocked, and busy. . .and work and the holidays and can't this wait just a few weeks?  I put it off as long as I can. . .and then go in and see the derm again.  They do the full excision.

10 stitches in my back. I am in pain.  And stressed.  And it's on my back where I can't fracking see it or tell anything about it or. . .ANYTHING.

My drama queen takes pictures with my cell phone so I can watch it.  I travel to a friend's house every 5 days or so (she is a nurse), so she can do a bit of wound care and tell me everything is ok.

About 4 or 5 days before I'm supposed to go back to have the stitches taken out, I call my nurse friend and tell her. . .something is wrong. . .I need you to look at it.  I go see her and she agrees.  It's not infected. . .it's just wrong.

I get in to see the derm the next day. . .she looks at it and tells me "mazel tov" - I am one of a tiny percent of the population that is basically. . .allergic to stitches.  They have to take them out. . .all of them. . .the externals and the internals (the ones that were supposed to dissolve).  My "tiny straight line scar" is now "one hell of a beautiful scar" (according to the derm)...that is a euphemism for "gigantic disaster on your back".  I am in pain again. And stressed.(And probably slightly whiny.  I refuse to comment on that one.)

And then the pediatric derm calls. . . .


Holey Moley. . .The End