Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Oh Goody

Some of you that are on Facebook knew I went in to the doctor to have a couple skin growths worked over. One was a way old ingrown hair on the back of my neck, and the other was a sore that wouldn't heal on my left cheek (on my face - heh).

Well, anyways, I got the lab results yesterday. It reads: "subepidermal aggregate of small blue cells with severe thermal artifacts and inflammatory infiltrates consistent with basal cell carcinoma, narrowly excised."

Which means malignant skin cancer.

Honestly, I find myself thinking meh. I've always been out in the sun, and I've always disregarded sunburn and rarely wear a hat. Like George Carlin said - "my skin's so white it's blue," well, what do ya expect with Irish and German ancestry? I've taken care of my skin just like any other aspect of my health, so no wailing and knashing of teeth about how life isn't fair and so on. I know where the blame lies. I've had my chest cut open and my heart about pulled out and reinstalled, plus I'm insulin dependent. I do things every day that as a younger man that would make me question the worth of my existence. I've found that it is worth it to fight the good fight.

And two more points - this is really pretty minor compared to my friend who has had an extended life these past four years - he is surviving brain cancer. I just had my chest cut open - he had brain surgery and is still here to talk about it. Mish Weiss is still undergoing treatment for her luekemia, with a whole lot of suffering. So, in comparison, this is pretty minor. Plus, I may not get any more growths, and if I do, chances are they will just have to be trimmed out as well. Too bad it won't be nibbling on my endless supply of fat cells. So, I can deal with having tiny chunks of my face trimmed if necessary.

I'll be wearing hats more frequently.

6 comments:

threecollie said...

Sorry Jeffro...as if you didn't have enough to worry about...take care. Wear those hats...

CGHill said...

"Severe" thermal artifacts, yet.

Still, if you gotta have cancer, this is the one to have: unless you slide all the way over to the melanoma side of the scale, it's highly (and successfully) treatable.

So "meh" is a sensible approach, I think.

Kathy B. said...

I'm going to nag for a moment. Sunscreen and hats young man! Take care of yourself, no one else is going to! Hugs, Kathy

Jerry in Texas said...

Damn, Man! Let's face it. White boys like us ain't gonna tan. Might as well slather on the sunscreen. You'll look good in a wide brimmed hat. Maybe even a sombrero!

Take care, Friend!

Anonymous said...

Jeez, Jeffro - seems like it's all ganging up on you at once. It's great that you know about it, so you can treat it and get on with your life. Your attitude is great, and half the battle won right there.

MG

Bob's Blog said...

I have been getting my face trimmed for at least twenty years now. There is a dermatologist in Denver whom I highly recommend: Dr. Robert Wright. I can't imagine anyone being better. His office is just about a mile north of the Boulder turnpike, Highway 36. You take I-70 to I-270 to 36, then north on Pecos. He is just across the street east of Water World. His phone number is 303 426-4525. I have complete confidence in him.