I had my bi-annual appointment with my dermatologist a little over a week ago. As usual, there were some pre-cancers to be treated with liquid nitrogen, and with two spots of concern I showed my dermatologist, there were some biopsies. As an afterthought, and not of any concern of mine, I showed him a small mole on my neck that hadn't been there very long. He decided to go ahead and do a biopsy, and we decided my visits need to be every three months in the future.
The day before yesterday, they called to inform me of the results. One of the areas was just an irritation from what was probably an ingrown hair. One, which was treated six months ago, and had reappeared turned out to be a squamous cell cancer (I figured it was) and another appointment was made to finish removing the cancer early next month. The mole result was a little of a gut punch. It's melanoma, which leads to an entire different approach.
My Moh's surgeon doesn't handle melanoma. I never asked why, but when asked during a visit, she told me she doesn't do them. After a referral, I was contacted by a doctor's office in Houston for scheduling a surgery. That happens next Wednesday.
So, to say I'm not a little freaked out is an understatement. My thoughts haven't been super positive; even with encouragement from my wife and family. We'll see how this all turns out, and what the future brings. I hope for the best, but other thoughts are creeping into my mind. Melanoma killed my mother three months after I was born. Of course, that was nearly seventy years ago, and treatments are far more advanced. Still, things may change rapidly, and my thoughts can shift into the darker range.
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