Skin Cancer

I have been meaning to update for a while, but for a while, I was not sure what to write.

At the beginning of May, I noticed a mole on my back that looked funny.  I knew that I had snagged it (ew) on some clothes, but when it healed, it was a different shape and color and, quite frankly, looked ugly.  I went to the dermatologist and he said it didn't look like much but he would biopsy it just in case.

I did not give the whole process a second thought until he called me to let me know that it was malignant melanoma.  Based on the size of the melanoma, he said it is typically recommended that my lymph nodes also be tested to ensure that the cancer had not spread.  I made an appointment with an oncology surgeon.

The surgeon walked me through what the procedure entailed.  He let me know that he would remove the remaining portion of the mole along with a margin of skin around it.  He would test the skin to make sure it was clean.  Then, he explained that they would also want to test the sentinel (closest) lymph nodes to make sure that it had not spread.  The only way to test the lymph nodes was to remove them and look at them under a microscope.  Since your body is full of lymph nodes, I am just fine without the ones they removed (my surgery was almost three weeks ago), but they had to figure out which ones the cancer would have spread to.

Lymph Nodes

So, before my surgery, a radiologist injected me with four quadrants of radioactive dye mixed with lidocaine right around the original melanoma site.  Just like a TB test, they created little bubbles of liquid right under my skin.  Once that was in there, my body said, "hey, that's not supposed to be there!" and my lymph nodes went to work absorbing the dye.  Next, they scanned my groin and armpits (where you have lymph nodes) and marked the spots where the dye had traveled and stopped.  I was like a human beach and they took a metal detector (not really, it 's a Geiger counter) and found exactly where the spots were.  The Geiger counter measured radioactivity.  It was amazing. They put it on my skin and it made noise when it got close to the lymph node.  Not to mention, the scans were all digital and I turned my head and was able to see what they were scanning!!  I had two sentinel lobes - one in my arm pit and one in groin.  They marked both with a Sharpie and I was off to surgery.

Surgery was fine.  Lots of fun surprises like numbing my arm before they gave me my IV (nice touch!) and throwing up from the anesthesia.  Wait, that part wasn't fun, but it was a surprise.  I ended up being a little more down and out than I thought and took it easy that weekend to recover.  Josh took really good care of me, bringing me ginger ale and crackers and helping me bandage up my back.

All of my tests came back negative and I am cancer free!!  Woohoo!  Since I had melanoma once, the surgeon just said that I have to keep an eye on spots, which I do anyway.  I look for any changes in color, shape or size and I go to the dermatologist once a year for a check up!

Moral of the story is: wear sunscreen and take care of your skin!  Not only will you help prevent skin cancer, but you'll stay looking young and fresh!  Tans are OUT!

Wisdom Teeth

So it's official. I am getting my wisdom teeth out on Friday 12/5. If anyone would like to visit me, and try to steal my awesome drugs, please do! I haven't decided if I'll be laid up at my parents' house or my own. But I'll be watching movies all weekend, so come join the swollen chipmunk fun!

Oh no! I skipped a day of posting! Whatever did you do yesterday without my blog? Just kidding. In all seriousness, I was going to try and write once a day this month, for consistency-sake, but the neighbor's internet here was down yesterday. I had to resort to reading.... a real book! *GASP!*

I woke up this morning to take my cousins and uncle to the airport on their way to Peru for three weeks. I was nervous for them! The travel anxiety that comes with going abroad for an extended period of time... do we have everything? passports? flight info? bug spray? dry bags? swim suits? copies of passports? medicine? going through customs with two kids? kidnappings in Bolivia? Well, you get the idea. I am very excited for them. They had the fun meter running even at 4 a.m. on the way to the airport!

Anyway, I work tonight - my second 4th of July night spent working at the hotel. I get off of work at 8:30, but must be back at 7 a.m. so what room for fun does that leave?

Today will begin the countdown to San Diego! EIGHT DAYS! Wooo hooo!

Happy 4th of July everyone! When you see fireworks, send one my way... on second thought...

Spending my Friday night curled up on the couch with Poo Poos & Woody was going just fine until I decided to watch Grey's Anatomy - the one where Burke gets shot, Izzy cuts Denny's L-Vat, Christina freaks out, Meredith does McDreamy in the exam room and what's-her-name-who-later-married George sees them when she comes to find Meredith because Denny died and Izzy needed her. Then Alex scoops up Izzy because clinging to her dead fiance just wasn't healthy.

Well, like I said... it was all going fine until Meredith and Derek had to put Doc, their dog, to sleep. I lost it - sobbing. And then I just couldn't stop.

Wow - even in re-runs stupid Grey's Anatomy still gets me! It was a good cry though - made me realize that I'm not stone after all.

It was a lovely Sunday afteroon. I was driving home from my parents' house, windows down, sunroof open singing country music as loud as possible when I slowed to a stop on the freeway off ramp. Waiting to turn left, I was approached by a homeless man. It was too late. My windows were down and he was already speaking to me. I had a half-eaten bag of Cheetos on the passenger seat next to me which I offered him. He looked at me like I was handing him anthrax, smiled and showed me he had no teeth! "I got no teeth!" he said, and asked if I had any money. I set the Cheetos back on the passenger seat, rolled my eyes and shook my head.

Beggers can't be choosers people!

Thor died today. Below are photos from his funeral. Lesa and I said some kind words and sent Thor on his way. Some viewers may find the photos disturbing.

Parental discretion is advised.

Thank you for your moment of silence. He was a good fish.

So tonight was book club. Book club consists of my aunt, me and about 20 desperate housewives. Now, to give them more credit, they are incredible women, but they relate every book to their motherhood and I can't relate to that. I'm one of two single women and the only one who hasn't been married. But I bring a fresh, young perspective, which they appreciate, so I enjoy going.

Next book club is January 11th and we are not reading a book. Instead, we are sharing "love" letters. They don't have to be romantic love letters or even a love letter we've written or received, just a love letter. I'm not sure what it is, because I would like to think that normally this wouldn't bother me, but the only thing I could think of was the fact that I don't have any love letters. I can't remember writing any or getting any. The ony ideas I could come up with were the notes I prepared in high school when I was trying to get up the courage to tell my crush that I liked him. I was so nervous, but I wrote exactly how I felt and it was so innocent and un-cynical and completely without reservations. Here is what I wrote:

• I'm in love with you.
• I get this rush in my stomach every time I see you.
• I'd do anything just to see you and get that feeling.
• There's nothing I wouldn't do just to be able to do something as simple as sit with my hand on your leg.
• I haven't talked to anyone about how I feel.
• I leave my house early every morning so that I can get to school before you do, so that we can spend time together before class.
• Before I go to bed you're the last thing I think of.
• When I wake up you're the first thing I think of.
• I like it that we see each other between 2nd and 3rd hour.
• Even when we can't talk, it's nice just to see you.
• When you're not there, I miss you.
• I couldn't stand it anymore. I was gonna die if I didn't get this out.
• I'm telling you this from the bottom of my heart - all logic gone.
• As long as I follow my heart, I know I won't regret anything.

Funny how that's the only thing I could think of for a "love" letter and it's bullet points. My feelings were so ripe and they werne't even love. It was infatuation - raw teenage emotion. I read those bullet points to him verbatim and he said, "Woah... how 'bout them Mets?" (Who says that?? Clearly, I caught him off guard - it was high school.) For the record, I'm still not so scarred that I remember all of this. I consulted my high school journal. It was a journal, not a diary; that sounds too girly. Anyway, the assignment is "love" letters and that's all I've got. I will have to do some more thinking on this one.