Take care of your skin.......I wish I had!

About a month ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Melanoma.   Within 24 hours of the diagnosis, I was prepped and ready for surgery - the doctor ended up taking an approximately 8cm diameter's worth of tissue from around my right shoulder blade.  That was about 6 weeks ago (and I still will not look!).   I admit, I used the tanning bed from the time I was 19 until roughly 4 years ago (am NOT revealing my age!).   I started having routine mole screenings and I'll tell you why.  

My daughter was on a soccer team, and one of the mothers was a nurse at a hospital.  She came to practice one night, visibly upset.  I asked her what was going on, and she told me about a patient they had come in for test results from a mole that had been removed.   The patient was a young, single mother who had a mole that people had told her for a while she should have it looked at.   She had 2 small children and just never had an opportunity to schedule an appointment.   She started losing weight and thought her new diet was working.  She finally found time to have her mole looked out, and it turns out she was in Stage 4 Melanoma and had months to live. 

Now since I'm a firm believer in divine intervention, and also you can play connect-the-dots with my moles, I scheduled an appointment with a plastic surgeon that my mother recommended.   She was a medical transcriptionist for years, and knew the good doctors.   My father had gone to Dr. Percy, and was very pleased with him.  Dr. Percy is a plastic surgeon who specializes in skin cancer.  That was in 2005, and I've had a screening once a year since then (except last year).   I didn't get screened last year because I was getting married. 

I've had 4 moles removed and they had always come back benign, so imagine my surprise when Dr. Percy's nurse calls and tells me he wants to see me.  I could tell from the sound of her voice that it wasn't good.   She's always so upbeat and joking - she was so somber on the phone, it freaked me out. 

From now on, sunscreen for me, my husband and my 11 year old is the name of the game.   I'll have her checked, too.    It is a scary thing when you hear cancer.   I'm still reeling from all of it.