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Wednesday, May 09, 2007

breathing a sigh of relief

I didn't mention much of this, but I recently found a spot on the back of my leg that was odd. I had a biopsy done in March and it came back as positive for Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Ouch.......the C word. On May 1st, I went in to have minor surgery to remove the surrounding tissue. I was quite bruised and surprized to see how big the incision was, it was an inch plus...jeeeeez. I ended up with about 14 exterior stitches (not sure how many interior). It's located behind my knee, so I've had to wear a rather large bandage to keep it from falling off.

The good news came today, my doctor just called with the lab results. All the margins are clear. YEAAAAAA!!!!!

Now the reason I am mentioning this is......I grew up in Laguna Beach California and was constantly exposed to the sun. My doctor said I can probably think back to one bad sunburn that caused this, and I can. He also said that most of these cases that appear with women are typically found on the backs of the legs.

Knowing my sun history, I make regular yearly appointments with my dermatologist. I have been through some AK treatments for my face, it was a painful process which you can see in the digital layout above.

So my message is this, please check your skin regularly for odd growths, new moles or even spots that won't heal. It's worth a visit to the dermatologist just to make sure. A little extra sunscreen couldn't hurt either.

:o)

7 comments :

Anonymous said...

Such wonderful news, Shari! I am so glad to hear that you got the all clear.

Anonymous said...

I am so pleased to hear you are well. That sounds all too painful. I get scared about the changes I see to my skin, but had a health check recently. it is so important

Unknown said...

I'm so glad to hear that you are well! I too am a sun goddess. And you are so right about the trips to the dr.

Babsarella said...

Glad to know all is ok and I really need to do this myself. Growing up in South FL, I was in the sun A LOT!!! And I do remember several BAD burns that included blistering on the nose and chest. Thanks for reminding me!

Cindi said...

You go girl!! Our sweet Courtney has stopped going to the tanning booth now, you know... thanks for spreading the healthy reminder about skin health!

Godelieve said...

Thanks for spreading this good advice Shari. Glad it know that everything turned out well for you!

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear your good news! It must have been hard for you to do our show so well with that at the back of your mind! Our grateful thanks again.
Very best wishes to you
All at Creative Pastimes