I am sharing something personal with you all in hopes that it helps someone. A few weeks ago I noticed a mole on my back that I didn’t remember seeing before. As a freckled redhead, sometimes it’s hard to keep track, but this one seemed new. Not scary looking, just a new little brown dot on the back of my shoulder. After a few days of pondering, I called my dermatologist to make an appointment.
Luckily, it’s not too hard to get in to see doctors right now. With Covid, too many people are forgoing regular appointments because we are all trying to stay home and protect our families. But I distinctly remember having this argument in my head before making the appointment, and I knew that with my family history of melanoma, I needed to put my personal health concern above my desire to isolate. I weighed the risks and the little brown dot won. I was nervous to go in. I have been very isolated since mid-March and have only been inside a store twice in almost five months. My husband, who is an essential worker, assured me that the clinics are doing a really good job screening and distancing patients. I knew it was important to take care of myself. It’s like they say on the airplane, “secure your own mask before assisting those around to you.” Sure enough my doctor did not have a record of this mole on my mapped and well-documented records. So she removed it and sent it in for pathology. She called to tell me “they’re not calling it melanoma, but it is HIGHLY irregular, like a pre-melanoma, and they want you to come back to get larger margins to be safe.” Breathe. Scary stuff. Breathe. It’s ok. Breathe. We caught it in time. And yet all the “what-ifs” flood into my buzzing brain. What if I hadn’t noticed this mole on my back? I mean who can even see moles on their back anyways? It was like a fluke moment I caught a glimpse in the mirror and thought “did I always have that?” What if I decided it was too scary to go to the doctor right now? What if I waited until the Covid counts went down, or the vaccine came out, or just put it off until next summer? What if...? The reality is that this not quite yet melanoma could have become very dangerous in a matter of weeks. Melanoma works fast. It’s not dramatic to say that if I had been too scared to go to my doctor, this story could have had a very different and tragic outcome. So I’ll go back in. And they will take another hunk of flesh out to be sure we have solid margins. And I will come home to my sweet family to be Mom. So please, I beg of you, don’t neglect your health because you’re afraid of going to your doctor right now. I work in healthcare. I have read the statistics and I know that the fatalities associated with Covid are not just from Covid, but from delayed and neglected care for other illnesses. And I am hoping that this real-life example will help prompt someone else to go in to see a doctor for necessary care. Listen, reflect, process, share this... and please take care of yourself. Your healthcare is still your number one priority. Do what you need to in order to keep yourself healthy. And for the love of Pete, wear sunscreen.
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Author: KellyI love to cook and care for the people I love! Categories
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November 2020
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