Yesterday was spent getting my bloodwork and EKG in order, as well as a visit to my GP to ensure I could "take" the upcoming surgical procedure. It has been scheduled for November 11, which is fortunate in that I don't have to worry about taking time off from work, since we're closed on Veterans' Day. In addition, this falls on Friday, which gives me the weekend to recover.
I have one more doctor's visit, to the plastic surgeon on Tuesday morning, then the stage will be set for the following Friday. The procedure is set for 9:00 a.m., which means I'll need to be there at zero-dark-hundred in the morning (5:00 a.m.).
That's the story I'm sticking to ... for now. Stay tuned ....
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
UPDATE: Doctors Optimistic and So am I
On Wednesday, I had my first visit to Washington Hospital Center to clarify what needs to be done and where I stand up to this point. I remembered almost immediately why I dislike afternoon appointments. It seems like the later in the day you have a medical appointment of any kind, the less your chance of being seen in a timely manner tend to go down exponentially.
My appointment was at 3:00 and getting there early helped a little bit. I must say up front that WHC is not an easy place to get to, which makes it fortunate that my procedure will be out-patient.
By the time the visit ended, I met two of the doctors (plus an intern) who will be teaming up on me, one an oncologist and one a surgeon. There will also be a plastic surgeon involved, but he got "called away" at the last minute. The word I received is that we're dealing with a phase II-A or II-B melanoma, which indicates that the wound is very treatable, most likely with a single visit. The procedure is called a sentinel lymph node biopsy, which means I will have a dye injected into the site of the melanoma to determine whether it has spread and if so, how far. We're looking at a four-inch area that will be trimmed away, which I assume is where the plastic surgeon comes in. A visual and by-touch exam by all three physicians I saw seem to suggest that my lymph nodes are in decent shape, hence our shared optimism that the melanoma has not spread.
I should get a phone call this week to schedule the surgery. Once I have a date, I then need to take a physical exam with my GP to "make sure I can tolerate" such a procedure. Naturally, I don't anticipate an issue there.
I will update here as I learn more. In the meantime, I appreciate all the prayers and happy thoughts I am receiving. Again, if you're reading this rather than hearing from me, I apologize, but this is an easy way of communicating without spending all day on the telephone.
My appointment was at 3:00 and getting there early helped a little bit. I must say up front that WHC is not an easy place to get to, which makes it fortunate that my procedure will be out-patient.
By the time the visit ended, I met two of the doctors (plus an intern) who will be teaming up on me, one an oncologist and one a surgeon. There will also be a plastic surgeon involved, but he got "called away" at the last minute. The word I received is that we're dealing with a phase II-A or II-B melanoma, which indicates that the wound is very treatable, most likely with a single visit. The procedure is called a sentinel lymph node biopsy, which means I will have a dye injected into the site of the melanoma to determine whether it has spread and if so, how far. We're looking at a four-inch area that will be trimmed away, which I assume is where the plastic surgeon comes in. A visual and by-touch exam by all three physicians I saw seem to suggest that my lymph nodes are in decent shape, hence our shared optimism that the melanoma has not spread.
I should get a phone call this week to schedule the surgery. Once I have a date, I then need to take a physical exam with my GP to "make sure I can tolerate" such a procedure. Naturally, I don't anticipate an issue there.
I will update here as I learn more. In the meantime, I appreciate all the prayers and happy thoughts I am receiving. Again, if you're reading this rather than hearing from me, I apologize, but this is an easy way of communicating without spending all day on the telephone.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Did I bump my head? Well, not exactly ...
For those of you who are hearing about this for the first time, I apologize in advance. It was impossible to pass "the word" first-hand without sounding like I was honking my own horn, especially since what you may read here is really nothing to honk one's horn about.
I will be sharing a little history, but the bottom line is after you read this, you'll know what I know up to this point.
About six months ago, I developed what I thought was a simple blemish on my forehead above my left eye. Since, as a diabetic, I'm slow to heal anyway, I didn't think that much about it, but when it became apparent that this was more than a simple pimple (especially at my age), I finally discussed it with my doctor last month. He referred me to a dermatologist, who removed the "lesion" (as my primary doc put it) and sent it for a biopsy, with the belief that we were dealing with what he coined a "basal carcinoma".
On Thursday, the dermatologist (how can I not trust a man named Smith, not to mention the fact that he's been practicing for 30 years?) called me at work to inform me that the lab results came back and said I have a melanoma, which is much more than we anticipated. On Friday, we were thinking "OK, one more visit to remove the rest of it and I walk away with a scar at worst." Now, we're dealing with a different situation. My father and my sister have dealt with skin cancer in recent years, and now the oldest sibling gets his "turn".
I will be paying a visit to a specialist and a surgeon this Wednesday to discuss the possible treatment options. One of these options (and the most likely) is a sentinel lymph node biopsy, which means they inject a dye into what is left of the wound and see if the melanoma has spread and, if so, to where. This week is just a consultation. While we're waiting for this consultation, they will be sending the biopsy for a second opinion. Best case scenario: It hasn't spread and it's an easy removal and I'm known as "scarface" for the duration. We won't think of the other scenario just yet.
I can get a little long-winded, as most of you know, but now you know what I know. I'll keep you posted here and I'll post on facebook when I've updated this status.
If you've read this far, thank you. If you're a person of faith, your prayers will be appreciated.
I will be sharing a little history, but the bottom line is after you read this, you'll know what I know up to this point.
About six months ago, I developed what I thought was a simple blemish on my forehead above my left eye. Since, as a diabetic, I'm slow to heal anyway, I didn't think that much about it, but when it became apparent that this was more than a simple pimple (especially at my age), I finally discussed it with my doctor last month. He referred me to a dermatologist, who removed the "lesion" (as my primary doc put it) and sent it for a biopsy, with the belief that we were dealing with what he coined a "basal carcinoma".
On Thursday, the dermatologist (how can I not trust a man named Smith, not to mention the fact that he's been practicing for 30 years?) called me at work to inform me that the lab results came back and said I have a melanoma, which is much more than we anticipated. On Friday, we were thinking "OK, one more visit to remove the rest of it and I walk away with a scar at worst." Now, we're dealing with a different situation. My father and my sister have dealt with skin cancer in recent years, and now the oldest sibling gets his "turn".
I will be paying a visit to a specialist and a surgeon this Wednesday to discuss the possible treatment options. One of these options (and the most likely) is a sentinel lymph node biopsy, which means they inject a dye into what is left of the wound and see if the melanoma has spread and, if so, to where. This week is just a consultation. While we're waiting for this consultation, they will be sending the biopsy for a second opinion. Best case scenario: It hasn't spread and it's an easy removal and I'm known as "scarface" for the duration. We won't think of the other scenario just yet.
I can get a little long-winded, as most of you know, but now you know what I know. I'll keep you posted here and I'll post on facebook when I've updated this status.
If you've read this far, thank you. If you're a person of faith, your prayers will be appreciated.
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