Sun Seeker - Not Any More...

Wandering Sagebrush

Wandering Sagebrush

Free Range Human
Growing up a barefoot heathen in here Oregon, I was rarely without a summer sunburn and a few blisters as well. Blisters on the behind, too, beings I was a heathen.

I got my wake up call last week. A dark mole on my back proved to be a melanoma. At this point, it appears to be right at the margin of stage 0 and stage 1. The surgeon believes that even though the biopsy appears to have got it all, a wide excision is still called for. No other protocol needed at this time.

So... my fellow Sun Seekers, it's long sleeve shirts and lots of sun screen for this guy. That wake up call scared the living .... out of me.
 
All of us who have been sun exposed when boating/beaching in our younger lives have that risk. Glad that you got it in time. One of my daughters friends died from a metazoic melanoma at age 35 leaving a wife and two young children... Some are not just from sun exposure. Have every "mole" or black spot checked regularly!
 
Sometimes the cancerous growths have surprising appearance. I had one on my cheek. It was white and I always thought it was a scar. While they were checking out my black spots and such they saw that and knew immediately it was cancer. I mentioned that the medical profession might not be doing all they can to make us aware of what all the possibilities look like and they agreed. As a member of the surveying profession I have lost a lot of friends to melanoma, seems to go with the work.
 
Also glad you got it in time.  I'm with you on the long sleeve shirts & most always a wide brimmed hat.  Been doing that for over 20 years.  First  basil skin cancer at age 28 & many more since along with my Dad surviving  two separate occurrences of melanoma makes me take skin cancer very seriously.   Kinda makes me cringe at times seeing the young sun lovers soaking it up with no worries of the future & know there once  went I.

Jay
 
Yes be careful out there! As a long time fly fisher I have spent too many hours standing in a river. Every couple of years I have to have growths frozen off my face. I look nasty for a week or so. Now I only go with long sleeve shirts, a good hat, and lots of SPF 50.
 
There are several types of skin cancers--and then some benign growths.
Although it is rare, Melanomas can be white, pink, rose or purple "Melanomas"= cancers originating in melanocytes which are cells which produce the melanin pigment.

The other types are:

Actinic Keratosis: Precursor to Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Rough, red or pink scaly patches on sun-exposed areas of the skin.

Basal Cell Carcinoma :Raised, pink, waxy bumps that may bleed following minor injury. May have superficial blood vessels and a central depression
Locally invasive. Rarely metastasizes

Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS):Rare, cancer of the cells that line blood vessels (endothelial cells). Clinically: brownish-red to blue colored skin lesions found most frequently on legs and feet Usually associated with HIV infections.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma:Dull red, rough, scaly raised skin lesions
Occur most frequently on sun exposed areas (head, neck, ears, lips, back of the hands and forearms)
 
Steve,

Glad you found it early enough to have a good outcome. BTDT and it does give a person a jolt. Always need to be more careful of that exposure. Even more now, but after a 2 year check every thing was OK. Still get an annual check though, just to be sure. (Still have a hard time wearing a hat.)

Thanks for the reminder.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Back
Top