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Happy new year? I sure hope so
7 years ago
General
Hi Guys,
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season... I personally am VERY glad it's just about over. Work has been waves of either nothing at all to do, or complete insanity at the drop of a hat but we've been getting through it all and getting things done as need be so I guess thats a good thing.
Things for me personally have been typical... fighting off my depressed feelings and loneliness as best as I can. It's really not easy but I have to try. Having days off in the middle of the week have been hard because I have to get certain things done that can only be done on my days off so I haven't been able to go to the Wed meets like i've wanted to. It makes it kinda hard tho since I WANT to be sociable but just can't get there, and to be honest there has been a bit of drama about finding a new place to meet up since Tex Mex transferred ownership and i've been kinda reserved about my opinions on it since i'm really not there as much anymore. I'm sure something else will come up but i'm really staying out of the arguments.
Health wise has been... not so good.
I am still fighting the occasional pain from the kidney problem from last Feb with no major stones but quite often having discomfort. I'm still being treated for it and have to see what happens from this. I've been really hesitant to say it but I have bigger problems to worry about now.
A few weeks ago I went to a dermatologist to have a nuisance mole removed from the side of my head that was getting cut every time I shaved. The Dr was extremely nice and very thorough with her exam since i've never had a so called head to toe exam before. She found a few blemishes and some annoying skin tags ( that were easily removed btw ) but she found a legion on my back that I had absolutely no idea was even there. She was greatly concerned about it because of it's appearance and she convinced me to have a biopsy done on it to see what it is. After a little over a week I got the phone call about the results and the mole on my head was a simple mass of blood vessels so nothing to worry about there.. the one on my back however... came back positive as a cancerous melanoma. Needless to say I was greatly shocked at this result and we discussed it at great length to see if there may have been some mistake, but the results spoke volumes and confirmed it to me. The Dr was very good in describing the treatment of this type of issue and i'm expected to be going under the knife in Feb.
It was explained to me that the procedure is to remove a section around the area that may have cancer cells in it, usually about 4" in diameter according to the dr. The skin is then stretched over the surgery site to cover it up without the need for grafting. The big thing is that this area is very pliable for movement of the arm and I will need to have my arm immobilized while it heals so the stitches cannot tear, so that means no work. lifting and carrying heavy items, and even sleeping may be hampered while it heals. Any follow up treatment will depend on several factors that can only be determined at the time of the procedure and will depend on many things such as if it has spread deeper than anticipated or if there are any other complications hiding in there.
Until now I have only told a few close and trusted furfriends about this because TBH I really didn't want to worry anyone about this or to seek out any sort of sympathy from anyone... you should all know thats really not my style, but I MAY need some help as time goes on since i'll be out of work on disability and all while this heals. I'm hopeful that I can go camping this year since I missed out last year because of being in the hospital but i'm playing it by ear at this point until I know exactly whats going to happen.
So please... don't fret about me... i'm sure things will be fine... either way i'll keep everyone updated as much as possible.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season... I personally am VERY glad it's just about over. Work has been waves of either nothing at all to do, or complete insanity at the drop of a hat but we've been getting through it all and getting things done as need be so I guess thats a good thing.
Things for me personally have been typical... fighting off my depressed feelings and loneliness as best as I can. It's really not easy but I have to try. Having days off in the middle of the week have been hard because I have to get certain things done that can only be done on my days off so I haven't been able to go to the Wed meets like i've wanted to. It makes it kinda hard tho since I WANT to be sociable but just can't get there, and to be honest there has been a bit of drama about finding a new place to meet up since Tex Mex transferred ownership and i've been kinda reserved about my opinions on it since i'm really not there as much anymore. I'm sure something else will come up but i'm really staying out of the arguments.
Health wise has been... not so good.
I am still fighting the occasional pain from the kidney problem from last Feb with no major stones but quite often having discomfort. I'm still being treated for it and have to see what happens from this. I've been really hesitant to say it but I have bigger problems to worry about now.
A few weeks ago I went to a dermatologist to have a nuisance mole removed from the side of my head that was getting cut every time I shaved. The Dr was extremely nice and very thorough with her exam since i've never had a so called head to toe exam before. She found a few blemishes and some annoying skin tags ( that were easily removed btw ) but she found a legion on my back that I had absolutely no idea was even there. She was greatly concerned about it because of it's appearance and she convinced me to have a biopsy done on it to see what it is. After a little over a week I got the phone call about the results and the mole on my head was a simple mass of blood vessels so nothing to worry about there.. the one on my back however... came back positive as a cancerous melanoma. Needless to say I was greatly shocked at this result and we discussed it at great length to see if there may have been some mistake, but the results spoke volumes and confirmed it to me. The Dr was very good in describing the treatment of this type of issue and i'm expected to be going under the knife in Feb.
It was explained to me that the procedure is to remove a section around the area that may have cancer cells in it, usually about 4" in diameter according to the dr. The skin is then stretched over the surgery site to cover it up without the need for grafting. The big thing is that this area is very pliable for movement of the arm and I will need to have my arm immobilized while it heals so the stitches cannot tear, so that means no work. lifting and carrying heavy items, and even sleeping may be hampered while it heals. Any follow up treatment will depend on several factors that can only be determined at the time of the procedure and will depend on many things such as if it has spread deeper than anticipated or if there are any other complications hiding in there.
Until now I have only told a few close and trusted furfriends about this because TBH I really didn't want to worry anyone about this or to seek out any sort of sympathy from anyone... you should all know thats really not my style, but I MAY need some help as time goes on since i'll be out of work on disability and all while this heals. I'm hopeful that I can go camping this year since I missed out last year because of being in the hospital but i'm playing it by ear at this point until I know exactly whats going to happen.
So please... don't fret about me... i'm sure things will be fine... either way i'll keep everyone updated as much as possible.
That sucks that you have melanoma, but at least it was caught relatively early and by February it'll hopefully all be removed easily and you'll recover fast! Melanoma sucks, but it is common enough that removing it is a pretty straight-forward procedure. I'm here cheering for ya!
Also, I have no clue what kinda drama is going on with the meeting stuff, but hopefully people can learn to be adults and sort that shizz out, and you can hopefully make it out again! I've never been to a meeting thing so I have no clue what they're like, but I imagine they would be pretty fun.
Still I hope all goes well for you in 2019.