Well, it's Decemeber. November went out with it's seasonal gusto. This time of year is always hard for me as I know that the anniversary of my dad's passing approaches; it will be 3 years on January 1. But this holiday season was met with even more of a sullen attitude as my grandmother passed on November 10, just a little over a month ago. Being without my best friend and prayer warrior is making this a particularly difficult season to celebrate with all the dazzle and flair one may expect in these weeks. I'm perhaps feeling more thankful than usual, and want to encourage others to really consider the holidays as a time to give back. There are so many amazingly wonderful causes I support and that many of you support year round. I want to address one in particular today: the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Last month was Lung Cancer Awareness month, but really awareness is not confined to one month, as I have in past blogs mentioned when talking about my journey with Melanoma Skin Cancer. I want to talk about Mesothelioma because all of my grandparents were at some point affected by asbestos, and I'm sure everyone out there knows someone also affected. Did you know, however, that this is one disease that is 100% preventable??
Emily from the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance was helpful and kind enough to provide me with some facts that may surprise you. For starters, did you know that asbestos is still not banned in the United States?? Roughly 30 million (yes, million) pounds are still used every year. Think of all the contact our loved ones may make with this carcinogenic source, and how it could be prevented. Yes, again, this cancer is preventable under ideal circumstances. Asbestos fibers are invisible to the naked eye, so the best bet against exposure is for overall banned usage.
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Fight Like a Girl Pt. 3
For those of you that have been following my journey with melanoma this is part 3 of 3 of the story I had originally set out to share. Recovery at home after surgery was thankfully pretty comfortable. After day 2 of the excision procedure I was okay when I first came back home, then again I was also still numb from the local anesthetic. My best took off work to take me since the permanent roommate had a whole to do at work and they wouldn't let him leave, but that is a long story in itself and I'm over it at this point. So we watched Silver Linings Playbook and crashed on the couch. My pain level was okay and I believe I did take a dose of pain meds. Hours later when my husband was getting home he walked in to find me kneeled in the floor hanging onto the couch, pretty much writhing in pain. Needless to say, more pain meds, as would be the trend for the coming week. I took about a week off work to recover. My job involves a lot of up and down arm movements and my incision is on my upper left side towards my back, I needed to make sure I was able to function well enough to go back . Even after returning to work I had moments where I felt I just couldn't lift like I used to. Over the coming weeks it subsided but I still feel a burning sensation over the scar area from time to time, which only calls to mind Harry Potter and his lighting bolt scar that burned whenever he-who-must-not-be-named was near.
About a week after my surgery I went back in to have that top layer of stitches out, as the bottom 2 layers would dissolve on their own in those coming 6-8 weeks. Removing the stitches was actually painless, although I hear that can vary person to person.
I'm left with this scar now, about 6 inches in length. The doctor compared its healing to that of a cat scratch. It looks more like a lion got of hold me, but a lion is a cat indeed. I look in the mirror at that scar time to time and I can feel the tears building in my eyes. It is a flaw, and I think of how in attractive it must appear to others, as it did to me. I say did rather than the present tense of does because I look at it now not only as a reminder of everything it represents but also it's just plain bad ass, really, you should see it. I earned that scar, I pretty literally fought for it. I beat cancer. And you know what, I've never seen my husband ogle at it or even give the slightest indication it bothered him in any way shape or form. That's amazing to me. And if anyone else thought it as unappealing then that's solely their problem. It's a mark of survival and a mark of pride, which are some of the reasons I've opted not to have any laser treatments done. I might try some drugstore products meant to lighten scars and such but that would be the extent of that.
I had my second body check (first one since the surgery) last month and they didn't have to biopsy anything and the dermatologist wasn't concerned about anything this visit. My next scheduled visit is in December so I'll just keep hoping for more great results!!
And just to be 100% clear, I actually haven't tanned at all since January!! I haven't even spray tanned. I just again want to urge everyone to avoid tanning beds and prolonged sun exposure before you have to learn your lesson the way I did. Opt for sunless tanning or bronzers. Your skin will thank you now, 10 years from now and for life!! And in reality I'd rather be pale and look young into my years, than be tan, leathery and aged!!! I always feel like I'm missing a talking point or two when I tell of a story over extended time, so if there seems like a big blank exists in my account just let me know so I can accommodate any answers to other questions.
I do hope everyone had a fabulous summer now that fall is upon us. Autumn is my favorite season, which comes as no surprise to those who know me personally. Starbucks seasonal drinks, cute clothes, boots, Halloween, my anniversary...and so much more!!
XO,
J <3.
About a week after my surgery I went back in to have that top layer of stitches out, as the bottom 2 layers would dissolve on their own in those coming 6-8 weeks. Removing the stitches was actually painless, although I hear that can vary person to person.
I'm left with this scar now, about 6 inches in length. The doctor compared its healing to that of a cat scratch. It looks more like a lion got of hold me, but a lion is a cat indeed. I look in the mirror at that scar time to time and I can feel the tears building in my eyes. It is a flaw, and I think of how in attractive it must appear to others, as it did to me. I say did rather than the present tense of does because I look at it now not only as a reminder of everything it represents but also it's just plain bad ass, really, you should see it. I earned that scar, I pretty literally fought for it. I beat cancer. And you know what, I've never seen my husband ogle at it or even give the slightest indication it bothered him in any way shape or form. That's amazing to me. And if anyone else thought it as unappealing then that's solely their problem. It's a mark of survival and a mark of pride, which are some of the reasons I've opted not to have any laser treatments done. I might try some drugstore products meant to lighten scars and such but that would be the extent of that.
I had my second body check (first one since the surgery) last month and they didn't have to biopsy anything and the dermatologist wasn't concerned about anything this visit. My next scheduled visit is in December so I'll just keep hoping for more great results!!
And just to be 100% clear, I actually haven't tanned at all since January!! I haven't even spray tanned. I just again want to urge everyone to avoid tanning beds and prolonged sun exposure before you have to learn your lesson the way I did. Opt for sunless tanning or bronzers. Your skin will thank you now, 10 years from now and for life!! And in reality I'd rather be pale and look young into my years, than be tan, leathery and aged!!! I always feel like I'm missing a talking point or two when I tell of a story over extended time, so if there seems like a big blank exists in my account just let me know so I can accommodate any answers to other questions.
I do hope everyone had a fabulous summer now that fall is upon us. Autumn is my favorite season, which comes as no surprise to those who know me personally. Starbucks seasonal drinks, cute clothes, boots, Halloween, my anniversary...and so much more!!
XO,
J <3.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Fight Like a Girl, Pt. II
If you haven't read part 1 you might want to read that first... Picking up where I left off... On May 24 I had day 1 of 2 of my excision procedure. I went in full of anxiety despite the valium I had taken prior. My sister works at the office, as I mentioned before, so luckily she was able to come back with me and take me home that day. The first day was not as bad as I expected, they referred to it as a "glorified biopsy". They used local anesthetic injections and removed what appeared to be a silver dollar size amount of skin from the melanoma site. That sample was rushed to a pathology lab to check for clear margins and other things. They cauterized the area and packed it with bandaging to last me until the next morning when part two of the procedure was to be performed. To be honest I was not in a great deal of pain that day, just nervous for day 2.
My best friend took off work to come with me day 2 ((because of my husband's new work contact they wouldn't allow him the time off to come with me either day)). We got three and they told me all the margins from the area removed came back clear, meaning they got all the melanoma from the site. Good news. I had taken 2 valium before this procedure, but being numbed with the local anesthetic is still no walk in the park. Its lots of multiple little behind sticks that burn!! They even played John Mayer on Pandora to help relax me. When she began to make the incision (they have to remove an additional perimeter of the area as precaution), part of the anesthesia didn't take so I actually felt the scalpel!!! Yes, it hurt. I cannot express that enough. So, more anesthetic sticks. So, forthe rest of the removal I got along fairly well. Then as she went to cauterize I started feeling the burn again, and that combined with the smell of burning flesh... No good. So, more anesthetic. Next was the stitches, I hadvs row of 7 and a 2nd row of 9 stitches that would dissolve in time. I also had to have a third row of stitches... The long continuous stitch kind, that would be taken out about a week later. Again, when she started the last line of stitches I was feeling things again, cue more anesthetic. But, I did make it through. Thank you Jesus.
After a lot of bandaging and administering of after care information and scheduling of follow up appointments I was able to go home, cancer free!!
Luckily I have an amazing best friend who was able to keep me company the rest of the day, because the road of recovery was just beginning.
((part 3 coming soon))
Be safe in the sun guys!! You'll be doing yourself a favor, believe me!!
XO,
J.
My best friend took off work to come with me day 2 ((because of my husband's new work contact they wouldn't allow him the time off to come with me either day)). We got three and they told me all the margins from the area removed came back clear, meaning they got all the melanoma from the site. Good news. I had taken 2 valium before this procedure, but being numbed with the local anesthetic is still no walk in the park. Its lots of multiple little behind sticks that burn!! They even played John Mayer on Pandora to help relax me. When she began to make the incision (they have to remove an additional perimeter of the area as precaution), part of the anesthesia didn't take so I actually felt the scalpel!!! Yes, it hurt. I cannot express that enough. So, more anesthetic sticks. So, forthe rest of the removal I got along fairly well. Then as she went to cauterize I started feeling the burn again, and that combined with the smell of burning flesh... No good. So, more anesthetic. Next was the stitches, I hadvs row of 7 and a 2nd row of 9 stitches that would dissolve in time. I also had to have a third row of stitches... The long continuous stitch kind, that would be taken out about a week later. Again, when she started the last line of stitches I was feeling things again, cue more anesthetic. But, I did make it through. Thank you Jesus.
After a lot of bandaging and administering of after care information and scheduling of follow up appointments I was able to go home, cancer free!!
Luckily I have an amazing best friend who was able to keep me company the rest of the day, because the road of recovery was just beginning.
((part 3 coming soon))
Be safe in the sun guys!! You'll be doing yourself a favor, believe me!!
XO,
J.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Fight Like A Girl, Part I.
I have been wanting to put this out for a while now...as in earlier posts I alluded, I actually had quite the legitimate reason for being more absent minded with posts, other than my usual "was just too busy" excuse(s). On April 23, 2013 I found out I had melanoma skin cancer. Yes, cancer... And the most serious of skin cancers at that. I'm 28. I'm young. Yet, I, with youth on my side, was not immune to cancer.
Let's back up a little... I had been tanning in tanning beds for like 12 years. This, although vain on my part, was not an everyday thing, but it was a part of my usual routine. For like the last 4 or 5 years I even had the actual membership that automatically withdrewv money from my bank account every month. Well, this past January I had a hold put on my membership because I thought I was pregnant and I didn't want to risk roasting a little embryo. Turns out I wasn't pregnant, which actually turned out to be a positive thing since I was about to endure so much. Anyway, as I began to get paler and paler from lack of tanning, I began noticing more and more patches of freckles and little moles here and there. There was one mole I noticed on my left side, sort of near my back. It was no bigger than the diameter of a pencil eraser, if that, and certainly wasn't immediately alarming in color or anything to my naked eye. My ocd self wouldn't let me forget it was there so I showed it to my sister who works at a dermatologist office. She didn't really think it was anything but told me she would get me set up with an appointment to have things looked over.
I was at the dermatologist withina few days and they of course checked the spot out more closely. She decided to punch biopsy (you can google that for procedure details... Ouch!). She also told me I shouldn't lose any sleep over things, which is pretty hard to tell a severe anxiety sufferer to do!! A few days later, while I was getting ready to leave work, I get a phone call from the head doctor telling me not to panic but I needed to see a surgical oncologist because I had melanoma cancer. How can you use the words "don't panic" and "cancer" in the same sentence?! I hear the word cancer and panic ensues. I don't even remember how the rest of that conversation went, I just remember calling my mom and my husband crying"I have cancer, I have cancer!!". How I made it home that day crying like I was, I have no idea!! Thanks be to God... For everything.
After medication induced calmnessv set in I was able to get more information/clarification. The melanoma was caught very early (thank you God...and never have I been so glad to have ocd) but yes, surgery was still necessary. The margins were clear depth wise but surgery was necessary to remove the width, plus an additional perimeter amount as precaution. I heard back from the doctor the next day (thank God my sister and friends work at this office, they really helped my treatment get expedited and took great care of me... They are amazing and I am truly blessed/forever grateful)... She had talked to the surgical oncologist and he agreed that my doctor was just as capable to perform the excision procedure as a 2 day procedure, under local anesthesia, as he was doing the same thing under general anesthesia in one day. I was so relieved to hear this, as anesthesia scares me. So, my surgery was scheduled for a Thursday and Friday last month, in May.
** part II will go up soon!!**
DID YOU KNOW that using a tanning bed can increase your risk of melanoma by up to 80%?!!!
I was so naive about my tanning habits, I cannot even believe I brought this on myself. Its amazing how we, as a society, can put vanity before our health. I, of course, will never use a tanning bed again, and I'm very careful about being in the sun in general. I'm amazed at how many people have reached out to me to say that my story has made them quit tanning too!! I feel touched that I can affect others through sharing my story; I'm very big on skin cancer advocacy now. We need to take care of ourselves and look out for each other whenever we can.
XO,
J <3.
Let's back up a little... I had been tanning in tanning beds for like 12 years. This, although vain on my part, was not an everyday thing, but it was a part of my usual routine. For like the last 4 or 5 years I even had the actual membership that automatically withdrewv money from my bank account every month. Well, this past January I had a hold put on my membership because I thought I was pregnant and I didn't want to risk roasting a little embryo. Turns out I wasn't pregnant, which actually turned out to be a positive thing since I was about to endure so much. Anyway, as I began to get paler and paler from lack of tanning, I began noticing more and more patches of freckles and little moles here and there. There was one mole I noticed on my left side, sort of near my back. It was no bigger than the diameter of a pencil eraser, if that, and certainly wasn't immediately alarming in color or anything to my naked eye. My ocd self wouldn't let me forget it was there so I showed it to my sister who works at a dermatologist office. She didn't really think it was anything but told me she would get me set up with an appointment to have things looked over.
I was at the dermatologist withina few days and they of course checked the spot out more closely. She decided to punch biopsy (you can google that for procedure details... Ouch!). She also told me I shouldn't lose any sleep over things, which is pretty hard to tell a severe anxiety sufferer to do!! A few days later, while I was getting ready to leave work, I get a phone call from the head doctor telling me not to panic but I needed to see a surgical oncologist because I had melanoma cancer. How can you use the words "don't panic" and "cancer" in the same sentence?! I hear the word cancer and panic ensues. I don't even remember how the rest of that conversation went, I just remember calling my mom and my husband crying"I have cancer, I have cancer!!". How I made it home that day crying like I was, I have no idea!! Thanks be to God... For everything.
After medication induced calmnessv set in I was able to get more information/clarification. The melanoma was caught very early (thank you God...and never have I been so glad to have ocd) but yes, surgery was still necessary. The margins were clear depth wise but surgery was necessary to remove the width, plus an additional perimeter amount as precaution. I heard back from the doctor the next day (thank God my sister and friends work at this office, they really helped my treatment get expedited and took great care of me... They are amazing and I am truly blessed/forever grateful)... She had talked to the surgical oncologist and he agreed that my doctor was just as capable to perform the excision procedure as a 2 day procedure, under local anesthesia, as he was doing the same thing under general anesthesia in one day. I was so relieved to hear this, as anesthesia scares me. So, my surgery was scheduled for a Thursday and Friday last month, in May.
** part II will go up soon!!**
DID YOU KNOW that using a tanning bed can increase your risk of melanoma by up to 80%?!!!
I was so naive about my tanning habits, I cannot even believe I brought this on myself. Its amazing how we, as a society, can put vanity before our health. I, of course, will never use a tanning bed again, and I'm very careful about being in the sun in general. I'm amazed at how many people have reached out to me to say that my story has made them quit tanning too!! I feel touched that I can affect others through sharing my story; I'm very big on skin cancer advocacy now. We need to take care of ourselves and look out for each other whenever we can.
XO,
J <3.
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