It’s Most Likely Cancer
It’s difficult to hear regardless of where its found. I most likely have cancer. That’s the part you hear. Yeah, this is skin cancer and the doctor called it a carcenoma, not a melanoma, and it has been caught early so while it is most likely cancer it is also most likely fairly harmless. We’ll find out for sure in a couple of weeks after the lab tests are back.
Still it’s cancer.
I feel so deeply for those who actually have a serious form of the disease. With me I have skin scraped off my arm where a sore has been for an abnormally long time. For them it’s the prelude to serious surgery, subjecting their body to all sorts of toxic chemicals and being illuminated with radiation. All that on top of hearing, “You have cancer.”
About Larry D. Burton
I'm a 55 year old controls engineer who just likes tinkering with stuff.
Finished high school at a local institute of learning. Decided it wasn't a good time to be a healthy, physically fit 18 year old with no college experience. Entered college and started working toward a degree in animal husbandry.
1975-1976
Discoverd that I was not going to be a very good husband of animals so I left school to figure out what I might be good at. A local beverage company took pity on me and paid me to go from place to place making sure their on tap beverages were maintaining their high quality.
1976-1979
Got out of quality control and into vending. Learned about control systems and refrigeration also learned that vending machines are heavy and vending doesn't pay all that well.
In 1977 I found myself married
1979-1981
Dedicated myself to installing and maintaining commercial refrigeration equipment. Found myself on the roof of a local grocery store one night in the middle of an ice storm replacing a compressor and figured it was time to get back into school.
1981-1986
Got my but back into school at night and changed jobs to keep the mechanical and electrical systems of a local coporate hospital in working order. The job expanded to unstopping drains and burning lab samples and amputated body parts.
1986-now
Finished school and took on a job designing, installing and maintaining industrial control systems. Along the way I picked up a bunch of computer skills that became very useful connecting various industrial controllers to one another and moving the data into coporate databases. I now operate Dallas Bay Technologies, a one man shop specializing in technology solutions for industrial problems.
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Those are scary words, Larry, I hope and pray the verdict is as benign as you expect it to be. If so, you can expect long life; my father spent the last twenty years of his life having skin “scraped off” various parts of his scalp and ear lobes. His doctor told him sun damage in his youth likely was the culprit.
Still scary words, though.
Yow. Glad you’ve caught it early.
I know two people going through chemo right now, and another who died of cancer a few years ago, and am both acutely aware of the various subsets and types of cancer, and of the power of the name.
Yowzer indeed.
One of my former childhood friends was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the Uterus. Fortunately, she has terrific health care and a loving husband, but this has to be incredibly rough on her nevertheless. I don’t know if what she has is going to kill her, but I’m most definitely concerned that such will be the case.
Here’s a wild one about me: I started to notice that there was one spot on the left side of my nose that was looking really red and angry, and just happens to coincide to the precise place where the left foot of my glasses sit. You’ve got it. I suspect that it is indeed skin cancer, and I had no idea that skin cancer could be caused by the irritation of glasses for goodness sake.
No, I cannot purchase health care. Believe me when I tell you that the mentally ill can and are marginalized in American society. Compassion no longer exits for such illnesses.
That said, I really do hope that you recover L., and I will be praying that you do as well.
The recovery doesn’t seem to be something to worry about too much. From everything I’m reading at most some more skin may need to be removed. I am touched by everyone’s concern.
Basically my post was about the emotions that were evoked hearing a doctor utter the diagnosis of cancer in regards to the spot on my arm. Growing up this word was only whispered.
No, I fully expect to recover and the only change required for this is keeping my arm inside my car when I’m driving and wearing more long sleeved shirts when I’m outside. Of course I’ll find out more in a couple of weeks.
If I may be so bold, Larry, you’re going to be just fine. You would not believe the number of surgeries my now ancient father has had to pay the price for being in the sun entirely too much in his life.
In the single worst case, last summer, he came to his home with a face that looked as if he had been beaten up, including a lot of stitches that has actually changed his facial appearance at long last, even though he is finally healed up completely from it.
Keeping your arm inside your car is a very small price to pay, and I for one am grateful that this is the case for you.
Haven’t seen an update, Larry. Were the tests encouraging? Probably so, or you would have posted, I expect.
I apologize, Felix. The biopsy came back positive for it being a basal cell carcinoma. A week ago I had the surrounding skin, about the size of a half dollar, removed and stitched up. I go back next week for removal of stitches and follow up. I expect this to be the end of this story.
That sounds like good news. Scary words, “it’s cancer.”
Hope all is smooth sailing from here on in.
Stay well, Larry.