my public service announcement for the month
Call it skin cancer awareness day.
I need to pay more attention to my skin, and keep reminding myself to use sunblock. I mean, I do live in Florida, and it's pretty damn sunny here most of the year. They don't call it the Sunshine State for nuthin'. Therefore, with tons of sunshine comes lots of vitamin D, and skin cancer.
A few years ago, I had this spot on my nose that would get rough when I spent lots of time in the sun. Occasionally it'd form a scab, so finally, I took myself to the dermatologist. He told me it wasn't cancerous, yet. If I left it untreated it could get that way, so he prescribed a creme that I put on the spot for a month. It got all nasty looking, but once the month was over...all good again. haven't had a problem with it since.
Now, I have the same deal going with a spot on my ear. Even when I remember to use sunblock, when it's sunny out and I go bike riding, that spot gets rough. It has, on occasion, formed a scab. I had a dermatologist at the health fair last fall look at it, and got the same story I got with my nose. It's not a cancer issue yet, but it could be if I ignore it. That guy was at the health fair, but he's not covered by my insurance. We get our health care through the wife's job instead of mine, so it's a different set of doctors. I needed to get an appointment with someone my insurance would pay for. Tomorrow morning, that happens.
If you have one of those spots that you wonder about...get it looked at. In situations like this, it's so preventable, skin cancer would be a really stupid way to die.
I need to pay more attention to my skin, and keep reminding myself to use sunblock. I mean, I do live in Florida, and it's pretty damn sunny here most of the year. They don't call it the Sunshine State for nuthin'. Therefore, with tons of sunshine comes lots of vitamin D, and skin cancer.
A few years ago, I had this spot on my nose that would get rough when I spent lots of time in the sun. Occasionally it'd form a scab, so finally, I took myself to the dermatologist. He told me it wasn't cancerous, yet. If I left it untreated it could get that way, so he prescribed a creme that I put on the spot for a month. It got all nasty looking, but once the month was over...all good again. haven't had a problem with it since.
Now, I have the same deal going with a spot on my ear. Even when I remember to use sunblock, when it's sunny out and I go bike riding, that spot gets rough. It has, on occasion, formed a scab. I had a dermatologist at the health fair last fall look at it, and got the same story I got with my nose. It's not a cancer issue yet, but it could be if I ignore it. That guy was at the health fair, but he's not covered by my insurance. We get our health care through the wife's job instead of mine, so it's a different set of doctors. I needed to get an appointment with someone my insurance would pay for. Tomorrow morning, that happens.
If you have one of those spots that you wonder about...get it looked at. In situations like this, it's so preventable, skin cancer would be a really stupid way to die.
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John put this out here at 9:29 AM
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