A few months ago I noticed what I thought was a spider bite on my right arm. I get them now and then thanks to the bugs here, and they always heal with no problem. Only the spider bite didn't heal, and became a puffy lesion. I then assumed it was a patch of psoraisis, to which I'm also occasionally prone.
Although I disinfected it and wore bandages to keep it clean every day, the lesion wouldn't heal. It also seemed very fragile; I tore it open twice with only the slightest of bumps. Since I have had skin cancer in the past I made an appointment with the dermatologist to have it checked. When she looked at it she agreed it was worrisome, and did a biopsy.
After that all I had to do was wait for the test results. The days dragged. I was ready for it to be cancer, as I rarely have good luck with such things. I've handled a lot of health issues in the last few years, so it's hard not to expect bad news. At length the call came in from my doctor, who said the test results came back negative for cancer. The lesion is simply a benign growth.
Now the damn thing is finally healing, ironically. Still, I will feel a little lucky this time, and remember to be grateful.
2 comments:
Anything like that is scary! I've had to reset my dermatologist appointment three times now because of other things that came up and I'm hoping I can get into this one. We had to have Murphy's toe removed last Monday for a growth that wouldn't stop bleeding and after 7 weeks of trying, I gave up. She had to take the entire toe and sent the whole thing out for testing. I'm really hoping it's not cancer. No one is immune, so I'm glad yours came back benign.
Part of getting older is constantly finding some new growth or lesion. I'm betting yours took so long to heal because of your diabetes. Greg is the same way. His injuries take a very long time to heal. That's one reason we're worried about his knee replacement. Who knows how long that incision is going to take to heal.
Right now, he's in a lot of pain. Neither of us have had much sleep since he needs help getting to the bathroom or even turning in bed. At least the dogs have been remarkably well behaved and keeping their distance as he struggles to walk.
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