NO FOUR BUT WHOSE COUNTING
At the beginning of the pandemic, right after the lockdown, I noticed a mystery bump on my face that I thought was a giant pimple. When my go-to remedy of egg white failed to shrink it I tried every over-the-counter product on the market. That only made it angry!
After two years of this I noticed it was growing and had a weird looking uneven border. I knew it was time to consult a dermatologist.
He declared it suspicious and it needed to be biopsied. Surgery might be required. "You're going to have a scar," he told me before cutting into my face for the biopsy.
No woman wants to hear that! Unlike men, our appearance is important to us. And I've always been proud of my firm, youthful skin rare among people my age. Plus this was in a noticeable spot; above the corner of my upper right lip and into the crease of my cheek.
Nervously I awaited the biopsy results. I was sure it would be benign. I'd been wearing sunscreen religiously since I was 25 on the advice of a dermatologist. This one said the problem began in childhood before sunscreen was invented, back when everyone believed the sun was healthy, one of the benefits of being raised in Florida.
I recall when I began wearing sunscreen along with broad brim hats; I'd even open an umbrella if the sun became too bright. And I was often ridiculed for being so cautious! I heard remarks such as: "The sun can't hurt you any! That doctor is crazy! He should lose his license for giving you advice like that!" -- Similar to remarks today about the Covid vaccine!
I was shocked when I received the results, it was cancerous, a basal cell carcinoma and I was going to need surgery! My friends were all shocked as well that it happened to ME who had always been so careful.
But my memory was jogged! At age 15 because my natural blonde hair had darkened I took a bottle of lemon juice along with tanning lotion for my skin and sat out in the sun for hours, I was tired of being that pale girl on the beach who was constantly ridiculed in the TV commercials!
Well the lemon juice didn't lighten my hair and when I showed up for school the following Monday I had a new set of freckles all over my face and body. I wince about that now.
Also I believe my trips to Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, and Thailand factored in. All are extremely sunny places and I was outdoors sightseeing, often in boats or on top of elephants. A hat only protected the top half of my face and sunscreen wears off.
Now that surgery was required I'd be left with an even bigger, uglier scar than with the biopsy due to the location. This was an area of the face where the skin gets stretched.
However a scar was still better than the alternative. Thank goodness people were still wearing masks. I'd be needing one more than ever!
My surgery was scheduled for a Wednesday. The Monday before around 8:30 AM I turned on my computer after which I went back into the kitchen to put the breakfast dishes away. From there I heard a boom in my computer room. I soon discovered that I was unable to connect to the internet. And worse; my phone & TV were also out!
I don't own a cellphone. (Yeah I'm THAT person!) So I had to go next door to borrow theirs. ATT wanted to send a repairman over on Wednesday. I informed them I was having surgery then, besides I needed it before that! The doctor's office might need to reach me!
Thursday AM was the best they could do! I was going to be without everything but electricity for 3 miserable days. The last time this happened was well over a decade ago on a 4th of July weekend. My friend Pat (now deceased) who lived in North Florida tried for days to reach me.
Her call came thru while the repairman was here. She told me that had I not picked up, her next call would have been to the police. She feared I'd been murdered!
So now I was soon to undergo surgery and no one would be able to reach me afterward. And all of my friends will think I died!
My friend Marie, unable to contact me came knocking on my door. We sat and had coffee together. I mentioned that the doctor's office might be trying to get in touch with me. She whipped out her cellphone and told me to call them.
Gadzooks! They had been trying to reach me all day! The pathologist was unavailable and my surgery needed to be rescheduled!
Had Marie not come over, I would have gotten up extra early the following morning and driven there only to be sent home!!!
And had I known about this Monday I could have had ATT here and everything would have been restored a day earlier. UGH!!!
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