Christmas Eve I came down with some kind of illness. Christmas Day was pretty miserable. Since then I’ve gone from feeling better to worse to better and back and forth. So I finally broke down and went to the doctor today to get some meds. Got shot full of some steroids, antibiotics, and cough medicine.
While listening to my breathing I noticed the nurse practitioner staring at the spot on my nose. It’s a sore that started innocently enough as a scratch but hasn’t gone away in 6 months. After looking in my ear, he held the light up to it, asked how long I’d had it and says, “You need to have that removed. Its cancer. Basal cell.” Then he went on to describe the meds I was getting.
My first thought was, did he just gloss over that? Cancer? Like its an after thought? I had my suspicions (which is probably why I haven’t had it checked sooner), but his diagnosis was very casual. Now, I’m not all worked up about it. It’s a minor skin problem. I’ve had friends diagnosed with cancer that required invasive treatment and therapies. I’ve known people that have died from cancer.
Mine is nothing like that, and I don’t pretend to know what they feel. But for just that split second as the words passed his lips, I think I felt that tinge of emotion from everyone that hears “its cancer”. My dad has had two removed from his forehead and is fine. Mostly, I am not looking forward to the hassle of having it removed and knowing that it will follow me on insurance forms forever. That’s what really gets me!
And thanks to friends and coworkers that have told me I need to have it checked. As uncomfortable as that may be, it is appreciated. So if you know someone that has a strange looking spot, tell them to get it checked. You can’t have it looked at too soon!
