Shoulda Woulda Coulda...

So I've spent another day doing nothing but searching the Internet and feeling sorry for myself. Don't judge me. I have a right! I did wash the dogs today so at least I did one thing productive - 2 things since I have 2 dogs!


Mom fixed supper tonight and her cousin Evelyn and my brother Ryan ate with us. Watched Big Bang Theory - love that show, and now I'm back to Googling melanoma. I must be a masochist!!


I wanted to explain a little further how my melanoma journey began. I don't know exactly when but, sometime in January 2012 I noticed that a mole on my right butt cheek, that I've had for as long as I can remember, seemed different. I think the color was a little different and it was a little more raised. Before this it had always been brown and looked flat but I know if you ran your finger over it it was a little raised. Had always been like that. I vaguely thought that maybe I had irritated it somehow. I really didn't dwell on it too much but at some point on or before January 28, 2012 it must have started worrying me a little because I took a picture of it. However, after that I forgot about it again.


Then the last full weekend in February my sister, Wendy, was down from Orlando. By that time it had changed drastically. It now was very raised and seemed larger around. It was also pink and crusty/flaky/scaly looking. Sort of looked like a big irritated wart. I showed it to my sister and mentioned I was a little worried about it but hadn't made a dermatologist appointment yet. It was a local "holiday" weekend in town and we were busy having fun and she didn't really pay much attention when I showed her, just agreed I needed to get it checked. 


Sometime in the next week or so, I did make the appointment. I also took another picture March 17, 2012 - 12 days before I saw my dermatologist. Of course by then it was too late to catch it early. I played ostrich for about 2 months. It doesn't seem like that is a long time to some but that just goes to show how fast melanoma can pop up. It's a nasty little thing and sometimes it grows very very fast and other times very very slow. 


Pictures


These are the ones I took on or before January 28, 2012. 



This is the one that I took of the same mole on March 17, 2012:


If there's anything that I've learned it's- GO TO THE DOCTOR AS SOON AS YOU NOTICE SOMETHING DIFFERENT. If it makes you do a double take or go hmmm - then get it looked at!


Tootles!