December Chapter 2

As if there isn't enough to do in December with Christmas, Recruiting, Recitals, Shopping, Decorating, Traveling, Bowl preparation. Our insurance was offering NO COPAYS for preventative care until the 12/31/08. So while we were out to ice cream with friends I asked Dr. Ross if there was a chance to be seen before the end of the year. He had me come in the next day. After checking my entire body he took one mole approximately the size of this capitalized O. He told me the pigment is too dark so he was going to take it. Two stitches later I was back to the hustle and bustle of December. Two days later Dr. Ross (Better know as Jay's friend Ron) was on the phone with Jay at about 9:30pm. As they finish their conversation, he asked to talk to me and informed me that the mole they had take was in fact Melanoma. The worst of the skin cancers. The good news was they caught incredibly early. If a Melanoma mole is 1 millimeter deep they start to worry about it being in your lymphnoids. A scary place for cancer to go. Fortunately my mole was only .18mm deep and would have to have been almost 6 times larger to have that worry about my lymphnoids, BUT even though the sample they took showed they had cut it all out, they had to go back in and cut more out. By doing this they have a found a higher success rate. So a few days later we went in for surgery. Jay was able to come for almost the entire procedure. I was very proud to have been able to control my rocking to a minimum. Compared to the last time I had stitches and Jay had to hold me down, by the Dr's request. Unfortunately I did lose it that night after I showered and pass out on Jay. Hopefully by the time Jacob breaks a leg or needs stitches, I will not be such a wuss.

You can see in the picture they had to take A LOT. I think he said there were over 35 stitches. So now I have years of regular 4 month check ups and a yearly x ray to make sure it doesn't show up anywhere else.

BUT the purpose of this Chapter is to "invite" "encourage" "scare" everyone into getting checked and putting time on your side. I know a great Dr....

Dr. Rustin Ross
Salt Lake Clinic
Appts 535-8157