Author: DOuG pRATt

Another selfie of a wound already? Yesterday afternoon I was in the backyard cutting down some overgrown brush. This morning I noticed something on my side. It felt strange, so I went to the bathroom to see what it was. A tick! I grabbed my fine-point tweezers and grabbed the little sucker. It was latched on tight, but I pulled him out with a firm yank and this was the result.

We have deer roaming in the yard every so often. Here’s hoping I don’t contract Lyme Disease.

Somebody declared May to be Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and in keeping with that I am having a full epidermis check in a couple of weeks. Today has been designated as Melanoma Monday.

As previously reported here, I was diagnosed with melanoma on my scalp, adding injury to the insult of being bald since my 20’s. In January the cancer was removed by a dermatologist who performed a procedure called “Slow Mohs.” If I were John Oliver I would say, “That’s what you see when watching the last movies made by the Three Stooges.”

I will spare you the horror of seeing how the wound looked at its worst. Here’s a picture of what it looks like now, four months later.

That small yellowish spot was the center of the cancer, where the deepest cut was made. It’s been getting smaller, but was still open until just yesterday. Only today is it finally starting to close up.

The stubble shows how far the plastic surgeon had to pull up the skin to repair the wound, making the hairline uneven compared to the other side of my head. I’ve been shaving it, not that anybody sees me in public anymore without a cap.

So beware of the Sun! It is essential for life, but like those other necessities, air and water, it can also be destructive.