" yeah, the W A I T I N G is the hardest part". yes i have used this line a time or two in my blogs . thank you, tom petty.

actually, make this the third time. i had a dermatology appointment last week- to have my yearly check up. i knew that i would have to have some places ( actinic keratosis) frozen off. if left untreated, they can turn into squamous cell carcinomas. i had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from my left leg- a year after my thyroid cancer was diagnosed. i was a little nervous going to the dermatologist this time- after all , it has been a year since my breast cancer diagnosis.

call it fate, call it chance, call it darn bad luck, but guess what? i have a squamous cell carcinoma on my face. the dermatologist is pretty sure that it is squamous cell again, but we are waiting on the results from the biopsy. yes, W A I T I N G. my dermatologist removed the" place", but he said that if the biopsy does indeed confirm the squamous cell, i have to go back to see the special plastic surgeon dermatologist in the practice. the plastic surgeon  does a procedure where he cuts a little, sends you in the waiting room, looks for clear margins, maybe cuts a little more, etc. then sews you up.  my doctor said that it would take anywhere from 8 to 10 days to get the initial biopsy results back. i know this is not thyroid cancer. i know this is not breast cancer, but waiting for biopsy results is getting to be something that i am tired of doing !

i wear sunscreen, i wear hats, but this damage occurred when i was younger, and not as cautious about sun exposure. it is also in that tender place between your eye and nose. i am wondering, since i know two other people who have had a squamous cell removed from the exact same location, if there is something we are doing wrong. i have thought  perhaps , when we apply sunscreen, we do not apply enough ( or any) to this area because we are afraid of getting some in our eye(s)? it does burn if you get it in your eye, by the way.

as luck would also have it, i had to work this past saturday. i had prepared my fellow peeps about my appearance. i have several red areas on my face, as well as the ubiquitous "spot" band aid that dermatologists seem to be so fond of. no way to prepare the customers, though. i wore my biggest frame reading glasses, but even that did not seem to help. as i said in a facebook post last week, i just told my customers that i got into a fight with my dermatologist and he won.

besides wearing sun screen and hats, we should all be diligent about our skin. i think almost everyone should have a skin check once a year. and of course, if you see something that looks different, appears suddenly, has an irregular shape or color , go see the dermatologist right away. if you have had any kind of cancer, your immune system is weakened. this is especially true if you have had to undergo chemotherapy, radiation, or the RAI-131 treatment.

i will of course report back as to what i found out. until then, we will all be waiting.........