survival of the fittest

yesterday was my fourth surgery of the year. i'm getting really good at this.

a few weeks ago i was diagnosed with melanoma (or skin cancer). a couple of years ago i had noticed a light brown freckle that was a bit bigger and irregular shaped over my right eyebrow area. it looked like just a freckle so i didn't have it checked out. didn't have insurance at the time.

finally went in and they did a biopsy and confirmed melanoma. have spent the last couple weeks going thru a series of tests, a PET, CT, lymphocytograph, chest xray, blood draw.

it was determined by my surgeon to remove any remaining cancerous cells and also remove the sentinel lymph node in my neck.

i'm still sedated and feeling drowsy but my appetite is excellent and i'm looking forward to getting thru a restful day and enjoying sleep again tonight. the surgery was a breeze..i remember vaguely falling asleep then waking up and the first thing i asked the nurse is if my shoulder still worked (there is risk of nerve injury which would have made it difficult to surf). James drove me home , we had a good dinner , walked around waikiki a bit and then retired to my living room to rest.

There is a long row of stitches under my right jawline. he did a great job sewing me up though, nice and straight. The incision on my forehead is a little less fortunate..forehead is swollen and i have a black eye on the top. Because the stitches pulled skin around, my eyebrow is noticeably lifted..doc says it will come back down as the stitches are removed and the skin relaxes. he also promised to fix it if it doesnt settle back in properly. i dont want to run around looking surprised all the time. i may end up getting a free brow lift to the other side . gotta love when plastic surgery is deemed medically necessary. he can take a few eye wrinkles out while he's there.

anyways, i'm going to keep bugging people to check their skin and stay on top of things. melanoma is fast growing and deadly. early detection saves lives, nevi, or moles, are very common but it's a good idea to be checked out by a dermatologist so any potential problem can be caught.

am going back to sleep