funny in a sick sort of way

[Guest guest]

I have to tell a funny story. Some will think I'm sick to find humor but it's

better than crying. I went in to my pcp on Wednesday afternoon. We needed to

talk about my low blood counts and potassium from when I was in the hospital

Friday. I also had three things I'd been meaning to bring up (some for years)

and kept forgetting. We talked about my blood counts and stuff. He put me on

ferrous sulfate 325 mg a day (boy, that should stop me up), changed me to a

potassium sparing BP med. He said he thinks the low blood counts are simply

from poor nutrition and as soon as we can get what's causing the pain/nausea

corrected I'll be fine nutritionally.

Anyway, the other three things were

1. I've had problems with slightly ingrown toenails on the big toes of both

feet. I'd mentioned it to him in the hospital and he said he needed to go in

and remove a tiny bit of both sides of my big toes. He had said he'd want to do

an antibiotic for a few days prior as they almost looked infected. In the

meantime, I'd done a little surgery on my own and used antibiotic ointment for a

few days. He said they looked better (no infection) so he didn't think we

needed an antibiotic but that we did need to take off some of the tonails before

they got bad again. However, he said he wouldn't do it while I'm on coumadin.

I'd have to come off for a few days. He also said, the toes could be done by

the surgeon when I have surgery if the surgeon would do it.

2. I have had this cyst kind of thing on the back of my head for over 20 years.

At one point, about 11 years ago, he was going to remove it cause it had begun

hurting and there was such pressure I thought my head would explode. We were in

the process of moving to Texas temporarily for my job and I just couldn't find

the time to get in. My hubby took a look at it and barely touched it and it

literally exploded. Warning - gross! It shot blood and gunk all the way to the

ceiling! It was fine after that. It's been getting bigger again over the years

and the pressure is starting to get uncomfortable at times. Anyway, pcp said if

it was near coming to a head, he could lance it but it wasn't at that point. He

said the permanent solution was to cut it out. He said it was too big and being

on my head will bleed a lot so I need a general surgeon. He said again I'd have

to be off coumadin and that the surgeon doing my tummy surgery could do it at

the same time.

3. I've had this little clear cyst looking mole on the side of my nose for

YEARS. It goes through phases of getting larger and then bleeding if you even

breath near it. Then it will get smaller for a while, only to begin again.

I've been meaning to mention it for years as it is incredibly annoying when in

the bleeding phase. It bleeds like a stuffed pig. I was almost embarrased to

even ask him to do something with it cause right now it's in the small phase and

is so tiny it's barely noticeable. He took one look and said, 'that's got to

go. i'm pretty sure that is the beginning of basil cell carcinoma.' He said

again, you gotta be off coumadin and the surgeon can do it if he will.'

I said, okay, so when I see this surgeon about my panc problems I'm to say, 'oh

by the way, I need you to also repair the hernia in my lower left abdomen,

remove part of the toenails from the sides of both big toes, get this knot off

the top of my head, and take this thing off my nose?'

He laughed and said, 'yes'.

I said he's gonna think I'm a friggin' nut case! My pcp said if the surgeon

didn't want to take care of it all, he'd do the nose and toes the day before I

have surgery since I'll probably have to come off/reduce the coumadin for

surgery anyway. He said he'd send me to the local general surgeon for the head

thing.

Anyway, I just found it so funny that the one thing I finally had to force

myself to ask him about cause I thought he'd tell me I was a nut ended up being

the thing he was most concerned about - possible skin cancer! Basil cell

carcinoma is very slow growing so waiting a few weeks to get it gone won't hurt

anything. However, it just goes to show that we shouldn't be afraid to tell our

doctors about even things we may think he'll think are silly.

Okay, now, am I sick because I think it's funny that I may have skin cancer on

my nose? I have to laugh at myself! My dad has had a couple of basil cell

carcinoma's removed. My grandmother had a large melanoma on her leg which left

a crater in her lower leg but they got it all. I'm a fair skinned redhead with

a family history of skin cancer. I really thought I knew what to look for and

was on the ball with it. However, I obviously never looked up basil cell

carcinoma. When I did, it looks exactly like this little place on my nose!

I told my pcp, I'm gonna tell the surgeon to just make sure to take all spare

parts while he's at it, also!

W