This one made the front page on Yahoo’s website the other day…it’s got a lot of the recent stats and facts, but the one sentence that stuck out to me was:

Tanning and cancer go hand-in-hand.

Yes, it’s possible to get melanoma other ways, but tanning  is by far the most common.  Read the article and let me know what you think.  Personally, I regret every minute I spent in those damn tanning beds…how dumb to think that was a good idea.  And now I want to walk into every one I see and tell people to stop… but I don’t.

Yahoo Article

Around here, the sun is finally making a regular appearance (well, except for today which is cloudy and rainy…) and people are starting to spend more time outside. In the past 2 days, I’ve overheard no less than 5 people talking about how they got burned or got a nice start on their tan recently. A year ago, I would have been right there with them, pulling up my pant legs and sleeves to make more of my self accessible to the sun’s warming rays; lifting my face and closing my eyes in peace.

Not anymore.

As you probably already know, I was diagnosed with melanoma on July 13, 2009. (You can catch up with the whole story here). I now have to make a concentrated effort to keep out of the sun I once adored, and make sure I’m slathered with sunscreen when I’m in it. I’ve had a hard time, honestly, with the sunscreen. I’m using a lotion with some built in, but I know it’s not enough. I am still on the search for the perfect sunscreen – one that I can wear year round without smelling like the beach or being greasy like a piece of (pale) bacon.

But even though it’s a pain in the ass to have to remember to put on sunscreen (hey, it takes awhile to break 30+ years of habit of not wearing it, yo!), I will. My scars and still partially numb leg, plus the fun insta-swelling I get sometimes (lymphedema) is a constant reminder that I would like to avoid further surgery and live a long, cancer-free life.

So do yourself (and me) a favor and get yourself checked out. If you aren’t sure if something on your body looks right or wrong, please go to your doctor / dermatologist and get it checked out. Don’t think it won’t happen to you, because it can.

Skincancer.org is a fabulous resource – lots of great articles and information available there. Throughout the month, I’ll be posting skin cancer related information here, so please stop back by. Also, if you’ve been affected by skin cancer in any way and want to share your story, I’d love to publish you here, so please email me or leave a comment.

I had my follow-up appointment with my surgeon today. (well, first I had a visit with another doctor and a med student, but he was pleasant and had a wicked cool accent – and he was young, so he was concerned for my modesty – HAHA!).

Anyway.. Dr. C. checked me out, asked how I was doing, poked and prodded – the usual. I don’t have many complaints – you know, aside from the numbness, tingling, electrical pulses, general pain that comes and goes – but they were more concerned with my scars. Oddly, they don’t bother me. The boys ask how my scars are here and there; they’re calming down and smoothing out as the days pass (the scars, not the boys, hehe).

Dr. C. really took his time to let me know that they would continue to fade and be less pink and more skin tone as time passes. Which is fine, don’t get me wrong, but scars have never bothered me. I have scars on my knees, my hands, assorted other places and they’ve never bothered me; these are no different, even though they are big. I’m much more bothered by the sudden breath-taking pain and electrical pulses running through my leg; the numb areas that seem to still itch. None of which is concerning to Dr. C. That will go away, and hopefully all of the numbness will go away within 18 months of the surgery.

I left the Cancer Center feeling pretty good. I know what to watch for, I know I need to wear my stocking when I’m going to over-do it, I know that the twinges mean I’m healing. I know that I am lucky every day – and those scars? Well, they remind me of that.

The other day was the 6 month mark of my first surgery. My scar is starting to fade, but the numbness and electrical pulses around it are taking a lot longer. The left of the scar is where my leg bothers me the most and I still find myself massaging it throughout the day. It’s a constant reminder of what I’ve been through, what I may one day go through again and how thankful I am.

My leg has been bothering me quite a bit lately – a lot of twinges, a lot of nerves acting up and maybe coming back to life. Still a lot of numb areas, which is annoying, but such is the way after these surgeries.

The twinges come and go and sometimes take my breath away with their intensity. The area around my knee is where it hurts the most, and I find myself absently rubbing it to relieve the pain.

The last few nights have also brought a restless leg syndrome feeling – but only to my right leg. Very odd feelings going on right now!

I haven’t worn by stocking in a few days – I got so frustrated with it falling down all the time, I just gave up. I think it’s time to put it on again…maybe that will ease the pains.

Ever since I was diagnosed with Melanoma back in July, the bills have been piling up. Fortunately, Mike has very good insurance through his company and our out of pocket expenses have been minimal – I think we may have spent more in $2 parking structure fees for each visit than total copays at this point. We are lucky.

The whole government health care reform is a touchy subject for a lot of people – but not for me. See, I believe that everyone deserves health care, and affordable care at that. The insurance companies are making a LOT of money, and since I’m on the side of health related work, I can tell you that the doctors don’t see squat compared to the insurance companies. Other countries are successful with it, and if we’re the “greatest country in the world”, why couldn’t it work for us?

Anyway, just for fun, I thought I’d share my bills with you. Remember, this is from diagnosis through physical therapy and everything in between. I can’t even imagine the costs if I had had to go through the interferon or chemo. Oh, and for fun, know that while I was going through all of this, there was a 6 week period in which neither Mike nor myself received paychecks, so if we hadn’t had insurance, we would either have lost our house or be on the way to it, or would be making payments to U of M for YEARS. If that isn’t an incentive to get people covered, I’m not sure what is.

07.13.09 – Initial visit with Dermatologist (out of network) – [$180]*
07.13.09 – Pathology $175
07.20.09 – Microslide Consult $216
07.29.09 – Cancer Consult Visit – $415 [$20]*
08.20.09 – Pre-Op Visit #1 Includes crutches, bloodwork and labs. $216
08.26.09 – Surgery #1 (outpatient) Includes all things surgical, down to the gown, sutures, etc. $9,435
09.25.09 – Initial Stockings (2 pr) $380
09.29.09 – Surgery #2 (23 hrs of care, still outpatient) – Inclues all things surgical, plus drain and supplies. $12,616.60
10.13.09 – Office Visit $319 [$20]*
10.28.09 – MRI#1 and CT #1-3, includes dyes $9,073
11.30.09 – Physical Therapy – $616
12.01.09 – MRI#2, including dyes $2,663
12.07.09 – Physical Therapy – $420
12.08.09 – Labs / bloodwork for follow-up $236
12.08.09 – Office Visit – $100
12.14.09 – Physical Therapy – $336
12.14.09 – New compression stockings (1 pair) $152
Grand Total: $37,548.60

*[] Amounts we paid out of pocket.

I’m not going to lie – I’m pretty happy to see 2009 come to an end. Cancer has been quite a bitch and I’m certainly hoping 2010 is a lot nicer – not only to me, but to everyone.

I’m looking forward to getting healthier, continuing to kick cancer’s ass, and getting this blog up and running as a valuable resource for others with melanoma.

I’d love to hear your story and post it to share with others.  Please email me at defyingmelanoma AT gmail DOT com.