Such a large safety margin was taken and I was given the all clear for melanoma at the Alfred Hospital. My GP will remove the stitches next week. There isn't a visible Herman Munster bolt. Thanks JayCee for kicking that off. It looks more like a zip.
I did have a forty minute wait at the hospital for the final sign off before I could leave. We needed stuffs in Prahran I messaged R to go by himself. Straight after sending the text, I was seen and I was free to leave and I caught the same tram as R was on to travel to Prahran.
Bandages off, I can wash my hair after a week. I rinse my hair when I shower and use shampoo once a week. I just have to be careful with the wound. Pat not rub.
In one curtained off area in the room was man with a nice voice, there with his wife I assume. He was once an outdoor worker in Queensland, the absolutely best area in Australia for contracting a skin cancer, and he had, and his prognosis after surgery was not as good as mine. He will be going down bit of a road.
In the other area was a woman with I guess her daughter. She to be sixty plus. She was having bandaging removed and was constantly seeking reassuring that her wound wasn't bleeding. She was quite funny and she her nurse had great repartee. The day before she had been supervising school exams and one student asked what happened to her, so I guess her bandaging was quite visible. She replied to the student, 'I was in a fight'.
One issue with our public health system is that the surgeon who cut my neck open and inserted the invisible bolt never got to see the results of her surgery and I couldn't thank her for her 'invisible' stitching.
The Australian sun is a killer.
Pretty it ain't, but potentially life saving surgery. Click here if you want to view the not so nice wound.
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It is a very tidy wound. Co-incidentally himself was at the dermatologist yesterday. For the first time in literally years only one new cancer was found - beside his eye. Our sun is indeed a killer.
ReplyDeleteThanks EC. That is not good but I guess Himself's treatment will be not invasive.
DeleteWow, that was indeed a wide margin! Good news that the nasties are all gone.
ReplyDeleteMine was not so wide but it was deep. It looks as though someone has taken a big scoop out of my leg with one of those ice cream scoops 😁 That'll teach me not to use tanning sunbeds again...
JayCee, how can you get a skin cancer in IoM? Ah the tanning beds. I think that may be the reason for my skin cancers in unusual places.
DeleteI'm glad you had this done, Andrew, and that it is in the rear view mirror.
ReplyDeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Thanks Sandra.
DeleteIn the 1950s, apparently no-one knew about the connection between unprotected skin in the sunshine and later skin cancers etc. Now everyone insists their children wear protective cream, hats etc on the beach, but the older generation are paying a price.
ReplyDeleteRecover quickly!
Hels, fair skinned Bondi Boy included I guess.
DeleteEven with best 50+ sunscreen, it only protects the skin from skin cancer by about 1 hour. The best management is to stay away from the sun which contradicts to the advice of getting Vitamin D from the sun.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, I am pretty doubtful about vitamin D deficiencies. I expect drug companies are behind this. I've taken some interest in this after I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency and began taking tablets. I stopped after listening and reading respected world word opinion.
DeleteYikes, Andrew! That's huge! I'm glad to hear of your 'all clear'. As you know, we are doing the same happy dance over here. You've gotten some good advice here. Take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteYes Debby, I've got a big one. Good news from you, but the surgery repercussions may be difficult.
DeleteThat is a mighty fine piece of stitchery. You will have barely a scar and it will blend nicely with the creases in your neck!
ReplyDeleteRemember to slip slop slap, Andrew.
What fucking crease Merlot? It's a natural skin fold. The sun is nice on a cold winter's day, but otherwise I avoid it.
DeleteNatural skin fold = crease, unless you prefer to say you have a pleated neck?
Delete'pleated neck' - I love it!
DeleteLet ye without sin cast the first stone.
DeleteJust say you were slashed by a Hell's Angel in a bar over a game of pool. I wonder if full blood aboriginal people suffer from skin cancers. (I hope the term "full blood" is not racist).
ReplyDeleteComanchero bikie gang sounds more impressive YP. Good idea though.
DeleteI would think our indigenous are well adapted to the Australian sun. They have lived here for a very long time. Evolution and all that, you know.
I had to think hard about your full blood question. I don't like thinking but I conclude it probably is offensive. People identify as Aboriginal no matter the colour of their skin.
To conclude, Aboriginal or not, the darker the skin, the less prone the person will be to skin cancer.
I clicked on the picture, and while it may not be the prettiest sight in the world, it certainly beats a Herman Munster bolt.
ReplyDeleteYes Kirk. I over salted the result and it was not quite so salted. No four year old kid has pointed to me in the street and said 'What's wrong with that man's neck'.
DeleteThat's a very neat job, not monstrous at all. Pretty, even. I like it.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, I can see where the scar will be once it heals. An old man with a stitched up neck slash is not pretty.
DeleteThe wound is longer than I expected but not at all gory. I'll be hoping the twins wear sunscreen when they play outside. And hats.
ReplyDeleteRiver, the twins are not always covered up in the sun like their very white cousins are. I think they are dark enough for the sun not to be a problem. They do have lovely olive skin, for sure.
DeleteI meant my twins who are considerably paler than yours.
DeleteSo pleased you got the all clear, what a relief. Using phone and it doesn't show the cut, went to link, bingo sawit and it's a beauty, nice clean cut and healed well Andrew.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, just another triumph by our public health system. I think the wound was about eight days old and it does seem to have healed well.
DeleteSo that is where we hook up the electrodes.
ReplyDeleteTP, I wouldn't enjoy them attached there!
Delete'Tis but a scratch. None shall pass.
ReplyDeletelol
DeleteTake care, Andrew. I'm so glad you're cancer free.
No, no Tasker. It is a horrible gaping terrible wound. I deserve tea and sympathy.
DeleteThanks Darla. I am pleased.
DeleteI'm glad that is behind you. I didn't look at the pic.
ReplyDeletePat, I bet you don't slow down to see the maimed and dying at a car crash either.
DeleteBeing terminally nosy, I looked. It's very neat stitching. I wondered if one end of the cat gut or whatever it is could be pulled so that all the stitches simply pulled out, like tacking stiches when sewing. ;-)
ReplyDeleteJB, I don't think so as the wound heals around whatever is used and the force needed would cause damage. I think each stitch is snipped and a small piece of binding is pulled out.
DeleteWell, that's a long stitch, but it looks very neat and well-done. I know skin cancer is a risk in Australia. (As it is in Florida, my homeland!)
ReplyDeleteSteve, yes I suppose people in Florida and many parts of the States would face the same problems.
ReplyDelete