Skin Cancer Number 20

skin cancer biopsy

Tuesday was my six month checkup with the dermatologist. Since I have had so many skin cancers, she has me come in every six months for a full body review. There was a pre-cancerous spot on my left arm that she zapped with liquid nitrogen, but also a spot on my right arm near the shoulder that she was concerned about. It looked suspiciously like the squamous cell she removed from my left arm last March. She removed a small piece for biopsy.

Surprisingly I received the path report this morning. That came back fast! It was indeed cancer, only this time an early basal cell. The doctor cannot fit me in until March 5th for removal of it. Because it is so small and a basal cell, she will again do an ED&C procedure to take it off and I won't require Moh's surgery. This makes skin cancer number 20, of which 4 were squamous cell and 16 basal cell. Early detection is the key here, but holy moly that is a lot of skin cancer!

The Not So Sunshine State

January 14th we began our drive down to Florida to visit friends from our neighborhood. Our first stop was Palm Coast, where the Hamiltons spend their winter on a small yacht. While we had been on the boat before, we had never gone out on it with them. The weather was cool and a bit windy, but it cooperated enough that we were able to boat on the intercostal waterway for a few hours. It was fun, and it's always great to see them!

Palm Coast

After a couple days in Palm Coast we headed south to Key Largo. I had been there once before in 1991 for a meeting, but Jim had never visited. In Key Largo we stayed with the Staleys in their condo. Again it was unseasonably cold and rainy for this part of Florida. Our plan was to get in lots of pickleball, but we only had good enough weather to do that once. One day was actually sunny and warm, and we went out on the Staleys boat. I loved seeing the birds, dolphins and the manatee that came to drink the fresh water from the hose. That ended up being our one and only warm, sunshiny day the whole trip. Again, we made the best of the situation and enjoyed being with our friends.

Key Largo

Our next stop was a quick one in Naples, where we had lunch with the Bambergers. I had met them in 2017 in St. Louis through pickleball. I wish we would have more time, but it was good to reconnect with them in person rather than just through Facebook.

Naples

The last destination was Port Charlotte to visit the Stuckeys. It rained every day but one, and even that day was quite cool. No pickleball for me as I did not pack warm enough clothes to play outside, but Jim was able to play once. We did visit the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, which we really liked. It was nice to get outside and walk, even if it was cool and windy yet again. 

We ended up staying one extra day in Port Charlotte as it was bitterly cold and snowy in the Charlotte area. When we did leave we drove straight through, which we normally don't do. But with the weather not cooperating, there was really no place we wanted to stop and see for the night.

Port Charlotte

Note to self - maybe going to Florida in January is not a good idea! 

Ring out the Old

Despite the fact that we didn't have any company in town for the holidays, we managed to visit a couple of nice Christmas displays in our area. The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden does a great job with their lights, and nearby McAdenville is a must if the weather cooperates. We had great weather for both events, and it was pleasant walking around to really enjoy the decorations.

Christmas lights

For the first time in our 46 years of marriage, my husband and I spent Christmas Eve and Day on our own. Early on we always traveled to either his parents or my parents, even after we started our family. After we moved to North Carolina in 2019, our kids came here to be with us. But this December our daughter couldn't get the time away from her job, and our son and his family went to his in-laws for the holiday.

We ended up opening gifts via FaceTime on Christmas Eve with our daughter. We made our signature Cranberry Cosmopolitan, and put on music in the background. While it wasn't ideal, I'm grateful for the technology that makes it possible to do a virtual gathering.

On New Year's Eve we drove up to our son and daughter-in-law's house to do our gift exchange with them. Again making our signature cocktail, we got our daughter on FaceTime and we opened up our presents together. It was a nice way for everyone to catch up. The next morning afternoon we again used FaceTime for our granddaughter to open her presents with her aunt. Hopefully we can all be together in 2025.