I know that for many, the pandemic is starting to wind down…. (here’s hoping for all of us soon)….so we can feel better about going back to our regularly scheduled doctor’s appointments for things that we have been putting off due to the pandemic.
I recently had a friend stop in her car when she saw me walking down the street. She thanked me for writing my book and said that it reminded her that she needed to get her annual mammogram.....except that she hadn't had one in a few years. The second she put the book down, she made the appointment. Though, thankfully, nothing was found on her mammogram, she thanked me again, for the reminder and said she wouldn't delay it again.
--> Mammogram fact - you do not need a doctor's referral for a mammogram!
I was five months late for my annual skin check. Don’t do that. Don’t procrastinate, even if you are using a pandemic as an excuse to delay.
Now going to my dermatologist is always a hoot. She is a lovely person, very funny and very down to earth. Mostly we chatted about how our summers were and how tired of this d@mn pandemic we both are. Her fun, note-taking assistant Dillan, was also chatty and we talked movie musicals and my family's latest RV adventure across the country.
Now in my case, none of the moles the doctor is watching got too big or misshaped or discolored in the 17 months since my last check. However, this is not the case for everyone.
I could not see one of the moles needing documentation, so Dillan took a picture on his giant tablet for me to see. Its kind of oval and triangle shaped, with irregular edges and slight discoloration. My doc said that it hadn't grown enough this year to biopsy and that she would expect next visit to either take it off or use this new technology on it. Its DermTech and its like a plastic sticker that you put over a questionable mole or freckle and it takes some cells off. They send the sticker to the lab and it tests if it is cancerous. It is 99% accurate.
I said, "cool technology but just cut it off if you have to." She laughed and said that some people are less excited to have things cut off and that this technology makes it easier to biopsy.
Then she handed me a pamphlet on sunscreen, as I believe she always does, to every single patient in that office.
Wear sunscreen, but not the kind that causes cancer. Because, of course that seems to be something that happens at the beginning of every summer, ironically – a sunscreen recall. Every June, I lined up all my sunscreen and checked lot numbers and expiration dates for recalled sunscreen. This year, we didn’t have any that contained benzene, which has been included in sunscreen to make it more spreadable. Heightened exposure to benzene can increase your risk of being diagnosed with cancer and blood disorders. Benzene was found in 73 of 300 tested sunscreens in early Spring, forcing a recall of very popular sunscreens.
Check yourself. Or better yet, get someone qualified to check you.
Oh, and wear sunscreen.
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