Today marks the year anniversary of my excision. It’s strange how time can fly. It seems like that day was long ago and yet, also feel like it was only yesterday.
It’s been a year of worry, fear, sadness, and pain (literal and metaphorical); but it’s also been a year of acceptance, happiness, hope, and even joy. The excision removed something very bad from my life, and I feel like it should be a day to celebrate that. To revel in the fact that although I was harboring an aggressive form of melanoma, that modern medical science was able to identify it, remove it – hopefully for good; but even if it’s only for a few years or decades, I have been given a very real second chance.
Yes, the excision removed something very bad from my life, but it also gave me something very good in its place – a newfound appreciation for my life, the ability to test the strength of my character, the opportunity to use this blog to reach out to people who trying to find out some more about amelanotic nodular melanoma and what that diagnosis means.
But of course, you’re really just waiting to see what the scar looks like after a year, aren’t you?
It actually doesn’t look that bad. Sure, it’s still a little pink and raised but compared to what it looked like when I first got stitched up, this is light years better. And to be honest, I’m not as concerned about other people seeing it. I know my mother-in-law sent me those articles about wearing capris (and as short as I am, capris are probably not the best option – sure no one would see my scar because they would be focusing on how dumpy I looked instead); but having my scar exposed really doesn’t make me feel as uncomfortable as I first thought. Believe me, my weight, not my scar, makes me feel self-conscious in shorts.
For anyone hearing from their doctor, “we have your excision scheduled”, just know that as scary and as painful as it sounds, it really does heal. And a year into this journey, that scar can also represent your second chance too.