So today, as I was browsing my Twitter feed, there was a notice about today being World Cancer Day. I see these types of things all the time on feeds, today is… Sister’s Day, Best Friend’s Day, Bizarre Food Day… I actually looked it up. It really is World Cancer Day today. And it feels kinda weird to include myself… Read more »
The Centers for Disease Control have released a report noting that the cost of treating skin cancer has risen 5 times faster than treatment costs for other types of cancer in a time period from 2002 to 2011. The average annual treatment cost for skin cancer increased 126% just from 2002 to 2006. That’s quite a huge jump, particularly when… Read more »
I just read an article in Forbes regarding a study that shows a correlation between drinking coffee and reducing the risk of melanoma. In a large study, people who drank four or more cups of coffee a day reduced their risk of melanoma by 20%. Granted, the amount of coffee you have to drink – four or more cups a… Read more »
Today there is an article in the New York Times titled “Warning: That Tan Could Be Hazardous” that really struck a nerve with me this morning. In the article, it talks about the dangers of indoor tanning and the link between tanning sessions in youth and melanoma. Doctors are quoted about the rise in the number of the cases of… Read more »
When I went to my last follow-up, the doctor told me that while the infection was getting better, I needed to switch my antibiotic and do a rinse on the wound. Not Neosporin, not anything prepackaged…a rinse of distilled water and white vinegar. The only vinegar we seemed to have on hand was balsamic and I’m pretty sure she didn’t… Read more »
What the heck does amelanotic nodular melanoma even mean?
Yesterday, I called my parents to wish them a Happy New Year. I had to time the call for halftime of the early bowl games – and absolutely avoid any of the Ohio State-Alabama pre-game coverage or my dad would probably disown me. Anyway, I was chatting with my mom and realized that she was paranoid that everyone in my… Read more »
So, if you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering about the surgery to remove my pink melanoma. It’s actually not really surgery at all. In fact, if you want to get all technical, it’s an excision. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. When my dermatologist called me with the news, I admit that I wasn’t thinking as coherently as I… Read more »
The prevailing wisdom is that if you avoid tanning beds, wear strong SPF, and reduce your exposure to the strongest rays of the sun, you reduce your chance of being diagnosed with skin cancer. But what if that advice came just a little too late? I was a typical child of the 80s. I played outside all the time in… Read more »
My skin cancer story – the beginning of my journey and how this blog got its name