Skin cancer reminder

[Papasequoia]

So, I got two things in the mail today: a new pair of Patagonia Riverwalker wading boots with sticky rubber and a form letter from my dermatologist's lab saying that I have 'minor skin cancer' and should schedule surgery. Would have been nice to have gotten a phone call, ya know? A bit of a heads up, personal touch and all. I mean, I have been waiting for the news ever since the doctor looked at the blemish on my cheek a couple of weeks ago and insisted on taking a small 'scraping' for testing. So, it's not a complete surprise. Still, getting the news in a letter is pretty cold and impersonal. Nevertheless, I shouldn't complain too much as I am not one of the 50 million + Americans without health insurance. I'm covered for the doctor's visit which allowed me to get it checked early, and I'll be covered for the surgery.

However, I am not writing this just for pity. I have a friend who, like me, has spent a lot of time outdoors in his life and is now in his 50's. He's been getting little spots cut out of him for a couple of years now. So, since they checked the box that said 'minor skin cancer' I am hopeful and fairly certain that it will be just a routine removal. No, I wanted to post this to remind everyone, especially the younger folks out there, to make sure to cover up and use sunblock. Use a wide-brimmed hat, not just a baseball cap. Use one of those lightweight fishing shirts with long sleeves. I have actually found them to be almost as cool as wearing a t-shirt and they give better protection. I have also switched to mostly using fast-drying convertible shorts/pants, and most of the time keep the pant legs on. In addition to sun protection they give good protection from streamside brush and thorns. I wet wade with the whole pant and they dry very quickly.

For most of us of a 'certain age' a part of this is just going to be closing the barn door after the horse gets out. Like many of you, I grew up without sunblock. Summertime at the beach: burn, burn, burn. A respite in the fall, then skiing in the winter meant more burning, at least on the face. All of that did irreversible damage. Some skin cancers are gonna gitcha no matter what you do now. However, there is some value still in prevention. Better safe than sorry, and better to cover up than to worry overmuch about appearance. I have to admit that a few years ago I bought a very wide-brimmed hat, kind of a Tilly knockoff. But after seeing myself in pictures and seeing how dorky I looked (yes, even more than normal, wiseguys), I stopped wearing it. Instead, I found a hat that I liked more that still had a brim all the way around, just not as wide. However, when I'm out fishing in it for a while, the lower part of my face and my neck will burn. Guess where the cancer blemish was removed? Yup, the lower part of my face. Now, that might be coincidence and I would have gotten it there anyways. But who knows? I will now, duh, be switching back to the goofy hat with the wide-brim.

So, just a reminder everyone, even though we are moving into fall, the sun can still burn, and it can damage your skin even if you don't burn. So, please cover up and use sunblock! Jon

PS Hope to try out the new boots soon! Two months now without fishing!!!

[COCarp]

Good reminder there! I worked in the golf business for a long time and guys would walk into the proshop with a band-ade on their nose or ears. Their neck would also be super wrinkled. Seeing that on a day to day basis make me start wearing sunscreen I just hope it not to late.

[briansII]

Thanks for the heads up Jon. I spend a lot of time on stillwaters. There's no sun protection, and a lot of sunlight reflection. I was going to buy this a while back, but put it off. I know they look kinda dumb, but no dumber than me without a nose. In some circles, it's kinda cool(literally)to wear one.


https://www.buffwear.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/1_103



briansII

[COCarp]

I wear a bandana around my neck but BII I've seen those before and look like they would be a inexpensive investment!

[beachbum]

Good reminder, Jon. Hope your surgery goes well. I too have a bit of that. All the years of skiing, surfing, and fishing have taken it's tolll. Good sunscreen makes a difference!

As for your new wading boots, I absolutely love mine! Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

[Sasha]

Yea it is a good reminder. Lord knows I am very guilty of "forgetting" the sun block when I go out fishing.

[fflutterffly]

My first reaction is to get another doctor if you have the insurance. Don't be fooled thinking that this problem is for people who spend a lot of time in the sun. My brother in law is under an experimental treatment for malignant melanoma. He is not out in the sun, rather a light skinned, blond. Roll down your sleeves, wear large brimmed hats ( proven baseball caps are no protections) and wear sunscreen.

[Rockstar Fisherman]

I'm one who loves the sun and can't get enough of it. However I do make sure to where sunscreen quite often eventhough my skin tolerates it very well. Especially when the mountains and or water are involved.

Best of luck to you Jon, doesn't sound like it'll be a big deal for ya and hopefully it isn't.

[dna]

Good luck, Jon. Hope it all goes smoothly. I am worried, even though I have darker skin, as I spent countless days on the slopes never wearing sunblock...

[meb]

Jon and everyone offered some good advice. I had the big daddy skin cancer, melanoma, which can be fatal if not caught quickly, and I had pretty serious surgery on my shoulder to remove it. So, I'd like to add to the discussion just to say that the cancer can be incredibly small and innocent looking. Mine was probably less than an 1/8 of an inch on each side, about the size of a red pepper flake. I would never have seen or noticed it, but my wife did and made me go to the doctor. The biopsy came back on a Thursday, and I was knocked out in the operating room on Tuesday.

I really cover up these day with long sleeves, sun gloves and one of those neck scarf gater things if I'm on a lake.

Mark

[Papasequoia]

Time for an update. I had outpatient surgery on Monday after getting back from my fishing trip with Mike (where I used a lot of sunblock, long pants and shirt). I never did get a call from the Dr., but when I went in to the office I found that it was the most common of skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma. The spot that showed up on my skin was about the same size as what meb reports: a red pepper flake. They injected the site with Lidocaine, then the Dr. came in with his scalpel and cut a chunk out of my cheek. I was cauterized with a heat gun to stop the bleeding (the burning flesh smelled like the blackened lamb tenderloin I had ordered at Whiskey Creek the night before). Then I was bandaged and sent to the waiting room while they checked the sample under a microscope. After about 15 minutes the nurse came and got me and the Dr. said that it was larger than they had expected and he had to take away some more, so he cut me a second time.

Again I was cauterized and bandaged and waited, but this time he reported that they had gotten it all. He stitched me up, and they sent me home. Last night I took off the bandage to find this scar of 1 1/2 inches on my face.



Not a pretty sight, is it? (Especially the stray hair I missed while shaving.) Ultra close-ups can be ugly. But I post it anyway, mostly for those of you who fall into the "Young Invincible Syndrome" group, who ignore the warnings, who don't use sunblock, who don't cover up. Do you really want a big ugly scar on your face some day? Or worse, have the much more dangerous melanoma as some have written about here? We spend a lot of time in the sun, this is something that should not be ignored. The next time you are rushing off to the river and don't feel like putting on sunblock, or wearing a long-sleeved shirt, or wide-brimmed hat, think about this: Papasequoia was ugly enough to start with, and then got even worse, do I really want that to happen to me? that oughta scare you enough to cover up!

I won't be writing any more on this, but I did want to follow up. Hopefully some will heed the warning. Ok, move on now to more cheerful thoughts and posts, but don't forget to take some extra precautions next time you go out. (Kind of like remembering to bring a rubber on prom night ) Jon

[darrin terry]

Wow. No fun for you, Jon. Thanks for the warning and update though. Hope this is the last you have to deal with this.

[midger]

Thanks for the update, and your comparison to the burning flesh smelling like lamb confirms my decision about not eating the stuff....

Hope you heal quickly. I'll have to try to stay out of the sun more and maybe find some cave trout I can fish over during the day.

[Eric]

Jon thanks for the reminder and good luck buddy. I'll be stopping by the spot this week to pic up one of those Buffs.
Eric

[Danny McB]

Good Topic Jon,

My wife had some on her nose and had to have most of one nostril lanced off a week before our wedding (those were tough times for her) over four years later and she is back to normal but I would have really rather not had her experience it.

I also bought one of those BUFF's and love it, you may get a wierd look here and there but I usually get that anyways so it is no big deal. On a rather ambitious/ very exposed hike last friday at around 7000' it became my best friend and I was blown away at how cool it kept my face, I really cant endorse that product enough.

Danny