The Un-Fun Part of the Summer of 2010

[Note: Since basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, affecting one million Americans each year, there’s a good chance one or more of my readers will have to deal with this at some point. I hope this brief narrative of my own experiences, and the unflattering self-photos, will help someone else be better prepared.]

I've lived 85% of my life in Oregon and Southeast Alaska, where clouds, rain and cool weather are the norm. And even after moving to this Land of Enchantment, I’ve not been a sun-seeker. Tanning beds? Never! So how did I end up with two little spots on my face which turned out, based on biopsies, to be basal cell carcinoma? The doctor, and the Internet, tell me that even one bad sunburn as a child can result in these carcinomas, much later in life. And who hasn't had ONE bad sunburn as a child?

Although I learned that basal cell carcinoma is slow-growing and the least likely of the skin cancers to spread to other parts of the body, just hearing the word "cancer," with all of its scary connotations, was disturbing to me. But after a few days, I settled down and was just ready do what needed to be done to put this behind me.

On June 23 I went in to have the first one removed. It was on my left cheek. I had read about Mohs surgery, but was in denial, I guess, for I did not anticipate the size of the incision (about ¾” long) nor the need for stitches. I went home with a bulky compression bandage on my face and feeling like everything was spinning out of my control. (Surprise, Linda . . . you are NOT in control!)


I didn’t see the wound, or the stitches, until I removed that bandage the next day. When I looked in the mirror I was shocked. It wasn’t a pretty sight! The first thing that flashed through my mind was The Phantom of the Opera. Where could I find one of those masks?


Over the next couple of days the bruising and swelling became a little worse.


By Day 6, when I went back to have the external stitches removed, a lot of the bruising had faded. I was nervous, going in, because the wound was still seeping a few drops of blood now and then, so I didn’t know if the stitches had done their job. I was also nervous because now I would see what the actual incision looked like, without the stitches. How bad would the scar be? Would I need to stop, on my way home, to purchase the Phantom mask?

The nurse removed the stitches, said the incision was healing well, but thought it could use some Steri Strips to keep it closed tightly for just a few more days. She put them on before I got to take a look, so I still didn’t know what the bare incision looked like. The nurse told me the Steri Strips would fall off on their own in ten days or so, but said I could remove them before that if I wished. She also gave me some samples of a gel (Kelo-cote) to use on the scar, once the Steri-Strips were off, to help it fade.


As of today, three-and-a-half weeks following the procedure, I'm pretty pleased with how the scar is fading. With a little make-up, it's not terribly noticeable. However, on July 7 I returned to the dermatologist to have the second Mohs procedure done, on a spot near the inside corner of my right eye. So, once again I'm sporting a bandage. The doctor decided this second one did not need stitches. I was happy at the time, but it seems to be taking longer to heal than the first one, so now I wonder if that was a good idea. Time will tell.

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to loyal reader Gloria, visitor #30,015 and winner of the contest. Gloria, be watching your mailbox for your prize, a copy of Red or Green: New Mexico Cuisine. I hope you enjoy it.

30,000 Contest Revisited

When I got back from our Muleshoe trip (see post below), I logged onto my blog to post the new pictures, and found MYSELF as the 30,000th visitor! Boo! That's no good!

By the time I had finished the Muleshoe blog, we were already at 30,004.

So, loyal readers, I'm now looking to give the prize to viewer number 30,015. Please leave a comment if you are that viewer, and I will deliver the prize, as promised.

Dan's 45th Class Reunion from Muleshoe High School

This weekend we drove down to Muleshoe, TX, for Dan's high school reunion. It was a reunion for all classes from 1937 through 1985. Over all, there was a large turnout, although only a few from the class of '65 showed up, because there had been a 45th reunion just for their class in the spring (which we missed). But it was fun, and Dan did get to see a lot of people he hadn't seen in many, many years. Here he is with a couple of his classmates.


We started the day out at the high school. Most of the building Dan knew as the high school has been demolished, and a beautiful new school has been built on the site. Dan was happy to see, though, that the auditorium from the old school has been preserved and will continue to be used. Here's a picture of it - renovations not quite complete.


Here is the middle section of the new gymnasium complex.


There were some cheerleaders practicing in the commons area, and I asked, "Can you strike a pose for me?" I didn't have to ask twice!


Everyone was invited to the Senior Citizen Center for lunch. We laughed about that, but it worked out well, since it was a very large facility, and could accommodate the large crowd.

We were on our own for several hours between lunch and dinner. There were a few places we would have liked to have visited, had it not been raining so hard all day. One of those places was the Muleshoe Heritage Center, which is a museum of six outdoor buildings and other artifacts which commemorate life in the West Texas ranching country. Maybe we'll get to tour it on our next trip through Muleshoe.

Instead of doing outdoor things in the rain, we stayed in the car and did a little sightseeing. We drove out to the old Baker farm to see the house that Wiley and Lauretta built, where Dan lived during the years he stayed with them.


We stopped by the Monument to the Mule, and Dan stood in the rain so I could get his picture with the mule, which had been been adorned with a 4th of July bonnet by some local resident.


Take a look at the GPS screen to see where we went next!


I guess this settles the debate about whether the earth is billions of years old or not.


That evening we all met up at the convention center for dinner. There were people there from almost all of the classes, 1937 through 1985. The catered meal was nice, and the table decorations were cute. Each person got a souvenir mule shoe to take home. (Did you know that mule shoes, unlike horse shoes which are round, are more like a long "U" shape?)


I loved meeting Dan's friends, but what was most fun was watching him reconnect with people he hadn't seen in 45 years, and hearing them share snippets of their life stories.


Here's a picture of most of the class of 1965 who were in attendance.


We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Clovis, which was pretty convenient, as it is only about 40 minutes from Muleshoe.

Here's another funny shot of our GPS screen, taken as we turned off the road, into the parking lot of the Hampton. I promise, we checked under the tires, and there was no one there - senior citizen or otherwise!