April Showers....Bring a Storm of Emotions

WOW!  This is what happens when you do not follow thru with things in a timely manner. The State Recognition Day with TOPS was in April; not March. Some how the calendar on my smart phone got messed up.  Dumb smart phone!!

The weekend of March 13th and 14th was a bowling outing with the Dinwiddies and the Johns families. These two families have special needs children that are now teens and young adults. Their kids have been active in the Special Olympics for years. These young people have decided "Aunt" Subrena needs to go bowling with them once a month for exercise. I will have to say it is a blast.

Our dear friends, Bud and Heather Dinwiddie went with us on out anniversary vacation.  My 1/4 pound weight gain was a result of those 10 days in Memphis and New Orleans. Still, the story of my husband showing me the quarter cup of water is the same.  REALLY!

So March ended with having lost 21 pounds since joining TOPS. I received a charm for 20 pound weight loss. It went on the charm bracelet I received when I joined along with the charm for state recognition day. These charms are serious business with veteran TOPS members. They are "badges of honor". There were people at the conference with necklaces FULL of them.

Easter was early this year.  For me, this has always been a time for reflection and repentance. This year my emotions were all over the map. Chief among my shortcomings was failure to attend my church regularly since the passing of my brother in law last September. I'm working to correct that. Easter was celebrated at a service in the Meramec Caverns.  I came out of it refreshed and more thankful than ever for the relationships and people in my life.

The 7 biopsies my new dermatologist took on March 12 came back positive. All of these were in areas that had been surgically cleared previously.  I pushed for a biopsy of one spot on my forehead even though the dermatologist and my Mohs surgeon did not think it was basal cell. Thankfully they humored me because I was right. Sometimes I would not mind being wrong. More Mohs was scheduled for April 20th and 27th.

The other thing I am doing with my new dermatologist is the Aldera cream on my neck, shoulders and upper back. She wants to see what reaction I get from the cream over the next few months. I  put the cream on nightly Monday through Friday and skip the weekends. I have set an alarm on my phone as a reminder even so I have managed to miss some treatments. The skin tags are obviously shrinking and other sites seem to be fading as well. I have attempted to take photographs but they are not showing the positive results my husband can see.

My BCCNS family knows how important it is to have physicians that you like and trust to help navigate all the challenges that come with this condition. There have been a couple of changes in my team this year.  I changed dermatologists, a change that went more smoothly than expected as she knew me indirectly from the surgery side of her group. Dr. Beardsley, my cardiologist, was so supportive and very informed on my condition. I was due to see him in June. He would have been ecstatic with my weight loss. He told me when I got to "Onderland", under 200 pounds, he might just have to ask his wife permission to get me a new outfit.  Unfortunately he died April 18th  (he and I were the same age).  So I will now consult with one of his group on July 14.

April 20th, we removed 2 tumors from the top of my head. Looking down at the top of my head, the crown area, there was a tumor to the left and one to the right. It is not always easy to distinguish location when I am lying back in the surgical chair. The tumor on the left was clear after the first stage. It appears really dark due to the cauterizing to stop the bleeding. The tumor to the right was clear after 2 stages.

The silver lining has to be that the recurring tumors are significantly smaller that the original ones that we removed over the past 2 years.

Top of my head toward the right

Top of my head toward the left

The tumor to the right post op

The site to the left (lower) post op

April 27th, we removed 2 tumors from behind my right ear. The tumor on the top was on new skin and required only one stage of Mohs surgery to be clear. The lower tumor required two stages and was cancer free. Again surgery sites are much smaller when the tumors are detected early.

Both sites pre op

Both sites post op

I met with my primary on April 29th. I was still experiencing stabbing pains in my head. He has also been watching my red and white blood cell counts to be pro active if signs of anemia or infection arise. During our visit I told him how exasperated I had been with the reoccurring tumors and surgeries. He said it was time for me to consult an oncologist to see what other options I may want to pursue. I have a consultation on June 25. He also scheduled an MRI of my head to see if there have been any changes since we last checked 2 years ago.

April ends with news that my cousin has breast cancer. She has opted for a double mastectomy and is consulting a plastic surgeon. I scheduled a very delinquent mammogram for myself  for May 18th. Radiology is able to do the MRI of my head on the same day. Some anxious times going into May for me.

TOPS update, as of May 1, I have lost 32.75 pounds. Woo Hoo!!