Well, I’m surviving!
Naples was fun! We went with two of A’s friends and their families (so, including us: 6 parents total + 7 kids). For anyone less familiar with FL, Naples is on the west coast, and it’s only about 1.5 hours away, basically straight across the Everglades.
We had lots of beach time (I EVEN WENT IN THE OCEAN), pool time, and only one torrential rainstorm (which was actually kinda nice because it forced us into some relaxing downtime before dinner). We also celebrated A’s #14 at a fancy steakhouse with her friends (so that makes 2 of the kids who got really special bday dinners this year)!
As much as I would LOOOOVE to create a post (with a bunch of pictures!) that is a testament to her awesomeness, I will restrain myself as she prefers to keep things more private. But, for the record, she is amazing and I am proud of her. And 14 seems like legit teenhood!
(I cannot believe driving is coming up so soon!!!)
We got home mid-day Sunday, and then yesterday I had one day (and night) of call. It was fine, but I do feel like call is not the ideal re-entry plan. That said, I had better get used to it because I have a week of call upon returning from our Hawaii trip too (!).
(Note: at least a) we have a full buffer day and b) we will not be going straight from Hawaii to here so there shouldn’t be an entire 6 hour time difference and also c) kids won’t be in school yet so that will actually make for a more relaxed overall call week — no early drop-offs.)
((I don’t really think there is some magic solution to re-entry! If you want to travel and take time off, you have to deal with the inevitable backlog that you will return to. I guess I feel like it’s better to just know that and accept it than hope for some sort of way around it. Buffer days help, but they do add up and cut in to PL time pretty quickly!))
I *am* behind on BLP recording (hopefully my sound team will forgive me for a Wednesday submission!) but otherwise my full clearing of the decks midweek last week helped a lot!
Last thing: my derm found a lesion on my upper forehead and the biopsy came back as a basal cell (so . . I guess having one annoying medical thing does not serve as a magical get out of jail free card for all the others like I had imagined!). So now I get the pleasure of my first MOHS procedure . . . but probably not last, as a South Floridian with pale skin and only “okay“ sun protection habits, ugh. Tips/reassurance appreciate from anyone who has been through it! I do feel lucky that it’s super high up/close to the hairline so hopefully scar won’t be anything significant.
(BUT then my dad who has had a few of these asked if they’ll have to cut my hair and NOW I’m freaking out. Let’s hope not because that WILL NOT LOOK GOOD right at the hairline.)
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I’m sorry to hear about the basal cells. Thank goodness you are good about going to the derm! Phil had basal cells on his nose a couple of years ago and went through the MOHS procedure. The nose is such a sensitive area and they had to do 2-3 cuts I believe. Then he had a big bandage over his nose for several days. I would think the forehead area would be better? Phil’s nose has a divot in it now. We jokingly say – there goes your modeling career. But it’s better than the alternative! And now he is a religious user of sunscreen on his face. He used to run over lunch with no hat and no sunscreen on his face… I bit my tongue and avoided telling him how awful of an idea that was…
Returns are hard, especially when you are jumping into call. I almost always have a day buffer for us. For this DC trip we didn’t since it was just Paul and I so Phil had groceries and such.
Even a divit won’t be bad in the location it’s in – as long as i don’t get a hairline haircut. (!)
Running really did me no favors, huh!? (well, assuming it’s from run-related exposure. I need to be better from now on with ALL my sun exposure 🙁 🙁 )
And yes at least A and I made it to TJ’s on Sunday! Groceries are always the first priority!!
This is well time as I am on re-entry day 1 after an 8 day vacation. Changing time zones is just … not fun.
Because they grew up in sunny AZ before the advent of sunscreen, both my parents have had basal cell and my dad has had two MOHs one on his nose and one on his ear. The ear is much worse cosmetically because they had to take some of the cartilage. The one on his nose is almost invisible. You would never know if you interacted with him casually. am pretty careful about sunscreen, but I too grew up in AZ so I feel like this is in my future. Hopefully, yours will also be unnoticeable once it’s healed.
I shouldn’t complain too much – no time zone changes, I didn’t even leave the state! But the backlog of work still exists 🙂
I had a spot removed along my side part in my hair but it wasn’t MOHS so they probably took more than necessary since not as precise. My suggestion would be to have a wide fabric headband ready that you can put over the bandage (I had to leave mine on for a day or two but yours might be different? Or smaller bandage?) My family is all fair skinned and we’ve all had various spots removed over the years, though we are very careful with sunscreen/coverage since it became a thing. I now never spend time in the sun without a hat and have something designated for every outdoor activity including swimming! Good luck and I hope everything goes well!
ooh good idea re: headband! And yes I think I’m about ot get a lot more militant about sun exposure . .. hopefully not entirely too late . . .
I had MOHS on a BCC on the top of my head, under my hair. The doctor did her best to close the wound but I still have a divot and a smallish bald spot. Does it annoy me? Yes. Was it worth it? Also yes. Accepting changes to my body is all part of aging in my view.
I should say it’s one of the challenges of aging – didn’t mean to imply that it’s always easy!
ha! I get it! Ironically the derm picked up this little lesion during a Botox visit . . and I do get yearly skin checks!
Sorry to hear about the basal cell, these things are never fun. I would recommend you ask your dermatologist (or which ever dermatologist is going to be doing the mohs) about getting a plastic surgeon to do the closure. My father is in plastics and now does this for a practice up in Vero Beach, and it can be really helpful because you don’t necessarily know exactly what the defect will look like once they finish and especially on the facial skin with tension, it can be very helpful to have plastics consider how to close.
I have had 3 Mohs surgeries – 2 on the lower part of my nose and one between my eyebrows. Basically just above and below the sunglasses I wore while rowing outdoors a lot at our shared alma mater in the 1980s (sunscreen? What’s that?). They went fine and the scarring is hard to detect. The only warning I would give is that I got two black eyes from the one between my brows. As the surgeon said – gravity will have its say. Yours may be too high for that issue. You will want to have Vaseline in the house because it helps prevent scarring when applied topically.
I had mohs up high on my forehead and I don’t think anyone notices it. I did none of the aftercare I was supposed to because I got it done 3 days before we moved to Poland (which is great place to live if you are worried about the sun haha). I don’t even think the surgeon got to use the kind of stitches he wanted to use since I was flying right after. Anyway, I think it was all fine. I got it at 39 which freaks out my Polish dermatologist because I was so young! But when I am in the US those derms are totally fine with me just getting yearly checks. Sorry you have one more annoying medical thing to deal with!
I am literally sitting in the waiting room to have the stitches taken out from my 7th Mohs and the 8th is scheduled next week, so definitely reach out if you have questions. (I live in AZ, have a ton of family history and have been on anti rejection meds for over 20 years – there is no amount of sunscreen that beats all that!)
I go to a practice that has a Moh’s surgeon and a plastic surgeon – if that’s available by you I’d highly recommend. I had one on my scalp a couple years ago and was majorly freaking out about having bald spot but since they shave, then cut out most of the part they shave and sew it closed I only had a little bit of spiky regrowth and no bald spot.
EEK. Now I’m totally scared. I haven’t been to the dermatologist in years. I don’t even have one, since the one I saw last time I didn’t like. I HAVE TO put that on my list (in addition to the upcoming mammogram, bone density scan, and colonoscopy. SIGH).
So I obviously have no advice for you, but I would say these doctors down here perform this surgery all the time- you’re in very good hands and I’m sure any after effects will be minimal. Good thing they found it and you’re getting it taken care of.
I’ve had one on my nose, and agree with recommendation to get someone with strong experience. Mine replaced my skin with a patch from inside my ear and you can’t even notice any difference on my face once I healed. Not sure if that’s normal or not, but I definitely don’t have a divot like others are describing.
Boooooo about the basal cell. Thanks for the reminder that I should probably go to the dermatologist at some point also… just to add to my endless list of medical appointments (one per week again this month woo.) 🙄
Unrelated… I finally finished season 2 of euphoria and man those last two episodes were so good! They left me with so much hope. I am really looking forward to season 3. Thank you again for the tip.
YES! Out just next week. Agree season 2 was so awesome. I hope season 3 delivers. It is super sad to think of the loss of two of the actors though. I will definitely watch.
I had mohs on my cheek 12 years ago- no scar! You will be fine!
I have had SO many moles removed. I go to the derm twice a year because I am so mole-y. I haven’t yet had to do the MOHS procedure (most of my moles are just suspicious-lookin but turn out to be nothing), but I did have one that had some precancerous markers (or something) and I had to get it fully removed and the derm had to put really deep stitches in my back. It hurt, even getting them removed! I hope your procedure goes well and there is NO SHAVING.
Awww thank you!! I only had one other thing removed – and the basal cell looked more like a pimple or rough patch of skin! I would not have thought it was anything but glad the derm spied it!