Tuesday, I went to see my perky, cute Dermatologist. Six months had gone by and I was due for a good once over to monitor and mitigate the effects of a life in the sun.
She's cut on me a few times in the past ... MOHS procedure so I return once or twice a year to make sure we catch things early.
I'd much rather sit through frostbite inducing micro blasts of liquid nitrogen than surgery. My appointment was for 7:35 am and by 7:45 I was sitting shirtless in the waiting room. When Doc walked in, I mentioned her cute kid pictures on the wall.
She beamed of course, then she said that the new one was only 7 weeks old.
7 weeks old?
This model skinny woman had a baby less than two months ago?
Now, at this point in my post I will take a walkabout ...
Ladies, I ask you ... how is it that some women can have a baby and struggle with the baby weight for some time afterwards, while others get a pass on the extra poundage.
Fascinating.
Back to the liquid nitrogen post ...
Doc made small talk and tech talk at the same time as she simultaneously chatted with me and dictated stats to the two interns that were observing.
The she grabbed her can of liquid hell and started zapping some precancerous spots.
It stings a little at first and then, right after you pay the bill and leave the office, they all begin stinging at once.
My nose got a spritz, my eyebrow, the top of my head where deforestation is occuring, ... the usual sunny areas. These were quick stings, but when she got to my neck, she laid down a withering fire of liquid nitrogen on one particular spot.
That's the one in the pictures below.
Above is your locator shot.
Here's a closeup.
Pretty gnarly looking now, but kind of neat in a nerdy way. Besides the plasma filled blister, I can see tiny yellow grains of subcutaneous fat ... FAT!
I showed it to my students today ... they love gross stuff. Then I launched right in to my "Here's why you MUST wear your sunscreen " mini-lesson.
They have watched enough movies where the bad guy gets frozen in liquid nitrogen, so there was a "cool" factor coupled with the gross factor of an ugly, swollen blister.
The combination of "gross coolness" seemed to hold their interest... maybe they'll slap on some SPF 50+ this spring, or say no when someone mentions trying a tanning salon.
Postscript: I received a good report and Doc said I don't have to come back for a full year.
Go Me!
15 comments:
"It stings a little at first and then, right after you pay the bill and leave the office, they all begin stinging at once."
i feel your sting, really; more than once. also the knife. is sunblock part of intelligent design?
FC-
That is soooo eeeewwwwwww! I just finished lunch! Gross! I think I like your spider post better!
Lightnin
So glad for the good report. Liz could tell you some stories about liquid nitrogen and getting the bovines in a family way., That stuff is not friendly to your fingertips either.
Gross and ouch. Actually I think I might have said ouch first.
Okay, even I'm feeling a little gag comin' on....;)
You'll have to ask Lightnin to show you how to use Liq. N to make ice cream! That might make a better public display! ;-)
Did you know that if you freeze an entire pigeon solid with liquid nitrogen and drop it onto asphalt from the fourth floor window it shatters?
There is a science lesson plan for you...gross graphics are perfect for middle school kids.
I find Doug's shattering pigeon equally fascinating trivia!
am in need of a Dr. visit for the exact same stuff. All those years in the 80's of working as a lifeguard when no one really spoke of sunscreen. Plus those years of sunburn as a child when all your mom had was zinc for your nose. :)
And one can have a baby and get a pass with the pounds, leave the hospital in pre-preg clothes. And then have twins and hold onto it for 6 mos. I was never so mad!
Go you! Take care of that skin, it's all you got between you and everything else!
I need to go get checked again. Thanks for the nudge. Also, I LOVE gross pictures of medical conditions. It speaks to the hypochondriac in me.
Some women are lucky? Or obsessive?
Good for you for keeping up with the Dr. visits! I wish I could of been one of the women to lose the baby fat. The first time wasn't bad but the second one gained 15 lbs after and never able to lose it. Some have it and some don't.
Bahahaha to Doug's comment. We're all a bunch of sick puppas.
Hey y'all,
You should see it today. The blister bubble is gone and it's just a darker flat area.
Dramatic change since yesterday.
No, I won't be posting updates.
FC
Nice Blog.
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