Post Hiatus - Expecting the worst so I will thank my lucky stars if it's not.

Retirement is just around the corner - but that's not why I came back.

For the last year I have had a little lump of skin growing in the vicinity of what I thought were a couple of little blackheads on my left cheek.

I got worried enough that I finally found an MD to go to in my community - and on examination, she said that the lump didn't look too suspicious.

So I went about my business and forgot about it because it was about then that my mother broke her arm and, she being the sole caretaker of my father who has Parkinson's, I had my brother pick them both up (5 hr drive away) and bring them to my place.  To live.

Working full time and taking care of them full time took all my energy and every hour of the day.

Finally, I lined up a removal of the bump June 16th, and my MD sent it off to pathology saying - "If you don't hear from us, you are good to go..."

My mom glibly told me over the phone, "If anything, it will probably only be basal cell like Dad and I have.  No problem, your MD will burn them off - we do it all the time - every office visit."

Well, the other day I got the call that made all the July 1st and  4th fireworks seem like one lonely little half-fizzled sparkler.

Diagnoses: "Invasive Malignant Melanoma" and as far as they can tell, it's already Stage 3 and that may be revised once I have more surgery to remove a larger area because the abnormal cells extend right to the edge of the sample.

The doctor said they would line me up fairly quickly with the plastic surgeon and also the Cancer Clinic.

It's strange after 37 years of nursing full time, to be on the other end of the medical system.

I will let you know how it goes.

All I know right now is -  it's a difficult wait.

Lucky for me I have quite a few girlfriends who are nurses.   They are all volunteering their services if I need them.   Hopefully - I won't, but it's nice that they care.