Once upon a freckle

I grew up calling them “beauty marks.”

But they’re moles, really.

And I’ve never paid any attention to the majority of the one I’ve got.

Jim, on the other hand, happened to notice that a “beauty mark” on the back of my right leg was changing, and not in a good way.

Can you guess where this is going?

I had my family doctor look at it, and he was quick to say that it needed to come off, and soon.

So, last Tuesday, I went in for a “routine” removal.  I say routine in quotes because, as per usual with me, it wasn’t quite routine.  It was deeper than he anticipated, and located right on a blood vessel.  The procedure took longer than expected, and bled more than anticipated, and has taken its sweet time healing.

(If you’re squeamish….brace yourself….)

Here’s what it looked like three days after the fact:

I know, right?

Yes, it hurts.  Yes, it is in the most inconvenient of places. And no….I don’t have the results of the biopsy yet.

Which actually brings me to the point of this post.

It occurred to me earlier that there have only been a handful of days in my life where I have actually had the thought, “my life will change today.”  That has usually only occurred when I was gearing up for childbirth.

But Friday, I woke up and actually thought, “I could get a phone call today that might change my life.”

You see, I left the doctor’s office Tuesday having words like “oncology,” “plastic surgery,” and “melanoma” ringing in my ears.  My doctor seemed to be preparing me for bad news – moreso than I thought the situation warranted.  He gave me a half dozen reasons why he thought this particular biopsy could come back with abnormal results.  And I listened, and have repeated the conversation to a handful of people as the week went by.

And now I’m rambling….

I guess my point is this.

Waiting is hard.

I’m not actually concerned with the outcome, truly, no matter what it is.

I just felt like I should document it.  To make note of a day that I spent very aware that life is temporary and any level of comfort I have can change in a moment.  And in the days to come, as I wait for the test results, I plan to stay aware.  To treasure the “normal” moments with my family and friends.  And to take some  Tylenol.

Because my leg hurts!