Spring Things............

Well, the past couple of days I ventured out of my cozy, self-imposed exile to get out in the real world and take care of some business.



There was a dentist appointment on Tuesday, in which I was poked and prodded for an annual look see ::big sigh-I didn't get to choose a toy from the Treasure Chest because I did not have a GOOD checkup:: and then yesterday, a trip down the mountain to see a dermatologist which my "Primary Care Provider" so kindly referred me to after he recently tortured, I mean treated a few spots diagnosed as-Actinic Keratosis (AK)-(description below-because I am all about teaching you people a few things here!) by burning them with liquid nitrogen. OUCH!!

Actinic keratosis (AK) is a UV light–induced lesion of the skin that may progress to invasive squamous cell carcinoma. It is by far the most common lesion with malignant potential to arise on the skin. Actinic keratosis is seen in fair-skinned persons on skin areas that have had long-term sun exposure. In Australia, the country with the highest skin cancer rate in the world, the prevalence of actinic keratosis among adults older than 40 years has been reported to range from 40-60%.

Oh my poor Aussie friends! That sun is cooking you poor people down under! Wear sunscreen!



Anyway, I had a bunch of new Spring things crop up on my face that the good doctor decided were "cosmetic" issues not covered by my HMO. So, she elected to refer me to their "Cosmetic Dermatologists" who would treat me at "competitive prices" and since she was a woman, she got a little twinkle in her eye while mentioning that they also offered "Botox and Restylane." Vanity...Thy Name is Woman! I may have to make an appointment, because I am going into this "Senior Citizen" stage of my life, totally kicking and screaming. At my age, I need to hang on to all the pretty I can.

Then after checking out a few other troublesome spots on my body, she confidently stated they were not AKs or Skin Cancer and she began torturing me with her trusty bottle of liquid nitrogen. If you've never experienced liquid nitrogen, think of it as getting burned with the tip of a glowing HOT cigarette at least 3 times repeatedly on each spot, in order to damage the offending growth until it eventually scabs up and falls off! I got one burn just under my jaw, one on my chest, one on my side and two on my lower back. I had a bit of a hard time trying to figure out how to sleep last night as it seemed any way I moved I was going to put pressure on the new burns! But, I am better this morning and I am now done with my whining!

Life beckons once more and I am again heading down the mountain to take the girl child to a dentist appointment. She's not getting a toy from the treasure chest either. She's getting a root canal! :: Hanging my head in shame that I am getting a little perverse pleasure out of that thought!:: The little booger!