My Visit to the Dermatologist

The Medical Arts Building off of Rt. 24, yesterday where my dermatologist practices

Folks, with the temperatures hovering around 97 degrees and oppressive humidity, Bill and I are housebound in our air conditioned ten year old ranch style Ryan home.  Ah, what did we do before air conditioning?  They say we became "acclimated" but I don't know about that.  Seems awfully hot these days to me.  

Yesterday we braved the Friday traffic on Route One and wheeled on down to the Medical Arts Building on Route 24 for my semi annual full body skin check by my dermatologist.  I hate driving on Route One, especially on a Friday afternoon in the summertime.  Just a lava flow of hot vehicles destined for the Atlantic Ocean waves of the Rehoboth Beach sands.  Oh the parking meter income in the summertime for Rehoboth.

I've been going to a dermatologist every year since 1990 when precancerous growths were discovered all over my face.  About half the time I've had those precancerous growths removed, sometimes by dry ice and sometimes surgically.  So far no skin cancer.  

So yesterday was a routine visit.  They know me well.  After a half an hour crawling in traffic for a trip that should have taken ten minutes I arrived at my dermatologist's office.  I was greeted with "Time to update our paperwork!"  I was given a clip board with eight sheets of paper to record ALL my past surgeries, medications, and check off any health issues I have.  God, how many times have I filled those forms out?  And I also had to fill out the releases for my medical records and photos (liability protection for my doctor) and the privacy forms.  When I was done I felt like I took my college SAT's again.  I always forget how many milligrams of my medications I take and you know I can't spell those medications which all seem to end in "stan."  

Oh well, I was finally ushered into my waiting room and told to disrobe (except for my short).  My now flabby 74 year old body thus would be on display again.  And to add insult to this indignity I was told "We're out of hospital gowns so you'll have to cover yourself in this paper sheet."  

WTF?

She handed me a folded tissue that looked like the under table cloth cover.  Aren't hospital gowns sort of  . . . . . . BASIC?  

I unfolded the sheet, which was very thing by the way, and attempted to cover my gangly, loose flesh, aged marked body as best I could.  I hopped on the paper covered examining table and awaiting my doctor.

He came in and greeted me.  I have to give him credit for not laughing out loud seeing me shivering under that VERY THIN blue tissue paper.  I thought briefly of talking a selfie of myself thus but thought better of it.  Wouldn't want to be the cause of my faithful readers having nightmares tonight. 

My dermatologist is of Chinese descent.  I have a Korean urologist. I don't know what that means but I thought I would mention that fact.  I think it is interesting.

Anyway, he greets me (we're like old friends now) and checks my sad, flabby body out.  He checks my left cheek, where on my last visit he removed a stubborn actinic keratosis lesion that just wouldn't go away.  During a visit last year he burned it off (my cheek was smoking) but it didn't take.  So my last visit he cut it out.  No smoking this time, only blood.  Nice.

Good news, that particular keratosis did not return He checks out the rest of my bod and I pass, albeit I do have a number of small keratosis but I am told that is "normal for my age."  That phrase "normal for your age" is a phrase I'm hearing a lot of since I entered my final "Golden" years. He informs me I don't have to come back for a year now.  Hallelujah!  

So there you go folks, I'm done with my doctors' visits for this year.  Oh wait, I do have one more in September, I'm getting my eyes checked again.  My left eye is weaker.  I think I need a new prescription.  My eye doctor has told me that I have "cataracts in my future".  Oh joy.

I'm clear now for my upcoming visit to Toronto, Canada to visit my "little brother" Pat at the end of this month.  Every year I spend Labor Day week in Toronto with Pat.  What a nice way to end the summer, eh?

Pat and me in downtown Toronto 2014
(sometimes a passerby will offer to take our picture together after seeing us struggle to take a selfie, this was one of those occasions)

Visit To My Dermatologist

That time again folks, a visit to my dermatologist to remove a precancerous growth from my face.  I continue to pay the price for the Folly of my Youth, baking myself on the beach seeking that ever elusive tan. 

Of all the dire warnings we received in our youth from going straight to Hell if we smoked weed to the perils of unprotected sex perhaps the most accurate is the danger of baking oneself on the beach.  Oh yes, I was one of those fools, who early spent the morning lying supine on the beach, baking my supple bod under the ultra violet cancer causing rays of the Sun. 

Me, foolishly baking tanning at Rehoboth Beach 1964 - yes, I am THAT old!

Thirty years ago this year (yes, it was THAT long ago) I first visited a dermatologist.  That was when I worked at a big bank in Philadelphia.  During my lunch hour I took a walk down to Thomas Jefferson University for my doctor's appointment. Coincidentally, my doctor at that time was also of Chinese ancestry as is my doctor now.  What are the odds?




I had arranged an appointment because I noticed that every time I shaved my left cheek would hurt.  The doctor examined my face and told me my face was covered with actinic keratosis lesions.  "What in the world is actinic keratosis?" I thought.  Well, he old me they were pre CANCEROUS lesions.  

There is was.  The dreaded "C" word.  I was so taken aback that I had to sit down.  He explained to me that while actinic keratosis lesions are not cancerous they could lead to cancer.  He also told me that, for the rest of my life, I would have to see a dermatologist every six months.  This was thirty years ago folks. And with few exceptions, I have been seeing a dermatologist.

Me this morning after the biopsy was taken from my left cheek

But first he had to treat all the lesions, most of which were not noticeable to the casual eye, with a topical chemotherapy treatment.  Basically, this was a chemical skin peel of my face.  And folks, I'm here to tell you that was one of the most painful procedures I've ever had in my long life.  The only medical problem that has been more painful was my passing of kidney stones and folks, NOTHING surpasses that pain level. But this topical chemical skin peel was pretty painful.

That's part of my left cheek in the little vial next to the forceps

I had it done over the New Year's holiday.  My face looked like raw hamburger.  I was scaring folks with my appearance.  I remember standing on the platform at Suburban Station and people would take one look at my beet red face and give me space, like I was contagious.  

It took about two weeks for my face to heal.  The good news was that I had all new skin on my face, felt like a baby's ass (not that I would know).  The bad news was that I could never lay on the beach again.  Come to think of it, that wasn't really bad news.  I was always bored laying on the beach anyway.  The bad news was that I would always have the cost (and there were years that I didn't have insurance so all those dermatologist visits came out of my shallow pocket) and inconvenience of finding a dermatologist for the rest of my life.  Another chunk of my freedom gone.

Most visits to my dermatologist over the years I've managed to get out of their office without having chunks of my flesh either being burned (dry ice) or cut (for biopsies).  However, in recent years I almost always have another piece of flesh taken off of my once prime bod.  These days this old bod gives up a little more sun baked flesh to the dermatologist's laboratory.  And this morning I was asked if my damaged skin could be on my doctor's new website warning of the danger and damage of prolonged sun exposure.  Of course I gave my permission.  Just another instance of my image living on long after I'm gone (this along with my brief appearance in the audience of "The Price is Right!")  

My good doctor dug out a piece of my left cheek this morning for a biopsy.  I'll know the results in about a week and a half. Been here before folks.  Always got a pass from the cancer.  Hopefully I'll get another pass. 

Afterward, to cheer my spirits we stopped at the local Walmart.  Shopping and watching Walmart People always cheers me up.  I'm never disappointed when I slum it up in a Walmart (listen to me, like I'm NOT one of THOSE people). 

My Visit to the Dermatologist

Me all patched up out in front of Casa Tipton-Kelly

Just got back from a visit to my dermatologist.  Had to have a little patch and repair work done on the old puss.  All those years of laying on the beach "working on my tan" are coming back to haunt me now.  Yes folks, I'm one of THOSE OLD GUYS who has to visit his dermatologist every six months (or less) to have removal done of suspicious spots on my skin.  So far, no skin cancer but I do have the pre cancerous condition called keratosis.  Lucky me.  Foolish me.  Paying the price me.

So this morning Dr. Ellen removed four spots from my bod.  "All on the right" as she said, which I think made it easier for her.  First she had to put a needle in each suspicious skin lesion to numb it.  The first on on my upper right chest didn't feel too bad.  But then the one right below my right ear...OWWWW!  Man did that hurt!

Next up a spot on my right cheek.  That Mother hurt too!  Then the best, the keratosis "horn" on the tip of my nose.  OUCH!  Man oh man!  YEW OW!

She removed three of the lesion by "punching".  The last one (on my nose) she had t o shave off.  All will be sent out for biopsies.

Ron patched up

Next up, an appointment with a new doctor to check out what is the matter with my right leg.  I think it is arthritis, because I can hardly bend my knee.  My knee cap is swollen.  It hurts like a bitch whenever I stand up.

I'm telling you folks, I'm falling apart!

What was it Bette Davis said?  "Getting old isn't for sissies."  

Return Visit To My Dermatologist

"I got a hole in my back!"

First of all, apologies to the readers of my Word Press blog because I'm going to do a repeat here, I also posting a this story to my Word Press blog today.

This morning I returned to my dermatologist to have the one stitch removed from my forehead.  Remember that wart like growth that popped out of my left temple a few weeks ago like a volcano?  I worry about these things, could be cancer.  Well, I have good news.  It wasn't cancer.

My dermatologist told me it was "only" keratosis.  Not even actinite keratosis, which is a pre cancerous condition.  For the past twenty-five years I have had numerous actinide keratosis spots removed from my face.  This was only a benign growth, my dermatologist said. I dodged another bullet!

His assistant removed the one stitch that was in my forehead the past week.  Didn't hurt at all.  She was good.

My doctor told me to take off my shirt and tee shirt and lay on my stomach on the pummel horse bench that is the common fixture in all doctor's office. Oh the stories that contraption could tell if it could talk.

The pummel horse bench was covered in that crinkly butcher type paper (how appropriate) and was cold!  I took off my clothing and rather awkwardly tried to position myself (what do I do with my arms?) on the bench.  It was cold.  Oh, I said that already.

He then gave me a needle in my lower back where he was going to remove the cyst growth near my spine in the small of my back. I've had this cyst removed twice before in years past (as long ago as 1986) but my doctor said they "didn't go deep enough."  Uh huh, sounds like we're going to do some DIGGING here, always fun.  Stick that needle in doc and numb me up!

In a few minutes I'm numbed up.  Now all those names I've been called over the past years like Numb Nuts and Numb Skull one could add Numb Back.  Doesn't quite have the same ring though does it?

So the small of my back is numbed up.  My doctor grabs his scalpel and proceeds to dig....and dig....and dig.  No pain but I could feel the pressure.  That's MY MEAT he's digging into!

Finally he says "Ah ah! "  Then he shows me the recalcitrant invader that took residence up in the small of my back.  It was pink and bloody and big as a large walnut!  Another Piece of Me gone!

The "aftermath" - that's my blood folks!

In the medical waste he tosses it.  He applies three stitches and then bandages me up and tells me not to take a shower for twenty-four hours.  Good thing I took a shower last night.

Before I put my clothes back on I asked if I could take his picture for my iPhone Address book.  He reluctantly agreed.  He wasn't real thrilled but let me take TWO photos. The first one was blurred which is the one I'm posting here.  The other went directly into my Address Book.

My dermatologist - he's taking good care of this Old Man

My next appointment is two weeks from now.  I guess that is how long it will take that hole in the small of my back to heal up.

Again, more proof of that old Bette Davis quote:  "Getting old isn't for sissies!"

Hey, I may be a SISSY but I'm not a sissy.

Head Sucked

Head wart removed!

How do you like that for a title?  Well, that's what happened to me when I visited my dermatologist this afternoon.  Ya gotta get those attention grabbing titles!

I used a new dermatologist.  I usually go to the Wilmington VA for my dermatology appointments but I was just there in December.  They see me every six months.  Usually I have small actinic keratosis lesions removed from my face.  My last visit I had four remove, including one right on the tip of my nose.  Actinic keratosis is a pre-cancerous condition. So far no skin cancer.  Both my Mother and one brother have had skin cancer so it runs in my family.  I am due.

The Medical Arts Building, Rehoboth Beach, DE

I didn't want to go through all the aggravation of making another appointment so soon at the Wilmington VA so I took advantage of my Medicare Part B and AARP supplement insurance for which I am paying Big Bucks every month and sought out a local dermatologist.

I did good.  His name is Dr. Chang.  He is Chinese as was my very first dermatologist Dr. Uy back in 1991 when I worked at Fidelity Bank in Philadelphia, PA.  Dr. Uy worked out of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital which was a few blocks from where I worked on Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA.  I've had interesting dermatologists care for me over the years.  When I worked in Downingtown, PA my dermatologist was Dr. Dvorkin.  Yes, almost Dr. Kevorkin but not quite.  But I digress.

The Hallway of Doom - floor to my dermatologist's office

So today's visit resulted in me getting what Dr. Chang called a "punch biopsy" which is literally sucking the growth off of my forehead.  Thus, I got my head "sucked."  That was a first.

Oh the stories this recliner could tell

Oh, I almost forget.  He numbed my head first.  Now I've been called "Numb Head" before (mostly be disaffected former employees and my first sergeant in Basic Training) but this is the first time my head was literally numb.  A STRANGE FEELING to be sure.

After the offending growth was sucked from my head, blood flowed (I do bleed easily).  The good doctor applied one stitch (he sewed my head!), then bandaged me up.

Yes folks, that red stuff is MY BLOOD!

So here I am now, a Poor Little Puppy...Poor Little OLD Puppy.

Properly feeling sorry for myself and looking every day of my 70 years - check out the wrinkles - man oh man where did my Youthful Boyish Good Looks go?

Dr. Chang is sending out the Offending Growth from my forehead for a biopsy.  He said he may be cancerous, it may not.  He doesn't know.  I have an appointment this time next week to get my STITCH out.  He will also remove another Offending Growth from the small of my back that keeps coming back at that time.  He didn't have time to do it today.


He said his office will call me immediately if what he took off today was cancerous because then he will have to remove move meat from my head.  Yes, I know...MEATHEAD.

Oh woe is me.  All those years I laid on the beach and now I am Paying the Price.

Me back in the day when I seriously worked on getting skin cancer a tan - Provincetown, Mass 1979

The Adventure continues folks.

Me now, I need some pity here folks - my head hurts and I'm still bleeding

Clean Bill Of Health

This morning I got up early to catch the American Legion van (Post 28, the largest American Legion Post in the United States) to the Wilmington Veterans Administration Medical Center. I had a 9 AM appointment with the dermatologist. I didn't get much sleep last night because I worked at the Inn until 11 PM. I had to get up this morning around 4 AM to put myself together. One of the downsides of my retiring to Delaware is that I am quite a distance away from the nearest VA medical center. When I lived in Downingtown, I was 10 minutes away from the Coatesville VAMC. Fortunately for me though, the local American Legion Post 28 provides a van four times a week to transport us veterans to the Wilmington VAMC. Although I now have full insurance coverage through Medicare Part A and B and AARP supplemental insurance, I still use the VA for my medical care. Why? Because they take great care of me. Their focus is different. Unlike private medical care, the VA doesn't operate by how many patients they get in and out of their offices just to generate more income. Also, and this is a special pleasure I take, I don't have to wait in a waiting room with a bunch of squalling kids. Nothing against kids and family practices, but I've always felt that we old folk didn't get the same care a the youngest patients. Selfishly, I feel more comfortable with a bunch of old men (of which I am a charter member) than I do the moms and kids of family practices. The good news this morning was that I had my annual examination for skin cancer. Twenty years ago I had my first case of keratosis, which is a precancerous skin condition. On that fall day in 1988 I paid a visit to the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia to check why my left cheek hurt every time I shaved in an upward direction. The doctor looked at my face and said immediately that I had a precancerous skin condition called keratosis. Of course when I heard the dreaded "C" word. I thought I would fall off of the doctor's paper covered table. Cancer. I thought my life was over. However, Dr. Uy soon explained to me that I had a precancerous condition that is probably the result of prolonged exposure to sun. Yep! That was me. A sun bather from way back. Now was the time to pay the price for all those years laying in the sun baking. To make a long story short, I had to undergo a painful topical chemotherapy treatment which removed the upper layer of skin from my face. Since then I've had to visit a dermatologists at least once a year to make sure the keratosis skin lesions have not return. Over the years I've had several instances of keratosis. The different dermatologists I've visited have removed these lesions by burning them off with dry ice. Painful? Yes (not as painful as that kidney stone I passed though.) All around me I have friends, including my Mother and brother, who have had more serious forms of skin cancer. So, you better believe that I see my dermatologist once a year at least. The problem when I moved down to Slower Lower Delaware (aka Sussex County, Delaware) was the lack of dermatologists. Surprising, since I live in a sea side resort community. But, that is the state of health care in this country. I even had trouble finding a general practitioner. I did find one but had to make an appointment many months in advance. So, this morning me and seven other veterans rolled up Route 1

to the Wilmington VAMC. Entering the main lobby, I headed towards the elevator and got off at the sixth floor of the building. I scanned my Veterans ID card in the machine in the dermatology unit. The Veterans Administration is very efficient in this manner. I went to the waiting room to await my 9 o'clock appointment. It wasn't too long until I was talking to my fellow veterans who were also waiting in the waiting room. Gentle banter was passed back and forth. I've always found at whatever VA waiting room I'm in, I easily make friends with the other veterans waiting for their appointments. Not so in a general practitioner's office. There, I'm just trying to stay out of the way of the screaming kids and demanding moms. It wasn't too long before the doctor appeared and asked me into their office. The doctor examined me and pronounced me clean. Big whoop! I made another year without a dangerous skin cancer problem. My next appointment is next September. Interesting fact, the dermatologist team that now services us veterans at the Wilmington VAMC are from the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. What goes round, comes round. Again, I am indeed fortunate. Another good day for Retired In Delaware.

Dermatologist?

Yesterday I discovered one of the few downsides living in the southern most county in Delaware. I needed to see a dermatologist to check a skin condition on the side of my neck. I have a history of actinic keratosis. While this is not cancerous, it could become cancerous. I have a history of skin cancer in my family. My next scheduled appointment with the VA in Wilmington is in November (I'm checked annually.) Now that I have Medicare Part B and AARP supplemental insurance I can choose any doctor that I want. At least that is the myth perpetuated by those who opposed government health care. Yesterday, I called the first of four dermatologists listed in the local phone book. The first dermatologist was not accepting new patients until October! The next two aren't accepting patients at all. The fourth office of the dermatologist told me that they weren't accepting new patients until September. Now remember, I live on the eastern coast of Delaware, in a beach resort area. NO DERMATOLOGISTS! Such is the state of health care in this country. So much for choosing your own doctor. Now I have a call into the VA. The VA provides excellent health care for me but I do have to jump through a lot of hoops and appointments take some time to keep because of the shortage of doctors at the VA. In a way, I'm glad I'm at the end of my life instead of starting out. I can remember back to the days of my childhood when doctors made house calls and medical expenses were affordable. While this country has made great advances in medical care it is not available to many of us, even people like me who have what amounts to double medical care.