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Not At MY Age! (for the nebby folks)

 This will come as no surprise to anyone - I'm not a morning person.

Those of us who prefer the dark, quiet hours of the night do occasionally have to deal with the reality that there is a 5:30 in the AM as well as PM. It's an uncomfortable reality, but that's just life. 

I had to deal with the AM version yesterday. Long story short, I had a doctor's appointment at 8:30, had no idea where the office was, and still had to attempt to function. My morning routine is non-negotiable. It's really the only way I can deal with most people. Yes, copious amounts of coffee are involved. 

I had a check-up last week. My regular doc (I call him "Doogie" but I'm not convinced he fully understands the reference), who is younger than some shoes I own, was concerned about a growth on my nose. I wasn't...but I don't have the magic letters following my name, so my opinion is moot. 

Let me be clear, I've dealt with this before. As cancers go, my previous bout of skin cancer (25 years ago) was a non-issue. The docs hacked a bunch of skin off, I bled for a few days, everything healed. Next!

I've also dealt with other cancers - and they too were, as far as I'm concerned, non-events. I dubbed my one tumor 'Bert' (because I believed nothing with that name could ever hurt me - it also made it less conspicuous when discussing it with my then boss. "How's the Bert situation?", she might ask. "I have to see about Bert today", I might say if I had an appointment with the doc.) 

My blood cancer (still an issue - but one my oncologist likes to remind me is highly unlikely to kill me. "Something else will get you long before this does!") is under control. So, really? Another splotch of skin cancer? No big deal in my book.

The dermatologist(s) (yeah, I got to see two of them!) agreed. I enjoyed both of them. We decided it best to hack it off my nose and send it to the lab - to be sure it's non-malignant. I informed them how much my previous biopsy bled, and they did whatever magic trick they had up their sleeves to make sure this was less bloody. My wife noted that I ended up with a small shiner. I told her that if asked, I'd just say she hit me. 

It's a miracle she puts up with me. 

I was thrilled to remove the bandage and wash my face today (after waiting 24+ hours - which was difficult for a germaphobe). I applied the goo the doc prescribed and am now scribbling this bit O weirdness. 

I did get a good photo out of the situation. To me, it looks like an autopsy photo! Again, the wife doesn't share my humor on the subject. 

I noticed, though, in the photo just how old I look. Mind you, I wear trifocals. Usually, the only time I see my face is when I wash it or brush my teeth. I'm usually not wearing my specs during those times. Without my corrective lenses, the world is a blur. That blurriness makes me look a lot younger! Seeing a high-def photo of my face, even in profile, jeez...Grandpa Simpson ain't got nothing on this geezer!

Oh well. I'm 60. A lot of my friends didn't make it this far. The doctors are often surprised that I have - for medical as well as behavioral reasons. I was born premature. Mom wasn't supposed to carry me to term, so I busted out early and have been fighting the world ever since. This has not changed. 

Unless the docs tell me the skin cancer (this time) is malignant, I'll continue on my typical path. Even if they give me bad news, I don't see me changing much. Not at my age. 


- MCM 8/28/26

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