Not malignant

Yay!!! My lab report says NOT MALIGNANT in all caps.

A few weeks ago I was at the dermatologist for a skin issue, clearly, and he happened to notice the largish mole on my lower back. The very largish mole I cannot see but I know exists because countless massage therapists have told me it's there. Mostly I forget it's there. Sometimes I make a note to have it checked.

So, I had an appointment to see Dr. Stansbury about something else and planned to tell him about the mole in an "oh, by the way" manner, but he beat me to it. As a matter of business, he asked to see my back, and the next thing I hear is, "I need to get some film on this."

After magnifying the mole and photographing it, I could see that it very closely resembled the scary posters that hang on the back of doors at the dermatologist's office. Surgery was prescribed, which sounds more serious than necessary. Dr Stansbury also handed me a brochure and said, "Memorize this." The brochure was jam-packed with info about skin cancer and about how to do monthly spot checks. He also advised me, "Never get another sun burn."

Last week I had the mole removed, which is a slightly invasive procedure requiring stitches. The stitches were pretty cool, if very itchy. But, they're out now. I'm mending nicely and the biopsy came out okay and I'm never going to neglect a mole again.

And, one last thing, although I don't usually like to preach, I'm saying: Check. Your. Moles.