Getting some sun

Zoe is something of a sun worshipper so we sometimes soak up a bit of sun while she is with me. We sit on the landing outside my front door for a while of a late afternoon.

Given my frequent skin cancers I regard the sun as something of an enemy, however. So when I sit out in the sun, I cover up a bit with hat and sunnies. Zoe actually thought that made me look sexy so she took some photos of me in my protective gear. I reproduce two of them. In the close-up you can see the scars on my cheek from my recent operation. Zoe thought my scars made me look rather handsome. De gustibus non disputandum est

An unpleasant day

Recently, a lump of some kind sprang up on my cheek beside my nose on the right.  I had it biopsied but the biopsy was uninformative.  It was however growing so was probably a cancer of some sort and hence needed to be removed.

I put one of the best plastic surgeons in Brisbane -- someone I know well from past procedures -- onto the job and he successfully removed it yesterday -- charging $4,000 for the job.  It was a very difficult job so it was worth that to me.  

The tumor went down to the bone and it abutted a facial muscle.  In less capable hands I could have been left with a droopy face.  It is already a bit droopy due to my having lost a left facial nerve in another cancer operation some years ago. The muscle appears to have been preserved this time however

It was a Moh's procedure so we know that the tumor was all gone before I was stitched up.  I didn't have a lot of pain when the local wore off but the site is rather uncomfortable.  There was some swelling around the site but I am taking Roxithromycin for it and the swelling does appear to be on the way down. Roxithromycin is a "safer" form of Erythromycin, which has worked well for me in the past. I note that Roxithromycin is not yet approved for use in the USA but is approved in a number of European countries

The biopsy of the specimen yielded a diagnosis of a BCC but the cells were obviously unusual so my surgeon is consulting and oncologist colleague to understand a bit about it.  He has not ruled out follow-up radiology.

Mortality

A lot of men die in their 60s so one can easily lose friends that way.  I have.  Most of my friends are dead.  I find that hard to get used to.  They are still alive and vital in my memory. I still think of them as they were and miss being able to see them.

So I am rather glad that I am still alive at age 78 and appear to be in good enough shape to last a while yet.  And while my friends are dead I am enjoying a relationship with a new and pretty girlfriend. There is a picture of her at the head of this blog. I feel very lucky.