Time for a check up!

Recently my brother was diagnosed with malignant Melanoma, a type of skin cancer which is easily treated if caught early. In that case, removal is hopefully all that is needed. If left too long, however, Melanoma can be deadly.

Our grandfather had malignant Melanoma. It started with a black mole on his cheek.

Thankfully my brother's Melanoma had not spread. What surprised me, though, was that his Melanoma was red, not black. I didn't realize that Melanoma could be red, white, and blue, or even just different shades of brown.

However, I decided I'd better get checked by a dermatologist. So I had my appointment on Tuesday. The spots that I was worried about were nothing to worry about.

However, the doctor found three moles that were of more concern. Two are to be watched carefully for awhile. The other mole she removed for a biopsy. So now I wait for 7 to 14 days to find out if it's malignant.

If it is, then I'll get to have more pieces of flesh carved out, just as my brother did. It's better than the alternative of nothing being done, though, and letting it spread.

Regardless of how it turns out, I'm suddenly feeling a bit mortal, and rethinking my priorities. I also went and got a full physical from my regular doctor. If anything needs to be fixed, there's no better time to do it than now.

Life can be short. Treasure your loved ones. And get a check-up from your doctor(s). I'm glad I did.