Art's Bar & Grill -- Rock 'n' Roll, Politics and Life Since 2006

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

WARNING: Graphic Material

If you don't mind gross stuff, you might be interested to see pictures of my stitches. It's interesting to compare the tiny discoloration that got this started with the tennis ball-sized hunk they ultimately took out. I've put these pics up only as links so you can decide if you want to see something this gross without being blindsided.

Here is a picture of the melanoma. Looks kinda weird but harmless, doesn't it?

In this picture, we have the stitches from my original biopsy. When I first took a shower and looked at these stitches, my stomach began turning and I thought I would throw up! In fact I stood over the toilet, but nothing came out. Looking back, these stitches are "cute."

(Get your yak bag ready!) Now we have the stitches from the Mohs procedure. I was wondering why these stitches were more sore than the original biopsy ones, and now it makes sense! They're a hell of a lot more huge!

And finally, to give you perspective on how much skin was taken out of my leg, here's a profile of the top of my thigh.

If you're someone who landed here because you're due to have a melanoma removed, don't let these pictures scare you out of it. The other option is to have your leg lopped off, or to die! Go get your issue taken care of ASAP!

Posted by Art | 8:30 AM EST | 3 comments |

3 Comments:

VJ said...: Good to hear you're doing better Art. That seems like a pretty close call too. And a decent argument on not trusting mom with too many important medical opinions. But yeah, right away I'd have been suspicious. Good to hear that you're doing better. Just tell folks that one of Vicks dogs tried to take a chunk from your leg when you were trying to rescue it. That ought to garner some extra sympathy too. But good to hear that you're doing better now. Cheers & Good Luck with the recovery. 'VJ'/JMP; 4:26 AM, August 14, 2009
Mr. Radio said...: My God! They took a lit of meat there...But damn good thing they did. You're OK and that's what counts.; 7:48 AM, August 14, 2009
Art said...: Yeah, the dark part has been there for years, but used to be lighter brown and maybe a little smaller, I think. Then this pink part showed up, and I thought, "Wow, this thing is subdividing!" It also had this unusual texture to it, like stretched saran wrap. Most recently that little dark dot showed up in the pink part. And to think I thought it was just a weird mole and was just looking at it and shaking my head every day.; 2:44 PM, August 14, 2009