Today at work, I noticed a young lady was wearing one of those support boots one wears after surgeries or sports injuries. I asked the usual ‘what happened to you?’ She hesitated, then offered an interesting story with flags for us all…she was bitten by a hobo spider on the ankle. Her leg swelled up and she headed to the ER. The ER doc looked at the bite and was concerned, but when he looked at the mole on her ankle, he was more than concerned. This young lady had noticed that odd mole on her left ankle for some time and was a bit annoyed with the occasional itch. A followup to a skin doc and tests confirmed the suspicions of the alert ER doc: a malignant melanoma. Invasive surgery resulted and so far they do not believe there was any permanent nerve damage or cancer. Time and rehab will tell.
A young (27 y/o) lady, not a sun worshipper, developed a mole on her ankle and but for a spider bite probably would not have received the immediate attention and successful intervention. Visit a skin doctor re any suspicious moles or skin oddities.
‘Malignant melanomas take the lives of more than 8,000 Americans a year, or about 13.5 percent of the people diagnosed with the disease, the Skin Cancer Foundation reports. Other forms of skin cancer are rarely fatal, although squamous-cell carcinoma can metastasize and result in death. But the situation isn’t bleak. If detected early, 99 percent of all skin cancers are curable.’ Skin Cancer
Jen, Jen…you sound like you have convertible envy
I have to admit to sun worship. Last year when I found myself in front of a TV camera and harsh lights, the toll of sun damage was painfully obvious. I have two spots on my forehead that never quite heal. Dermatologist said they are precancerous..like the one on my clavicle. Not so much vanity (maybe a little), as I just feel better being out in the sun. Time to take stricter precautions.
GM/SB
Well, funny you should mention that…last year, I used some dermatologist provided sunscreen, like PF 100 stuff and applied it onto my face. As the afternoon wore on the sunscreen made its way into the corner of my eye. Soon I was in horrible pain and I swear the product scorched the outside corner of my eye. I had a horrible sore for the duration of the trip. I would opt for tear free or whatever they call it sunscreen so sweating, eye rubbing or by whatever means contact with the eye does not cause such an incapacitation.