Guest Columnist
Every now and then, I'll write about a topic that isn't national security oriented, and this is one of those times. I've been thinking about the issue of skin cancer from personal experience and want to share with you what I have learned.
I've been dealing with various forms of skin cancer for thirty years since I turned 40. I was set-up for this problem. My ancestry is northern European, so I have a light complexion, blue eyes, and freckles. I grew up in Florida and spent a lot of time outdoors in the sunshine with minimum protection. And back in the 1950s, the damaging effect of the sun on unprotected skin wasn't well understood nor was there much on the market to protect people.
My first encounter with sun damaged skin was with a sore on my right shoulder that was different than a blemish and would not heal. After a couple of months, I mentioned it to my flight surgeon, and he removed it in his office; then sent the tissue to a lab for analysis. The sample was Basil Cell Carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer. Since then, I've been seeing a dermatologist about twice a year.
Most of my visits result in multiple encounters with liquid nitrogen, burning off pre-cancer lesions. That can be a little painful depending on how long that high-pressure bottle is sprayed in a given area, but otherwise tolerable. A couple of times, I have been prescribed a cream ointment called Fluorouracil which I apply to an area daily for as long as a month. This stuff is really caustic, and they caution the patient to only use this stuff in the winter when we are least likely to perspire. Still, I've never been able to use it for more than a couple of weeks before stopping because of severe irritation.
When I moved to Madison in 1997, my late mother gave me a drape hat because she knew I would be doing construction work outside building our farm. The hat is manufactured by a company in Seattle known as Solumbra, and they make sun-resistant sports clothing for men and women that provides much more protection that sun block. Both Linda and I use their products, particularly in the warm weather months to protect us from the damaging effects of the sun.
When I visit the dermatologist, I'll point out areas of concern. In most cases, those spots are labeled "signs of wisdom," meaning that I've been around for a long time and my skin isn't quite as smooth and clear as it once was. In fact, it never will be again. Oh well.
Sometimes my areas of concern will also alert the dermatologist and, after a dose of lidocaine, they'll scrape off the lesion and send it to the lab for analysis. Some come back with a benign report but occasionally, a Basil Cell will be identified which requires a Mohs surgery to cut away the cancer until healthy tissue can be identified under a microscope.
Last December, I had two areas that were of concern. The one behind my left ear was excised and identified as Squamous Cell Carcinoma, the first time I had that diagnosis. The second spot on my right temple was treated with liquid nitrogen. A few weeks later, the Squamous was removed by the surgeon using Mohs and stitched up. Apparently, there are a lot of nerves in that area because it was painful.
In January, that irritation on my right temple went ‘nuclear,' mushrooming in size. The next month, the lesion was removed and sent to the lab where the analysis showed it to be another squamous cell. In February, I went through the Mohs surgery at the clinic in Gainesville, but this time, my dermatologist could not get clean margins because of proximity to the temporal artery and a major facial nerve. The cancer was in a difficult spot to treat conventionally.
Now my care was turned over to the North Florida Cancer Center, in Lake City, for radiation therapy. After a consultation with the oncologist, the damaged area was ‘mapped' and about two weeks ago, I began radiation treatment, five days a week for six weeks. The preparation takes less than ten minutes, and the machine is turned on for no more than two. It is a lot of driving (103 miles and two hours daily) for a brief appointment, but necessary. I'm grateful to have companions on the drive who have volunteered from St. Mary's to make the daily journey with me.
I have no reason to believe that the radiation treatment will not be completely successful. Squamous is not nearly as aggressive as melanoma but can be dangerous if left untreated or not completely removed. Above all, cover up and limit your exposure. Be particularly careful with children. Farmers and construction workers spend a lot of time outdoors under the hot summer sun. Cover up!