There's nothing healthy about a tan!!!

about my procedure yesterday... it went ok. the 25 ccs of novicane (which was injected in about 150 shots) hurt (stung), but the surgery itself did not. the actually cutting part took about 15 minutes (shorter than the time it took to put in the novicane), but was kinda gross. they removed a 3" by 2" by 0.5" area and then snipped out the fat for another half inch all the way around (the fat beneath the skin) then stitched it back together (so says nathaniel, who watched the whole thing). i have a huge indentation in my leg, so large that a golf ball could rest in it and not roll off. yuck!!! they gave me oxycodine, which has worked wonders thus far (only took 1/2 pill and was pain free). it is really only sore, not really achy yet... sometimes it'll throb, but not too bad. i really expected worse. but, it hasn't even been 24 hours yet. so who knows what is yet to come...

i have to stay off my leg for a week or so, as much as possible. good thing we have a nanny! i feel so lazy laying around. i'm already going nuts and it is just the first day.



also the doctor said that the original removal had a melanoma that was 0.2 mm thick. not very thick at all. he said that this procedure (the chunk he took out) was more precautionary than anything else. he said the recovery rate for melanoma that is 0.2mm thick is about 90% in 5 years... which i guess that translates to there is a 10% chance that it spread more and i'll have to have more work done). i'm gonna hope to be in that 90% success rate. man, i could kick myself for all those times i went to tanning beds and laid out in the sun using only SPF 4 (or less). i think at this point in my life, i can embrace my whiteness and no longer try to fit in with the "tan skin is healthy skin."

in the mean time, DON'T FORGET TO WEAR SUNBLOCK!!!!! and make an appt with a dermatologist for a body scan!!!