Sliced

I had the removal yesterday. A 1 cm radius around the original pencil-eraser sized mole, so about an inch diameter circle. However...it seems one can not stitch up an inch diameter circle when its a centimeter deep and you're dealing with young, elastic skin.

The solution? Take out an oblong chunk (so basically a triangle on either side of the excision) and then stitch up a long line (when my derm sent me to the derm surgeon citing scarring issues, I didn't fully think this through and was kind of skeptical of her skills, but now understand).

The long and short of my 30 min lying on the table yesterday afternoon:

• I don't really want to get old (I do, but I don't really want to be spending more and more time in doctors offices. Between my foot and this, I have been to the doctor more in the last 12 months than probably the last 5-8 years combined. I don't want to think about the dozens of monthly appointments required of "full" cancer patients - I think my mom was averaging 4 a week for a while during chemo).
  
• Even with anesthetics, the sensation of thread pulling through your skin is very similar to that of thread pulling through fabric (even from the perspective of being the fabric)
• Seeing a slab of your skin in a jar is pretty strange.
• 98 cm of incision requires a lot of stitches, including some internal ones to help minimize the scarring. Currently, I am obsessing over the fact I probably can't play in this weekend's game, which has reduced my 5 weekend season to 3-4 weekends (pending next weekend) since I missed two games for coaching my college girls. Sigh.

Also, I have no idea how I'm going to change the bandage tonight. Can I pull a sheet of adhesive off my shoulder blade? I might need to enlist the roommate (since Princess Charming is away for work tonight) or just leave it an extra day till Princess Charming can change it for me. Even if I can get the medical tape off, I'm not sure I can reach to n.eosporin it and redress it adequately! (and that's kind of awkward to ask someone you're only sort of friends with to do!)