Chapter 185 - A Xmas Present

On Monday morning the surgeon was running late. She waited patiently, button ear phones in place listening to the PD relaxation music on her MP3 player. Some 4mm was taken from around the black spot. Even though she was not trying to look at the job in progress, one of the nurses effectively blocked her view she told me afterwards. There was no pain, then or later.

Today, Wednesday, she returned to have the dressings changed while I sat absorbed in Volume 12 of "The Wheel of Time". After a short while the nurse came to the door to invite me inside. I felt somewhat dead inside. "It was nothing" the Surgeon said "I didn't think it was anything serious growing on the scar tissue" -referring to the location of the black spot in the crater where the melanoma had been. "That's a very good Xmas present" I replied, meanwhile thinking that he was almost eager to to remove the spot to prove that the spot was "nothing'. We shook hands & wished each other a good Xmas.

Then to the club for lunch. Followed by a trolley full of groceries from the super market for our quiet Xmas at home. After collecting her puzzle magazines she said "We haven't bought one another anything for Xmas!" So we ambled into Kmart where she found several of her favourite musical DVDs.

I almost forgot. As mentioned in my last post, we went to the western outskirts of Big Smoke last Saturday. After booking into the motel (which turned out to be very comfortable for both of us) we did some supermarket shopping then at her favourite clothing shop. We ate salad & pork pies in the motel room rather than dine out. So on Sunday we enjoyed a great day with the grand kids, who were very interested in our Nintendo Wii that I took along in a small suitcase needed to carry all the bits & pieces. Then home at sun set. She commented a few times that I was cruising along at about 105 km/hour yet she was not stressed by the travelling. I decided to take the new toll way near our destination rather than take the narrow and shorter cross country road which only saves a short distance. I think we were both better for doing so.

Chapter 184 - Stop Press

She saw the podiatrist this afternoon. He took photos of the toe nail marks and the black spot in the melanoma crater. Then we did a little shopping for her printer inks and a few nibbly Xmas things. With time to kill before her appointment with the Surgeon we had coffees and lemon tarts at the club. The Surgeon was running late due to an emergency at the hospital. We found two friends occupying seats in the waiting room so they in turn chatted to her while I read my Dawkins book. After her turn came the Surgeon didn't think much of her additional toe nail blemish, saying "Let's just keep an eye on that seeing that the other wasn't anything serious." After seeing the black spot in the crater he excused himself to return with the appointment book for the Procedures Room saying "There'll be hell to pay when they discover that I've taken the book." It seems he is not supposed to make entries in it. He then said "How about you come in on Monday morning at 8:45 and I'll take that spot out for biopsy." She began to protest that we were going away, returning late on Monday. I chimed in "That's OK, we will be here at 8:45 on Monday. It can be fixed." The Surgeon then explained that with Xmas delays it was best to do this sooner rather than later and he will do the job under a local. We discussed taking the MP3 player along again.

At home she rang the motel to cancel Sunday night and book a room for Saturday night. Unfortunately the grandchildren plus their oldies have another engagement on Saturday and so does her sister, so we will casually drive northwards, do some impulse shopping Saturday afternoon and turn up to see the grandkids early on Sunday then travel home early on that evening.

So watch this space for these non-PD doings. I can only wonder though about the few on-line jottings I have seen connecting PD meds to melanoma. Almost 20 years is a long time.

Chapter 183 - Black Spots

She called me while I was in my dungeon this morning, ."There is another black spot under another toe nail." I grabbed the camera to take a picture of it, the centre toe on her right foot. The nail that was removed last time, the one adjacent to her right big toe still shows traces of the dark spot which is now at the front edge of the restored nail. "There is also a black spot on the scar on my leg." More pictures. "How long has that been there?" "About a week" she replied. This spot is very black, almost shiny, as if a piece of bitumen was stuck to her leg, almost in the centre of the crater left following the removal of the melanoma a little over a year ago. "Ring the doctor for an appointment." "Oh not now, let's wait until after Xmas." I insisted. There was an empty slot to see the doctor at 1230. About 1330 we saw the doctor. He inspected the toe, suggesting it was another haematoma as last time. When she showed him the little black beady eye on her leg though he reached for his plastic ruler to measure the spot's width, then said "I think Doctor S. should see that," as he began to type a referral letter. We told him she had stopped taking Lipitor some months ago because of arm pains following exercise on the Wii so he said for her to have a blood test next year to see how high her cholesterol levels were. After wishing each other Merry Xmas & learning that he was taking a week's leave we went to the office counter to pay and learned that he bulk billed us, so nothing to pay. May he have an extra pleasant Xmas. I had suggested due to the hour we have a light lunch at the Club to which she thought we were going, but to her discomfort she discovered that I was guiding her around the corner to the surgeon's " Oh why now?" "Let's just get it over & done with" I said. As we approached the office counter to make the appointment, one of the nursing sisters, dressed in her blue surgery outfit was standing there, recognised us (last year we attended the Procedures Room several time a week) and waved, then said "How are things?" To which she replied 'There's a little black spot on the scar from last time." The nursing sister just said quietly "Bugger. That's a bugger." So on Friday she has an appointment to see the surgeon. Before her appointment to see the chiropodist (or is it podiatrist?) to have her toe nails cut and after my appointment to have a check-up with my newly acquired hearing aid. What a busy social life we aged farts endure.

For several weeks now she has been running a production line making home made embroidered Xmas cards, in excess of 60 of them. Most will be binned I expect without recipients appreciating the work involved, assuming they arrive on time now that postal staff are taking strike action. That's just what we need to display the spirit of Xmas. She has also been making aprons with embroidered designs on them after I had her assemble one for me using some of my digitised work.

We both continue exercising with Wii Fit, in the mornings now before & after breakfast. No further weight loss.