I HAVE SKIN CANCER!!

I thought I had an ingrown hair (from shaving my legs) on my left shin, but it didn't get better and sort of scabbed over after about 2 weeks, so I had a surgeon take a look at it.  The next thing I knew I was going in for a biopsy, and when I went in to get my stitches taken out, I found out the lesion was a squamous cell skin cancer.  The most common skin cancer are basal cells, and they mostly stay on the surface and don't tend to be invasive.  Squamous cells are slow growing, tend to involve the top two layers of the epidermis, but they can be invasive if not taken care of completely.  Therefore, right after we get back from Florida, where we're going for Thanksgiving, I will be admitted to the local out-patient surgery center for a more complete excision.  This is going to leave a 6 inch scar right down the middle of the front of my leg, across the shinbone.  

All in all, I'm thankful that I discovered it early, and, most of all, that it wasn't a melanoma.  The surgery doesn't bother me at all - after going through breast cancer, chemo and reconstruction, I can go through this.  I just have to be really vigilant for any and all skin lesions in the future, and so should ALL of you reading this blog!!  Everyone is vulnerable, and skin cancer can even pop up "where the sun don't shine."