Today I had a six month checkup for cancer. We’ve backed down from every three months to every six. That’s a good thing.

I haven’t had any biopsies taken in almost a year and a half. That’s amazing. It’s really amazing because I was averaging a new biopsy for every visit, if not more, before then.

It caught up to me, though. It was bound to. I’m due.

It’s almost two years (in September) since my last melanoma was found. Two years. Can you believe it? Most of you who read my blog have been around at least that long, if not longer.

Five years is the magic number. At five years, they figure that you can go down to a yearly visit because it’s not coming back. I haven’t made it to five years yet.

First, carcinoma on my hand. Two months later, a melanoma on my back. Three years after that, another melanoma. Now, two years later, we’re watching.

Two biopsies today. A pound of flesh removed from my upper right thigh and another pound removed from the middle of the inside of my left calf. Ok, not nearly a pound…but it sure feels like it. Big scoops of flesh removed from my body — areas that will take months, if not years, to mend because legs mend so slowly. I still have one that is trying to mend from two years ago December on my lower right calf. Over two years and the mark is still there, still looking bruised and ugly.

I will find out the pathology results within a week. I’m not worried about the one from my calf. That one didn’t look bad. The one from my thigh, however, grew fast. It may be something. Then again, it might not be.

My war wounds. My little reminders that I’m still here, still kicking, and still moving forward. This blight upon my body will not win.

One of the other interesting things is that my doctor is now going to be taking digital photographs of my body so she can compare them to my visits.  That way we’ll know if any of the moles have grown, appeared, or changed shape.

So, being the dorky photography nut I am, I started asking her about her camera, the megapixels, and the resolution of the photographs.  Heh.  She told me that we could look at the photos together, when they are taken, and then I can make recommendations about cameras.  I’m up for that.

Hey, it’s just about the cameras and photography, folks!