What do you think of when you think of self-care? Do you think of your mental health or even getting a massage every once in a while? But self-care is more than focusing on your mental health and taking a break. It also includes taking care of yourself physically, like going to the doctor. This is something I had been neglecting and due to luck. I found skin cancer and now I am advocating you go to the doctor to take care of yourself today.
Listen here.
A mole ended up being melanoma
I had gone to the doctor about the bump under my lip in LA, but it didn’t flatten out as they said. And I was a little concerned. But I also knew they had done a biopsy so it shouldn’t be cancer. I put off going to the doctor for about a year. Then when I got plantar fasciitis, I went in to see if I needed a referral for my feet and since I was there, I asked about the bump under my lip. So, the doctor put in a referral to dermatology.
Stage 0 Cancer
I went to the doctor and they found another mole they were worried about on my leg. Next, I had a biopsy done on the mole and it did come back as melanoma. I was able to get help from a friends’ mom who lived a few miles from the doctor’s office and was able to get the mole completely removed. And have since had a cancer-free diagnose from the follow-up biopsy done from the tissue collected during the surgery.
Self-Care is so important
This event made me realize I need to do a better job of taking care of myself physically. I haven’t visited a doctor for an annual exam since my son was born almost 4 years ago. I didn’t think I had time to go to the doctor. But I need to make sure to take the time to go to my regular doctor check-up. And as I continue to get older ensure I do the additional screening to help find issues before they become major problems.
Listen to the whole episode here.
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