Don't forget to check yourself!

What? Check myself?


This post is not necessarily ed techie related...but a reminder to take a day or two to check your self...your basic health stats, a tune up for your body, a self reality check...so you can continue to share your knowledge, skills, and abilities with the rest of us.  In the military, birth month checks were the reminder to make all of your required medical appointments in your birth month.  So every January I make those appointments required to do the basic checks...except for last January because I was in transition.  This year I picked it back up again...everything is good except for that annual head to toe skin review.


I understand that health care has the attention of many people this year, but in reality, everyone has a personal responsibility to their own health.  In the long run, it is better to be proactive and educated about yourself, your family history, and lifestyle changes.


I have just had my 10th mole removed from my body. I have had this type of procedure in 4 different states, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina.  I will patiently await the results that will hopefully come back negative and return in 6 months for a follow up to review the annotated areas tagged for review.  There is nothing like the question, "How long have you had this one?", when someone is looking at your backside from the top of your head to between your toes and you wonder when have I even looked for a mole there. So take the time to check yourself, if needed, take a picture and conduct a monthly check.


While we associate melanoma with skin checks, it can occur in the eye. This happened to the father of a friend of mine, who recovered with radiation.


Here is the ABCD reminder when checking your skin for possible features that might be symptoms of melanoma:



Asymmetry:  One half of the abnormal area is different from the other half.
Borders:  The lesion or growth has irregular edges.
Color:  Changes from one area to another, with shades of tan, brown, or black or sometimes white, red, or blue. A mixture of colors may appear within one spot.
Diameter: The trouble spot is usually, but not always, larger than 6 mm in diameter-about the size of a pencil eraser.

So take a moment for yourself...for your health...and check yourself and your family history.  Without your health...your unique ed technieness will depart before you have the time to share your knowledge, skills, and abilities with the rest of us.


As always, comments and recommendations are welcome or you can click on one of the reaction buttons below this post.


Links of interest:
Google Health:  Melanoma
US National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute - Melanoma
Mayo Clinic - Melanoma