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I'm sooooooo glad it's not a melanoma! Are celebrating over this good news? It must be such a relief for you and your family.
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Basal cell is a piece of cake. Thank goodness! The only bad thing is the removal procedure takes so long. Plan for a whole day.

My mother had a basal cell carcinoma on the end of her nose. She opted for radiation. That wasn't so bad. Each procedure was short, but we had to go back for 12 treatments -- two a week. I was so glad when that was over. I decided if she got any more carcinomas, I would encourage her to go for the surgery instead. I would rather do one long day than 12 short ones.
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Well, the really GOOD news is that it's not Melanoma; it's a basal cell carcinoma. The doctor is recommending further excision, Mohs surgery or some sort of freezing technique. Need to talk further about pros and cons with the doctor.

Mom's reaction was priceless; she said "how can that be?"
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Babalou, I wasn't aware of that aspect of Eleanor's life. She was quite a woman, wasn't she!
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Babalou my thoughts are with you. My mean evil, narcissistic mother is coming to her end and frankly I don't give a d*mn. Her mind is away with the fairies and she keeps climbing out of bed and ending up in the ER. She currently has a black eye and 8 stitches over that eye from a try last week. At close to 90 and having been the most evil witch her whole life it's about time she left but, demented and skeletal, she hangs on.
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Sorry, got that wrong. Richard died in France. Still, E of A got there.
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GA, Eleanor of A had quite a life. Even at the age of 80, she was still riding around Europe, fleeing foljs who wanted to hold her for ransom, and riding to her son Richard I's side when he was mortally wounded while on Crusade.
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So, still don't have results of the biopsy. Told mom that we're telling her the truth because I learned early in life that trying to hide a cancer diagnosis is exhausting and stupid. Learned that watching her and the rest of my family doing it multiple times. I know, i know: that was "the way it was" back in the 50s. The problem is going to be if it's not melanoma. She's not going to believe us. Because "she knows".
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I remember Eleanor of Aquitaine only from the move starring Katherine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, but thought that it was well done and probably pretty accurate. Both are superb actors. And yes, Eleanor was feisty and spoke her mind and definitely was not submissive or oppressed, although her feminism (adding a 20th century concept here!) wasn't appreciated by King Henry.

Anne certainly did manage to at least survive being beheaded. I had read that Henry did "buy her off" after the realization that the marriage was not going to be as he expected. I had always thought that that might be to keep her silent and subordinate, but I was unaware that she was as fortunate as you write.

You obviously know your English history!
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The Married Women's Property Act of 1870 established in law that women's property did not automatically become their husbands' on marriage. You don't have to go all the way back to the Plantagenets! And besides, check out Eleanor of Aquitaine. I don't think she can have read the bit about being submissive and oppressed.

Don't be fooled by a 21st century perspective. Poor little Anne of Cleves that everyone feels sorry for because Henry VIII was so rude about her ended up with a substantial divorce settlement, a comfortable independent home, the honorific of "the King's Sister" and the respect of an extremely ruthless court. She also got right away from the vile brothers who'd sent her to England in the first place, not to mention keeping her head. Canny woman. As 'Somebody' once said: "don't get mad. Get even."
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Fingers crossed that the biopsy results are good.

I remember watching a PBS drama on the Plantagenets years and years ago. It was historical as well as social, addressing the draconian practices preventing women from equal status to manage their own finances. While fascinating, it's also hard to repress anger at the way women were treated by society during these early centuries.
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So, called the dermatologist office today at noon or so. They said biopsy results are in and that doc will call me later. I'm assuming he leaves these calls for late in the day ( I know I do). So still hanging on. Not telling siblings or mom that results are in but not known. Trying to manage information . Listening to an amazing book on CD about the Plantagenats . you all need to hear this book.
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You know, it's funny. When my second child was a baby, she was tested gor cystic fibrosis. I was hystericsl. I called my mother in law (because i couldn't call MY mother, she'd go off the deep end). My mil said to me "Barbara, there's no sense worrying begore you find outvyhst she's actually got this. How you will react snd vo p e once you know gor sure is very different ftom whst you think when it's an "if this is". She was do right. To this dsy, i sm able (okay, with a lot of therapy ) to put off the eorry of my own biopsies, mris and cardisc test sr
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Glad the biopsy is done and hopefully the results will be available Friday. It's awful and very unsettling to wait for pathology results - all the wondering and worrying.

I hope you and your family are able to have some peaceful days as you await the results.
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Thanks for all the encouragement. I resisted doing the mad drive up there today. To quote my brother "hey, she's worrier". I wish that my world view was more like his
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Babalou, just to take your mind off it you've reminded me of getting a biopsy done on my then five year old daughter - both her father and I attended to give encouragement. All was well, ish, until the actual cutting and cautery at which point she said "what's that terrible smell?" I think I did blurt out "er, it's your head burning" - I'm sure her therapist would be able to quote the exact phrase.

I know what you mean, though, about the bitterness you can't help feeling, and you really can't help it. I remember my mother very firmly putting me off her knee (I think she was reading, so fair enough) but I don't remember ever trying to climb up again. Hugs R Not Them.

Still, you do provide comfort because it's the right thing to do, no? What else can you do?
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Awfulizer. A person who makes things awful when they are not, yet.
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So, the biopsy was yesterday. Dermatologist did a punch and took out the whole asymmetrical, evolving thing. (Asymmetrical and Evolving are part of the ABC DE classification of skin growths, both should make you suspicious). Two stitches, lots of blood. Doc told us that he'd have the results on Friday at best, next week more likely. So, with mom sitting with aide in the waiting room after, I called my brother on my cell phone and went outside the office to get better reception. My sil called me just now to say that mom "knows" we know and are keeping the results from her.

Let me rant for a sec. My mother is, and always has been, the worst awful in er on the planet. She worries to death any minor symptom before, during and after diagnosis. It makes insane. What's sadder still is that, while the doc was cutting, I stood behind her and held her. And I thought, my mother never did this foe me. I don't recall any medical or other procedure during my childhood where she reached out and touched. I was told to "offer it up".

And some lady on this forum wants to know why my mom, with dementia yet, doesn't live with me (well, not really, it's more complex than that)? Because there was no milk of human kindness in my childhood directed at me. Not feeling very good about my mean- spiritedness at all, but it is what it is.
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Babalou....."out of the mouths of babes ....and elders". Sometimes their innocent remarks are so precious.

My mother used to comment when we were preparing strawberries for eating that some of them liked to sit down instead of standing up. It was so spontaneous, and so sweet.
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Oh, this is too cute. Just visited mom who managed to stammer", i think I'm handling this very well."
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CM, i first noticed this mark in May and i was determined to ignore it. In July we were talking about Hospice, if you recall. My sil was all for doing something at the time ( her mom died of melanoma) but my brother and i decided to wait and see. We agreed if mom noticed aNd wanted something done, we'd reconsider. Well, mom noticed AND it appears to have changed a bit so it qualifies according to the abcde system (evolving) as something needs tending
And mom's had melanoma once on the past, as did one of her brothers. From what uve read, melanomas increase with age, in part because they arise as the immune system slows down. My mom was a medical secretary to a group of cancer surgeons at Memorial Hospital in the 1930-40s and so knows enough to be really worried about stuff like this. Unfortunately, her knowlege is based on sccience that is 75 years old and is being filtered through a very damaged brain. So we'll get the biopsy and go from there. Thanks for listening.

To confess, I AM in favor of ignoring things that we're not going to treat (no none marrow buopsy 3 years ago. They found a couple of atypical cells in mom's pleural effusion). But this is something that may be easily cured by removal, and to ignore it is to worry mom.
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I'm not one for ignoring things you wouldn't ignore in a younger person, but… is this a sinister looking new mark, do you think? [nasty suspicious mind wondering if it's more like a contribution to the Dermatologists' Benevolent Society pension fund..?]

Still, if it puts her mind at rest and she wants it attended to that'll be worth the trip on its own. Hope it goes smoothly and turns out unproblematic.
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There seem to be a variety of twists and turns along this not very smooth road you've had to travel. I hope this latest twist leads back to a smoother path. I'm also hoping the biopsy is negative, and will be thinking about you and your mother until we get another update.

Best wishes.
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A new wrinkle. Mom's second bout of pneumonia has left her rather weak, but she noticed a new mark on her face the other day. I had noticed it back in the Spring, but didn't really think too much about it and then mom got very sick and we were talking about Hospice. Well, mom noticed it and wanted something done. The dermatologist who comes to the facility looked at it last night and wants to biopsy it. In his office. So we're scheduled for ambulette and aide for August 31st. One step at a time.
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Babablou, it took a lot of courage to say how you felt. I too believe there is a hugh difference between living and existing. I pray your mom does not have to bare to much more. You are a wonderful person for seeing her through all of this.
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Just got back from the long trek. She's doing okay. They won know if the antibiotics have actually done anything till they do another xray, after the meds are done. She's totally asymptotic, which is nice. She noticed a new mole on the side of her nose that I saw a couple of weeks ago, but given what was going on, we didn't do anything. We'll have the visiting dermatologist take a look at it, as I wasn't successful saying that the doctor was "keeping an eye on it". The fact that she's still noticing this stuff is overall a good sign I think.

My brother and I are both leaving for vacation at the end of next week. That should be interesting (he's going to Spain;I'll be in Massachusetts). We always try to coordinate, it doesn't always work!
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Babalou, I haven't seen any updates on this thread for a few days and was wondering how your mother is.
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GA, the interesting thing about last summer, they took her to the ER because she fell at the NH, trying to get out of the bathroom without assistance. The effusion had been an ongoing thing that had been pretty stable. But when they looked at in in the ER, they thought it looked worse, so they set up a tap. And then, well, you know the rest. We really do seem to have gotten to the point where we can't fix one thing without breaking something else.

But mom seems chipper and comfortable. But according to my sil, who saw her tonight, uncharacteristically confused about who a card was from. So we'll see how this plays out.
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Babalou, thanks for that information. I understand the situation better now. Seems like what could have been part of a cure was actually worse than the situation itself last summer.
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GA, mom has had several throcenteses, last one was last summer. They did it in the er, her lung, which had been compressed by the fluid reinflated, which allowed a small pocket of bacteria in the lung to bloom. This sent her into septic shick. She was in the hospital for about 10 days.

she had a followup xray which was sent to the treating pulmonologist. He called me and said "I don't think we should put any more holes in your mom. There will probably be one more hospitalization and then a sharp decline". (This is someone who's dad died of chf, just like mom has). So I'm not eager to do another tap unless she gets uncomfortable. Right now, she's not short of breath or feeling pressure and she's not coughing. So right now, we're leaving well enough alone and hoping the antibiotics will get to the infection.
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