The Small Little Nothing

Back in June, after doing some gardening, I noticed a rash on my right hand. It was red and itchy in between the fingers - almost like athlete's foot on my hand.

I tried all sorts of lotions and potions: aloe, vaseline, tea tree oil, lotrimin. Nothing worked. And it felt like it was getting worse and looked like it was spreading.

Was it poison ivy? A flesh eating bacteria? I was pretty concerned. I kept promising myself I'd see the dermatologist. Six months later, I finally did.

I visit the dermatologist yearly for a full body skin cancer screening. Since I should have had this done a couple of months ago, I scheduled my visit to cover the full body scan as well as the nasty rash on my hand.

The doctor took one look at my hand and diagnosed it as dry skin. Really? Dry skin? For six months? After various lotion applications for months? "Yes," he said while proceeding with my full body scan. "Dry skin. However, how long have you had this little growth on your shin?"

He removed the small little nothing, as I like to refer to it, and it turns out the small little nothing is basal cell carcinoma.

Life threatening it's not. Surprising it is. I went in with a rash on my hand and left with cancer on my shin. I'm a firm believer that if it's not one thing, it's something else.