Stupidity

I’ve been told that the definition of insanity is performing the same task over and over while expecting a different result every time.  I would think that “stupidity” would fall under a similar definition.  Perhaps stupidity is acting the same way over and over while ignoring the eventual risks and consequences.  If this is the case, then I’m definitely stupid.

I have extremely high triglycerides…the secret cousin of cholesterol.  For that matter, my cholesterol is pretty high as well.  All of my uncles have all had a heart attack, my dad had two nearly blocked carotid arteries, and my mother had a stroke.  To say that I have a family history of cardiovascular issues is putting it mildly.  I’m very much aware that I’m a walking heart attack, yet I just ate a cheese burger with fries for my holiday dinner.  In fact, I love pizza, Italian food and Mexican food.  And since my work schedule is usually very busy, I tend to rely on processed food to feed me at lunch.  See?  I’m stupid.

My parents and brother were stupid as well.  They smoked…a lot.  My mom died of lung cancer, but her life-long fight with lupus contributed as much to her passing as her smoking.  Still, if I had a dime for every time she (or Dad or Jeff) said “I know cigarettes are bad for me…”  How many times have you heard this?  Yeah…stupid.  At least Dad wised up and stopped smoking, as did Jeff.  After Mom died.  Sometimes a real hard slap in the face is what’s needed to get rid of stupid.

While on vacation last week, I witnessed other acts of stupidity.  Many folks at the pool or beach were lying out in the sun with basically no sunscreen.  What most of these people were applying was tanning oils and lotions with little or no SPF.  There was one remarkably attractive woman sitting near me at the pool with glistening skin that was three or four shades darker than her natural skin tone should have been.  She’ll look like a leather couch before she’s 30 years old.  She might be a rocket scientist for all I know…but she’s stupid.

Not long ago, I might have called such folks ignorant because they might not have been aware of the dangers of tanning…but that’s no longer a valid excuse.  Most “sun care” displays at stores now mention the benefits of sunscreen. 

 

This one is at Wal-mart

 

While skin cancer isn’t always listed, “aging” is certainly a scary enough word for most young tanners.  And if the displays don’t convey the message, certainly the news nowadays about tanning legislation and the dangers of UV rays have been heard.  No, today’s tanner is not ignorant, he’s stupid.

You might say that some are misinformed.  After all, the tanning folks tout the health benefits of tanning.  I’ve discussed this before…and to believe such nonsense is not a matter of being misinformed, it’s a matter of being stupid.

A friend of mine knew that telling me to stop eating such foods would not work, so instead of repeating this request over and over and expecting me to change, they decided to beg me to see a doctor.  Rather than discuss weight (I’m not a big guy anyhow) or my diet, the doctor showed me the lab report on my blood work, then explained how if the numbers increased to a certain amount, I could expect a heart attack or worse.  This opened my eyes more than the constant bickering from loved ones.  I began to take medication and started to take more notice of my actions.  I still have a ways to go, but believe it or not, I’ve come a long way over the last 10 years or so (my fries were baked tonight and I had fresh vegetables as an additional side).

We can’t tell a tanner to stop tanning.  If we repeat the message over and over to the excessive tanner, we’ll be engaging in insane behavior.  Instead, we need to ask him…beg him…to see a dermatologist for a full skin screening.  If he's lucky, the doctor will never find a suspicious spot and he can go on with his potentially destructive behavior.  If he's not as lucky, then perhaps he'll catch the cancer early enough to treat.  Otherwise, he’ll eventually receive that dreaded slap in the face of a loved one’s death…or a dire diagnosis.

We can’t stop stupidity, but perhaps we can take the sane route and convince those who tan (and those who don’t) to get regular skin checks.  Emphasizing that might be the best way to beat the stupid out of a loved one.

My Little Follow-Up Appointment

As I’ve written before, I visited the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Road to Healthy Skin Tour kick-off in Raleigh a few weeks ago. (Note…they have GOT to shorten their name!)  After talking with the folks associated with the tour, I went through the free screening.  While the mobile clinic was quite comfortable, it wasn’t as accommodating as a doctor’s office.  However,  Dr. Trakimas did a very thorough job checking me from head to toe.  For the most part everything looked fine, but she found one spot on the back of my right thigh.  It was at a location that was impossible for me to see and even a tad difficult while using a hand mirror.  While Dr. T. thought it was most likely benign, she suggested that I get it shaved and sent to pathology to be on the safe side.  I made an appointment to see her the next week.

I cancelled.

But (before you scream at me)…I scheduled an appointment with my own dermatologist.  I figured having a new set of eyes find suspicious spots on me was a good thing, but before being cut, I’d best get a second opinion, or at least consult with the dermatologist who knows my history best.  When I called to make the appointment, I expected to wait a few weeks.  I was surprised to be scheduled for 7:00AM the next morning!

I felt a little foolish because that the spot really looked like nothing at all.  Yes, it did open my eyes that there are areas on my body that I don’t regularly check, but from the odd mirrored angle, this really looked like nothing at all.  What caused Dr. T to take note was that it appeared different than the surrounding moles. 

So my doc, Dr. J walks in and I explain the situation.  He seemed a bit surprised that I had another screening since I had seen him only 4 months prior, but understood when I explained the circumstances.  I lied down on the table with pants off so that he could get a good look at the spot.  He agreed that it did look different than the others and was worth a closer look.  He suspected it was a “regressing mole”…basically a mole that’s in the process of disappearing.  The mole itself didn’t appear dangerous at all, but the fact that it was changing was the red flag.  (The “E” for Evolving in the ABCDE rule).

Within minutes, I felt that bee-sting of local anesthetic and then the numb tug as he sliced a piece of my flesh.  It was over just before the small talk was about to get real boring.  After redressing, I was handed the “how to care for your intentional skin scrape” paper and told I’d be given a call within a week.

The only bad part about the whole experience was that the cut was right where my leg sits against the edge of the chair at work, so I had a constant itching for two days.  Otherwise, this was not a difficult experience at all.

As for the results?  Negative.  It wasn’t classified a dysplastic nevi…just as a suspicious mole that was fully removed.  I was advised to contact them if any pigmentation returns…after the spot heals of course.

I share this only to let people without melanoma know that it’s not that hard or scary to get checked.  Having an annual screening is important…and if a freebie comes along, it never hurts to have it done again.  Should a suspicious spot be found on you, the process of getting it cut and checked is not bad at all.  My spot turned out to be nothing and the peace of mind was definitely worth the “bee sting” and itching. 

How important is it to get checked?  Three people that participated in that one-day event were found to have spots suspected to be melanoma!  That’s three lives that may be saved from this simple step.  Thank you Dr. T for volunteering and potentially saving lives…and thank you Dr. J for taking good care of my skin.