Don’t Hesitate If There’s a Chance It’s Cancer

So Mr. Know It All Talk Show Host here thought the bumpy mound with flaky patches on my forearm was psoriasis. I can't tell you how many different brands of pricey topical creams I rubbed into that blemish.

But as Dr. Deborah Schappell, M.D., surgically removed a discolored blotch of basal cell carcinoma – not psoriasis – I thought about how I convinced myself into thinking that it wasn't skin cancer.

Laying back comfortably, my mind took flight, back to the first time I remembered noticing this small patch that wasn't there before. For a split-second, I felt fear, but then the talk show host whispered in my ear to just go by Walgreen's on the way home and buy something that treats psoriasis, and if that doesn't cure it, then it's definitely eczema.

Get our free mobile app

I'm trying to recall, was it two or was it three years this little hump slowly, very slowly, grew to the size of a dime, changing colors very slight from pinkish to a darker shade? That's a long time for me to be in denial, but that helped arrive at another conclusion: by not facing reality, it gave me plenty of time to adjust to a distressing situation.

I was attempting to protect myself by refusing to have a doctor take a look at my arm years ago. In other words, I was refusing to accept the truth sooner to downplay the consequences if it turned out to be skin cancer. It's another notch in the saddle of my life.

Don't be like me and wait too long if you think something is a little off. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but it's also the month that promotes awareness of live cancer, and November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Utilize this time to have those funny bumps or spots checked out.