The Hole in My Head
Nov. 9th, 2016 01:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bjarvisAt this moment, I literally do have a hole in my head. My mother was right, finally & briefly, after all these years.
For as long as I can remember, I've had a relatively small soft bump just behind & above my right ear. Imagine having 2-3 toonies embedded in your scalp: it felt fluid-filled and slid easily against with the scalp against the skull so I knew it wasn't attached to or protruding from my skull. Since it was hidden by my hair, wasn't painful in the slightess and was otherwise irrelevant, I never worried about it.
About 3-4 weeks ago, it began growing. It's diameter grew another 50% or so, and it thickened to the point where it was a visible bump despite my hair. Indeed, after my last haircut, it was so visible and apparently disturbing that one person asked me if I needed help because I had been clearly beat up. Soon, it also began scaling over and began sporadic bleeding.
In the three days before my regular doctor could fit me in, the swelling reduced dramatically. In the end, it was about the size & thickness of a quarter, rough to the touch but still painless.
My regular doctor said it looked like a common wart, but referred me to a dermatologist for a proper exam and possible remediation. Monday, I visited Dr Stolar who repeated Dr Ward's wart theory, adding it could also be a keratosis. In any case, we agreed to remove it.
Within ten minutes, the area of my scalp had been anaesthetized, the wart/keratosis had been surgically removed, the area cauterized, some antibiotic ointment was applied to the wound and I was on my way home while the excised tissue was on its way to the pathology lab. Dr Stolar took a look at a few other skin irregularities across my forehead as a precautionary measure but said there was nothing of concern; being fair-skinned, he recommended either the SPF 2 billion or wearing a burqua when out in the sun, but otherwise carry on my life per usual.
At this moment, the area is still pain-free and I can feel the wound has scabbed over. I can wash my hair without concern. The healing process will take another week or so, but it feels odd not having a bump in that area any longer.
For as long as I can remember, I've had a relatively small soft bump just behind & above my right ear. Imagine having 2-3 toonies embedded in your scalp: it felt fluid-filled and slid easily against with the scalp against the skull so I knew it wasn't attached to or protruding from my skull. Since it was hidden by my hair, wasn't painful in the slightess and was otherwise irrelevant, I never worried about it.
About 3-4 weeks ago, it began growing. It's diameter grew another 50% or so, and it thickened to the point where it was a visible bump despite my hair. Indeed, after my last haircut, it was so visible and apparently disturbing that one person asked me if I needed help because I had been clearly beat up. Soon, it also began scaling over and began sporadic bleeding.
In the three days before my regular doctor could fit me in, the swelling reduced dramatically. In the end, it was about the size & thickness of a quarter, rough to the touch but still painless.
My regular doctor said it looked like a common wart, but referred me to a dermatologist for a proper exam and possible remediation. Monday, I visited Dr Stolar who repeated Dr Ward's wart theory, adding it could also be a keratosis. In any case, we agreed to remove it.
Within ten minutes, the area of my scalp had been anaesthetized, the wart/keratosis had been surgically removed, the area cauterized, some antibiotic ointment was applied to the wound and I was on my way home while the excised tissue was on its way to the pathology lab. Dr Stolar took a look at a few other skin irregularities across my forehead as a precautionary measure but said there was nothing of concern; being fair-skinned, he recommended either the SPF 2 billion or wearing a burqua when out in the sun, but otherwise carry on my life per usual.
At this moment, the area is still pain-free and I can feel the wound has scabbed over. I can wash my hair without concern. The healing process will take another week or so, but it feels odd not having a bump in that area any longer.
