Skin procedure means
No exercise for ? how long?!
?Two weeks,? surgeon said.
On Saturday, I swam my last laps for two weeks. When I woke up before dawn on Sunday to run, I thought, ?What will it be like next week when I won?t ? when I can?t ? have a long run on my schedule??
I am, as I might have hinted at once or twice, an avid exerciser. As in, I exercise every day. I?m great at telling other people the benefits of rest, which I wholeheartedly believe ? but can?t quite seem to put it into practice myself.
But as of Tuesday, I?ll have no choice.
A few weeks ago, my story begins, I went to my beloved dermatologist to look at a weird little something on my temple.
?Nah,? she said, as she usually does, ?that?s nothing.?
Then (also as she usually does), she pointed out a little something on my nose.
?I?m kind of concerned about this,? she said. ?I?d like to do a biopsy on it.?
(Read about my visit to see her by clicking here).
She called a few days later to tell me it was a squamish- (as in, it makes me squeamish to think about)cell carcinoma and needed to come off. So I made an appointment with someone who specializes in Mohs surgery.
That?s a procedure in which a few cells are removed at a time, then examined. When they stop showing signs of cancer, the doctor stops removing them. Then he?ll gauze me up, and off I?ll go to a plastic-surgeon?s office for wound closure and a possible skin graft. Then I?ll go home to eat (finally) and sleep.
As I was looking at the post-procedure instruction list, No. 5 may as well have been painted in neon: NO EXERCISE OR HEAVING LIFTING FOR AT LEAST TWO WEEKS. (Yes, the all-caps choice is mine). The reason, in general, is that elevated blood pressure or pulse rate could cause bleeding, which would not be a good thing.
Part of me is horrified. WHAT?! Two weeks without running or swimming? I picture myself in bed, moaning softly as I alternate scooping spoonfuls of peanut butter and ice cream with one hand while order larger clothing online with the other.
But part of me (especially after being reassured that I will be quite mobile, just not high heart-rate mobile) thinks this could be good for me. I know I wouldn?t take a break otherwise, and rest IS good.
I?ve been told I can walk ? not all-out fast, and not up or down steep hills. I?m thinking after a day or two or three maybe I can lift light weights. I wouldn?t even want to swim; something about gauze and a pool and the possible ooze factor is a bit off-putting (to me and fellow swimmers).
So what can I do but pay attention to the doctors? Yes, even in these glorious days of fall, when the sun sets at just the right time, when I can wear a short-sleeved shirt in the morning and not think I?ll have heat stroke. When I can forget my water bottle, and won?t worry about getting dehydrated.
I?ll say again, and remind myself of this way more than once during the next 14-days-and-counting, that I?m lucky to be able to exercise in the first place. Plus, I?m grateful that this kind of skin cancer can be taken care of, especially at such an early stage.
Most truly, in the grand scheme of things, two weeks really isn?t long at all. There will be, I?m pretty confident saying, plenty of butterscotch sunrises and honey-drenched autumn afternoons to revel in once I?m given the OK to resume my running.
Meanwhile, I?ll walk or stroll or amble, being more aware of what?s around me. And, I daresay, ever so grateful.
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