Husbands.
Why don’t they ever listen.
Don’t they know by now that their lives would be so much easier if they’d just listen to us the FIRST time we said something. Wouldn’t it? Don’t they know we are only trying to take care of them? That we need them?
That we need them around so they can take care of us? 😉
Blah blah blah…
Warning… GROSS photo coming…
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photo of 2nd skin cancer removal procedure.
A few years ago a dermatologist stole the tip of my husbands right ear because of skin cancer. A year later they took a little more off the ear and took a nice bonus chunk off his cheek.
His right ear has healed nicely, I think, and honestly, everyone knows scars are cool and they add a little character to a face.
Yada yada yada….
For a few months now I’ve noticed that my husband’s other ear, his left one, had some sort of cut on it that wouldn’t heal. I told him {rather matter-of-factly} that he had skin cancer on ear #2 and that he needed to go see the dermatologist to have it removed.
He baulked.
I persisted.
He said he was fine. Didn’t need to go.
And so finally, knowing he wouldn’t do it on his own, I made an appointment with the dermatologist for him.
Yesterday he went. And what do you know… the dermatologist said his ear looked suspicious and took a sample of his ear to biopsy.
By the time he got home though {his procedure was in Portland and after that he ran some errands} his ear was huge! Like Pee Wee Herman’s magic shop fake plastic ear huge.
I couldn’t believe it. I asked him if he had taken any ibuprofen yet and he said no and then he made some sort of comment about how his ear was feeling kind of funny and was sort of throbbing… So I went and got him some meds and a glass of water.
And then I went in for a further inspection. Turn around I told him… I want to see it from the back...
And that’s when I noticed that 1. His ear was in fact majorly swollen… and 2. Apparently he cut his own hair before he left the house.
And all I could do was shake my head and laugh.
Because seriously, who needs tv when you have a husband. They are a gold mine of entertainment. And pretty much on a daily basis I might add.
Neither of us are too worried about the skin cancer thing {been there done that} but his HAIR!!! Oh my word.
Clearly, I know what my first project of the day will be. 😉
Friday. Lets do this!
Have a great day everyone,
And don’t forget to get your bits checked!
~Mavis
Erin says
Yes! Husband and I started getting checks yearly at 35 years old. Both of us have had moles removed that looked suspicious. As for the hair, I’ve always cut the hair in our household…my go to is “it’ll grow back.” Saves us so much money the mistakes don’t bother me much anymore.
Christie says
My husband always threatens to cut his own hair if I am a day or two late in cutting it. I always say, “go ahead” but he never does. Lucky me! I hope HH heals up quickly. Thanks for the PSA. Always a good reminder!
Jennifer says
I let my husband put off regular checkups and it ended when he had a stroke. He has no use of his right arm beyond a shrug of his shoulder. Luckily, he can walk, but has very little balance. He was the breadwinner and is now on Disability. Life is hard, both physically now for me and financially for both of us. He deals with post-stroke pain that is unfathomable and takes 9 different meds for pain, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart health.
I share all of this in the form of a cautionary tale. I knew he was a baby about going to the dr. even for checkups, but I didn’t want to mother him or treat him like a baby. Ladies, make him go to the dr. when he should or when there is an issue. Don’t end up like us.
Terri says
While you’re mothering, if he doesn’t wear a brimmed hat outside he needs to…seriously.
Mel says
I’ve been giving myself bad home haircuts for a year now (and I was overdue when the pandemic started). I always tie my hair back, so it’s not super obvious that I’ve done a bad job, but I can’t just let it grow because my hair is super thick and wavy, and it gets very heavy. I normally don’t get it cut so much as have the stylist attack it with thinning shears. If it’s not thinned, I start to look like Hagrid. So, I bought thinning shears just to get rid of some of the bulk, and it works, but it’s not the kind of thing you can do well on your own hair.
My husband has been using a Conair Even Cut on his hair, and that works a bit better.
Vicki rossiter says
Too funny on the hair cut. I’ve been trimming my own hair lately. Good for you making the appointment for the hubby. Glad you caught that. I go every 6 months to the dermatologist. I had melanoma skin cancer on my face. I do have a scar. They have to do a wide excision surgery with melanoma. Sometimes people ask about it and I have the excuse to tell my story, to remind them to get checked for skin cancer. Mine was a flat not raised spot on my face. Happy the hubby is fine, mine was caught in early stages!
Linda Sand says
They lopped off the top of my hubby’s ear as well. And several spots on his face. He has a Zorro type scar on one cheek that reminds me of Harry Potter’s lightening. His last dermatological appointment was the first in several years where they didn’t find any concerns. I hope that means they are done cutting him up–I need him to stick around a few more years.
Mary Keen says
Hi Mavis, I had to drag my husband to the Dermatologist and he has had several shavings and cuts/stitches on the top of his head for cancer. Of course, I ended up being the nurse but was glad to do it to help with recovery process; there was no way he could reach the spots on the top of his head without help. If these guys did not have us they would be a mess. My husband always wore a baseball cap outside religiously. It also did not help that he was bald and always had thin hair.
Dot K. LeClerc says
MAvis I have followed you for several years and have learned so much. Gotten a lot Of good recipies I made your scalloped potatoes last night. The flavor was great but really soupy. What did I do wrong?
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t know, but they shouldn’t be soupy. Do you think you cooked them long enough? Maybe didn’t let them sit for a few minutes before serving? I’m not sure. Wish I could help.
Mel says
I’ve made that recipe twice recently! It wasn’t soupy either time, but I did notice that the sauce was thicker when I used red potatoes than when I used Yukon gold, so perhaps something with the starch in different type of potatoes? But it also occurred to me while I was scooping potatoes out of the sauce to transfer them to the baking dish that I could continue to reduce the sauce after removing the potatoes if needed.
Cecile says
My dad use to be a cemetery caretaker so he was in the sun all the time in a ball cap! So yes, sun and skin do not mesh well when you’re in the sun for 90% of the year. He had a cauliflower spot on the back of his ear that would fester so finally mom got him to the drs and of course the dr said it needs to come off. Only thing was, the spot was on the the shell of the ear so when they were done and things were healed he had a hole through his ear. Now my dad being in his 80’s was a fun guy (his name was Guy too!) so he laughed our teasing off as easy as it came. We thought he would ward off deer if he rolled the windows down while driving at dusk because his ear would whistle with the wind blowing through it. We thought maybe he should be a cool kat and get an ear plug with a skull and cross bone spacer cover. We thought maybe be a pirate and get an earring that hung from the hole, we had all kinds of ideas to fill this dime size hole in his ear. At the same time he lost a good portion of the curl on the other ear so we got him a bucket hat and a plaid fedora, he wore both like a champ until he passed 6 years ago. So tell HH that he needs to start wearing a bucket hat and sunscreen if he doesn’t want his ears to end up like swiss cheese! …and not to cut his own hair! lol
Linda T says
My HH developed squamous cell skin cancer on his right ear several years ago. He is light-complected; blonde where he isn’t gray. Since then he has had Mohs surgery several times on other places that have developed. Mohs is a type of surgery in which the surgeon takes off a thin layer of the lesion, sends it to the lab to see if there are margins around the tumor to “map the tumor”, then take off more tissue if indicated. This process may be repeated several times, depending on the size and shape of the tumor, until the sample sent to the lab is cancer-free. Mohs surgery is especially good when the tumors develop in places like the ears, or nose because they don’t have much skin, and it enables the surgeon to take only the amount needed. The patient also knows “they got it all.” We check regularly on his ears and in his hair for other spots. A couple of years ago he developed a large and fast growing spot on his hand, and had to have plastic surgery to repair the damage after the tumor was removed. He has another one on the same hand now, and we have a dermatology appointment next week. Sun exposure is usually the culprit, and the HH spent a lot of his career outside. He now wears a hat religiously, but a lot of damage had already been done. Sunblock and coverups can help prevent this. I sure hope this episode will be the last of your experiences with this.
Em says
Thank you for the PSA and I hope they removed all they need to!
My dad cut his own hair from when he was in his 20s until he passed away in his 80s. He did such a good job that I never knew this until I heard him tell a nurse when he was in the hospital. I was shocked. The nurse commented on how much money he surely saved by doing that. He was left-handed, an additional challenge in a world of right-handed scissors.
Thanks for the blog and y’all stay safe.
Donna says
Mavis! Keep on top of skin cancer! My husband is the same way. Had several removed and then last year he had part of his lung removed because Basal cell had spread there(yes basal cell not melanoma). Very rare. Terrifying. Be diligent!
Jennifer says
I second the Mohs technique! My husband has had Mohs on his nose and it was quite the ordeal. But we felt so good knowing they got EVERYTHING. Good luck to your husband,; I got such a chuckle from his home hair cut!
shelly says
I laughed WAY too hard at the end of your story!
Ellen Marshall says
Ahhh, not the husband but me :-(. I had radiation vs the ear surgery since it was in a funny place and the surgeon didn’t think he could work on it. Phew. . It’s probably only a matter of time- and the scars? well, I have a lovely cheek scar and nose scars too. Lots of character in this face now. Oh well, a life lived outside- who knew? And that Scottish heritage didn’t help any!
Keep watching those husbands though- they can be slippery when it comes to such things!
Linda says
Had a jolly good laugh, not at the skin cancer tho….being blond and green eyed, and living in S California! I get it! Check my bits often.
Kristen Finnemore says
Oh my! The hair is what I saw right after the crazy swollen ear…. Thanks for the silly laugh.
I think you’re right. Non-stop entertainment and wonderment!