Who knew little ol' warts (or other growths that look like warts to the untrained eye) could become such an ordeal. So far The Lyric Ya Ni and I have been to the dermatologist twice and still aren't finished!
There is a VERY serious moral at the end of this story so bare with me. I'm not just telling a disgusting story. : - )
Remember when they first gave her feet yeast injections? The injections trick the immune system into mounting a defense against the wart virus by attacking the yeast -- or at least that is the way I understood it.
However, the Nurse Practitioner did let us know there was a very good chance the injections wouldn't work, but it was worth a try...
since it was much better than this option! This was the 2nd visit.
I had to leave the room since there were not enough goggles for all of us to wear. I secretly was glad Mike stayed instead of me. I did not want to watch Lyric in pain, but I played it cool and asked her if she wanted me or her Dad to stay. Luckily, she said it didn't matter, so I was outta there. Mike said they shot her with the laser about 20 times, and he could smell her flesh burning!!
Here at the 2nd appointment her feet were in much better shape already since the yeast injections had helped. At the first visit they had also cut some warts off. The warts had even messed up the growth of her toenails.
The Lyric Ya Ni is wicked smart and in advanced classes at school. She has a vivid imagination and is able to create very complicated scenarios in her mind. She'll ponder any subject and loves to visualize things in her mind. So just before the Nurse Practitioner started to laser she and Lyric had the following exchange...
Nurse Practitioner: Lyric think about nice things.
Lyric: When I am in pain I think about why we prefer certain feelings over others.
Nurse Practitioner: Wow, that's deep.
The Lyric Ya Ni was brave and strong through it all, but I know it was hard on her. She perked up at Panera though when...
her Dad asked her to make up a story using the pictures on the wall.
Nothing is more fun for her than getting to use her brain and imagination! It totally took her mind off of what she had just went through. Life was back to normal. : - )
OK, so remember what the wart on the top of my foot looked like after they cut it off?! They cut so deep it did not even "start" to heal for a month. I was happy though because I was sick of messing with it. I had been cutting the "wart" off myself for several months. The reason was because of Obamacare our deductible had GREATLY increased and I didn't want to pay our now gigantic deductible. We are one of the families who had a plan we liked but didn't get to keep it.
So the first time the Nurse Practitioner looked at my warts, my story went like this:
Nurse Practitioner: "The one on the bottom is a wart, but I'm not sure if the one on top is a wart or cancer."
Me: "Oh, I'm sure it is a wart! It just looks bad because I keep cutting it off."
The doctor didn't say much else, but she did cut really deep when she cut out the wart on top. The wart on the bottom just got the yeast injection just like some of Lyric's.
I didn't give either one another thought!! About two weeks later I got a call from the doctor's office. The one cut out on top was cancer!!! Can you believe that?! It was called a squamous cell. I am fine, but left untreated it is DEADLY. My friend's father had to have radiation because of a squamous cell. After that call, I was more than a little freaked out about the growth that remained on the bottom of my foot.
So this is now the bottom of my foot where they most recently cut. The doctor kept saying she did believe it was just a wart and we should do the usual wart treatment, as opposed to cutting it out. I told her I just wanted to be done with all this and to cut it out! And like I said above, I was more than a little nervous about it too being a malignant tumor and not a wart, so I wanted to cut it out so it could be sent to the lab and tested. Well, let me tell you getting 3 shots in the bottom of your foot to numb it up did HURT A LOT! I am still glad (I think) I had them cut it out and I am done with it all. Thankfully, the most recent one on the bottom I had cut out was an actual wart (not another malignant squamous cell).
The moral of this story is don't cut off your own warts--go to the doctor! Also, go to a specialist who knows what to look for. I went to a dermatologist that sees 40 to 60 patients a week just for warts. I suppose that is why she was able to differentiate the warts and cancer so quickly, and I mean she knew instantly.
My cancer free, wart free, happy feet. Next summer I'll probably be pasty white because I am officially done with the sun.
If you've read this far and are thinking "TOO MUCH INFORMATION!"; just consider this blog a community service announcement.
