Category Archives: basal cell carcinoma

Thursday’s Thoughts: Sale El So

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It’s funny how much life can change in a year. After having my yearly check-up at the doctors, I have been in a reflecting kind of mood. I logged on to my nike+ account and read about my run on February 9th, 2010 and found out that I ran 9.39 km run at this time last year with an average pace of 4:20 min/km and at a 0% incline. And now I am pulling average paces of 4:11 min/km on a 1% incline. Thank you boot camp, speed intervals, and hills you are making me better, faster, harder, and stronger!

And it’s not just running that I feel stronger, it’s as a whole. I can honestly say that I dreaded going into the doctors office. This time last year when I was told that I might have skin cancer, breast cancer, and too much protein leaking from my kidneys I became a ball of emotions. After appointments with different specialists I only had skin cancer. I know, ONLY right? But seriously, it was no biggie. I called myself Heidi Montag made a new friend with my lovely plastic surgeon and now I am 100% cancer free with a 15 stitch scar on my nose to prove it. The best part? No one can even tell that I have a scar. Seriously Dr. Catherine Haywood, you are magical. And I couldn’t have done it without my huge support system. Thank you family, friends, and marathons of How I Met Your Mother that kept me smiling the entire time. OK, not the entire time. I definitely cried when I looked in the mirror 2 days later to see how cut up I was under my bandage. Yep, 2 days. I’m positive that is the longest I have gone without looking in a mirror.

I also accomplished my goal, to run a half marathon. And I did it with my sister in the most magical place in the world: Walt Disney World.

Julia, Minnie Mouse, and Me

Julia is also the one who got me to sign up for Harry’s Spring Off on April 2nd and I think I may have convinced her to do the Sporting Life 10K on May 1st!

Leaving the doctors office I couldn’t be happier knowing that I just need to start taking Vitamin D and get some blood work done to see if I am low in iron.

Shakira’s new music video Sale El So couldn’t have come out at a better time then during my reflection post. She sings the line, “No hay mal que dure cien años ni cuerpo que lo aguante” which for my non-spanish speaking friends means, “There is no evil that lasts a hundred years or body that supports it.”

Thank you body for healing so wonderfully!

My Surgery: The Pre-Game, During, and Post-Game Play by Play!

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‘Twas the night before my surgery.


Play by play for the newbies: I was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma on my nose at the end of March. I got it removed at the beginning of April. After a second follow up with my fantastic surgeon she asked me if I wanted her to remove the little bump that my 13 stitches left . I said, “HELLS, YES!”  That surgery happened today.


So, I did what any runner would do the night before: I went for a run. Hello, T-Mill! I decided on a 5K so that I wouldn’t exhaust my body before it has to heal my face the next day. That turned into an 8K. I did some inclines at 1% and 2% with some flat running in between. I wish the T-Mill would go into negatives so I could do some downhill running as well buuuut it doesn’t. And yes, I did school the T-Mill again. Here’s how my run went down:


The On The Go Playlist
**On jukebox shuffle**
Ready to Start- Arcade Fire
Shut Up and Drive- Rihanna
Whip My Hair- Willow Smith
Raise Your Glass- P!nk
Hips Don’t Lie (Bamboo)- Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean
We R Who We R- Ke$ha
Pon de Replay- Rihanna
Since U Been Gone- Kelly Clarkson
When I Grow Up- The Pussycat Dolls


Cool down/Stretching
Stereo Love- Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina


Stats of the Run
Distance: 8.11 km
Pace: 4:15 min/km


Sleeping last night was not easy. I don’t know why I was so antsy. It was unusual for my body to be so freaked out. So, it took me a while to fall asleep but once I did- it was a beauty. I got up and had a shower to wake myself up. I put on my game face and my leisure and decided to take some memento photos of the bump to say, “See you neeeeeeva!”



Do you see it?! It’s kind of hard to notice in a picture. Well believe me… it’s there! Well, it was.


So, I went in and my surgeon had some Drake on. Amaaaaaaaaaaazing! She froze my face with ONE needle this time. I was SO happy! I was so relieved it was nowhere near the ten like before. And once she made the incision two seconds later my fav song of the moment came on :


http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/U0CGsw6h60k?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6




Umm… can we say best procedure ever? It was like a dance party in the room and I was the main event! As I had my talented surgeon Catherine cutting my face, my lovely nurse Jane was there so I could squeeze her hand as the needle went in. (I apologized beforehand because I killed nurse Tina’s hand last time.) I like to call the extra surgeon and the extra nurse that arrived later on my party go-ers. I had great convo the entire time I was there. And by the time Catherine was done stitching my face, “What’s My Name?” wasn’t even over! Crazy, right? It was only two stitches but I thought it would at least take an entire 5 minutes before she said, “we’re done! How are you doing Siobhan?” My response you ask? “That was the best procedure yet!” The room broke into more laughter. I left with my baggie of ice, some extra band aids,  a goodbye from my new friends, and another date to see my Catherine in a month.


I got home and made myself some broccoli soup (sadly from a can) but I steamed some extra broccoli to put in my soup. Deeeelicious. And then I put on one of my fav movies that I bought on DVD last night:


http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/MsV6r1nbSGk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6


It obviously has a better picture these days than from the original theatrical trailer. And the one liners in this movie had me laughing out loud from beginning until end. As me and my kitty Gus snuggled throughout the movie enjoying the glory of T3’s. Then it was nap time. I woke up and decided to capture the state of my face. I’m a little swollen and a little bruised around the eyes but nothing compared to the last surgery. And my hair is somewhat dishevelled. HA!



Yep, I’m sporting the Nelly band aid. Maybe I can bring it back, no? Well, maybe just for the week. The best part is I have dis solvable stitches this time. So sweet! I don’t have to go to my doctor and have him take 45 minutes to take them out again. No exaggeration. They were that tight but again, 13 of them.


I feel like I could go for a run today. But that’s probably not the smartest idea. So, I will just have to prep my ugly Christmas sweater for my “Ugly Christmas Sweater Pub crawl” tomorrow night. Yep, I’m sporting this face out in public. Sorry, world! haha I kid, I kid.


Expect a Lady GaGa inspired band aid for the event. Stay tuned!

Cuts Like A Knife.

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Yesterday I went on a date to see my plastic surgeon. OK, so it wasn’t a date but it felt like one because I brought her flowers to say “Thanks for fixing my face!” After a loooong wait in the waiting room (reading, checking e-mails, reading blogs, playing brick breaker…etc) I finally got in to the room where I would wait again until my doctor came in. It’s just like Disney World really. You wait in one room and move along the line and you feel like you are somewhere different because there is a new look to where you are but essentially- it’s just another waiting room. After all that I got some great news! My 13 stitch scar on my nose has been healing beautifully minus the little bit of scar tissue that has caused a bump where the end of the stitches were but lucky for me- I get to say goodbye to the little guy. After spending a glorious nine months with it (just like a baby in the womb) it’s getting cut off! Wahhhhoooooo! Next week actually. It’s another little surgery but it won’t be as bad as getting the basal cell carcinoma removed and then 13 stitches. This time it’s just those dreadful freezing needles (lets hope it’s not 10 this time) a little cut and 2 stitches. And then I will be sporting a nice band-aid on my nose maybe decked out with pearls? And accessorized with two little stitches! Amazing! I can’t wait. And honestly, the bump really isn’t THAT big. But to me- it feels ginormous. Make-up can cover a scar but it can’t hide a bump. So, I’m bumping the bump next Friday!
YA! YA! YA!


As for that nike+ I figured out that I just have to “Link it.” Obviously, right? Ohhhhh Siobhan!


It’s weight training and stretching for tonight and a run tomorrow. Perfect.

Thanks a Latte!

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There is nothing worse than having your alarm clock ihome go off and all you want to do is go back to sleep. Waking up groggy and miserable is not my idea of fun. Lately I have been trying to find ways to wake up with energy because the last time I went through this groggy wake up phase I ended up having basal cell carcinoma and you know how that went down. So, keeping my body in tip top shape is very important. Instead of going to bed completely exhausted last night I forced myself to have a shower and then prepare my lunch for work. When I woke up I will admit all I wanted to do was go back to sleep but I knew waking up a bit earlier would allow me to take my time getting ready in the morning. And it did. With the extra time I was able to make myself a latte to bring to work (instead of just a regular cup of joe.) And as I was frothing my milk it dawned on me that I should be making soy lattes to keep my skin nice and healthy. I read in a food guide book that if you had skin cancer, eating soy products and selenium everyday will diminish your chances of the dirty little bugger ever coming back again by 95%. Pretty good odds! I do get selenium in my flax every morning but having a wee soy latte will deifnitely help. And- it feels like such a treat to drink a latte in the morning! Win, win! You are probably thinking, “Siobhan… you said you were going to drink more water and less caffeine!“ And I am. I swear. I am using the ginormous water bottle above to hydrate everyday! Today’s success: I finished 3/4 of the bottle. One more quarter and I would have reached my goal! The downside is that this much water makes you have to constantly go to the bathroom. And, I am also drinking my orange/grapefruit juice in the morning along with a multi-vitamin and wild salmon fish oil pills to make sure that I am getting all those good nutrients to heal my scar and run healthy.
I got home and did not feel like doing my 3K quickie but I did it anyways before the sun went down. Annnnd- I did it without a bottle of water! That’s right– one point for Siobhan! It would have been a perfect run if it wasn’t for someone smoking a cigar while walking through the park. Running through smoke is not nice. It’s hard enough to breathe in the cold air without chemicals being rammed down your throat. Thanks a latte cigar smoker! My run perked up when Whip My Hair started blaring through my earbuds. I have a confession… everytime this song comes on, I whip my hair. I can’t help it. And it doesn’t matter where I am. In the office, running through the park, or at a club- I whip my haaaair, whip my haaaair! If you don’t know what I’m talking about check out this FIERCE performance by Willow Smith on The Ellen Show. She’s incredible.
Caution: Whipping your hair can be very dangerous.
Watch this hilarious interview with Ellen if you don’t believe me!
The 3K GO! Playlist
We R Who We R- Ke$ha
Don’t Stop the Music- Rihanna
Whip My Hair- Willow
Grenade- Bruno Mars
Cool down/Stretching
Grenade- Bruno Mars (Continued from my workout)
Beautiful- Goldfrapp
Stats of the Run
Distance: 3.16 km
Pace: 4:19 min/km