WLE AND SPILT SKIN GRAFT (CONTAINS PHOTOS OF A GRAPHIC NATURE)

DECEMBER 1

2011-10-15T15:19:41Z

HI ..... WHO EVER WATCHES MY POSTS ANYMORE... SORRY I SHOULD WRITE MORE OFTEN

SOME OF YOU HAVE MOVED OVER TO FACEBOOK AND SOME STAYED HERE...

THURSDAY DECEMBER 1ST IS MY BIRTHDAY .... I AM AT MM CLINIC IN THE MORNING BUT WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE IF ANYONE IS AROUND IN OR NEAR LONDON TO MEET SOMEWHERE CENTRAL TO ALL AND HAVE A DRINK AND SHOW SOME FACES!

ANYONE INTERESTED THEN PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHERE YOU ARE SO I CAN FIND A GOOD CENTRAL LOCATION...

HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING GOOD..

PETER

sunday 18th sept 2011

2011-09-18T16:50:19Z

hi everyone... not posted in 100 years. hope everyone is as well as they can be...

i am still with lymphoedema and probably always will be but its managed with support garment and painkillers and moisturiser.... not nesessarily in that order

work is busy and it keep my mind off other things... bought a little smart car off a colleague and love it and it helps me to get to st albans to see mum and dad every other weekend.

keeping up with 3 monthly check ups at the MM clinic and the lymphoedema clinic. everything clear at the moment and lets hope it stays that way

take care everyone and its always nice to hear from you... even though i have been a little remiss

peter x

mole removal

2011-06-27T18:16:35Z

arrived at hospital at 12 miday as requested...finally got seen my plastic surgeon at 4.30! op went ok...have to see gp surgery nurse in 1 week to make sure it looks ok and then back to melanoma clinic in 3 weeks for the result... which if course is the worst part... thank you jeff for picking me up from the hospital and taking me all the way home...and thank you everyone for the positive thoughts...

minor surgery to remove another mole

2011-06-23T22:49:52Z

hi everyone..

monday 27th june i will be going into st georges day surgery to have the abnormal mole taken off my back and then the 3 week wait to see what it is.

bit stressed but staying positive...

how is everyone... sorry i havent posted here in a while

peter

ATYPICAL MOLE ON THE BACK...1 year 1 month after WLE

2011-05-07T09:34:43Z

MM check up this morning. told there is an atypical mole on my back. here is the photo. she said they can cut it out if i wish but not to stress over it and just keep an eye on it for now....why is it when a doctor or consulant say "dont owrry or dont stress" you do anyway....surely cutting the thing out isnt my decision to make... its either melanoma or it isnt... the A B C D E signs are all there...the consultant told me they are but...dont stress?? what would you do?

PETER

SUN POEM by peter hills aged 4.....(47)

2011-04-21T12:03:56Z

THE SUN HAS GOT HIS HAT ON

HIP HIP HIP HIP HOORAY

ON GOES LOADS OF FACTOR 50

AND GO ON OUT AND PLAY!

sorry...poet lauriat i am not.... but you get the message

happy easter

peter x

Travel Insurance and Melanoma

2011-04-18T19:35:56Z

Hi everyone...

Those who know me know my story which is avaialable on a previous blog. Melanoma removed 1 year ago, long recovery but here i am 1 year later all healed and putting up with lymphoedema

No holidays last year so June i am off to colombia as i ahve always wanted to go to south america.

so travel insurance. 100000 sites and quotes later and here is the best quoete so far. £64 for a single trip with all medical problems declared.

http://www.cancertravelinsurance.com/

if you know any better sites or have dealings with this site or any other hints or tipes or you have been to colombia?

please feel to reply here....

thanks... and happy holidays to everyone...melanoma aint gonna stop me!!!

peter

nothing new to report

2011-02-09T11:40:39Z

how is your 2011?

clean bill of health at the MM clinic last week. So down to me to check myself and have the appointments every 3 months. Lymphoedema on the other hand is painful but i have weaned myself off a lot of them and now at 10mg of amitryptaline every night and a top up of co-codomol in the day when i need it.

Wound has healed now and i am just cleaning it with dermol 500 and applying 50-50 emoliant a pad on the top and then support stocking.

how is everyone else doing?

regards

Peter

happy new year!!

2010-12-31T18:22:30Z

hi to all my friends....

a lot of people are saying good bye to 2010.... i am saying... good ridance!! i dont want another one like it... but there is always a silver lining to every cloud and my silver lining is the making of new friends here and facebook. the weekend retreat to evesham was the highlight to a year that had too many low lights.. thank you everyone for supporting me through an ordeal that only now i look back at and realise what an ordeal it was... but im neally at the end of it and lets hope 2011 is the best of many years to come and lets have lots more eveshams and more friends to make.... happy new year everyone

peter x

happy christmas and best wishes for 2011

2010-12-23T14:20:04Z

Hi everyone...

Well christmas is here and new year soon to follow.

i have to thank all the staff at St Georges hospital who operated on me and helped in my recovery. in particular mr hussein the surgeon, saskia my macmillan nurse and jane my plastic dressings nurse.

looking back at the year, it all happened so fast! from going to my GP for a routine bp check and asking to look at a dodgey mole, going to biopsy, biopsy result, surgery and 9 months later full recovery. ok, i got a big war wound and lymphoedema and some pain but with a clear result on the SNB i am sitting on the right side of the fence for now. just got to keep up with the monthly body checks and 3 monthly check ups at st georges.

i have put the diet on hold for a while to get over xmas and restart in the new year. as the leg gets stronger then i will add more exercise and get the extra lbs (stones) off!

thanks to everyone for commenting on my blog over the year and thanks to all my fellow members of melanomates on facebook. i am looking forward to the second chance to meet up. this site and other sites are so important for networking and realising the boat we are all in is big but we are not in it alone.

happy christmas everyone and wishing you all good health and happiness for 2011.

Peter

INFECTION

2010-12-05T22:28:21Z

Hi everyone

Unfortunately I have another infection. went to gp on thursday after work and he has put me on co-amoxyclav and also metrosa gel for in the wound.

photos 1 is saturday and photo 2 is today

still feeling under the weather and there is pain, redness and heat coming off the wound.

hope everyone is ok....

peter

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

28th November

2010-11-28T14:59:45Z

Hi evryone... its been a long time since i have posted on here. mayb e its because i have posted more in Melanomates on facebook. The evesham weekend was great meeting up with some fantastic people and new friends.

Here is my leg. it is getting better but i am still sad it has a way to go yet. i am still doing prontosan soaks and then acticoat and some hydrocortisone 1% to hopefully clear up the dermatitis around the wound and now the back of the leg. i am wearing support stocking toe to knee and also a ferrow wrap to give extra support to the wound area.

i have been dieting and lost 2stone which has helped with the healking process. pain is about the same and the cocktail is 3 x 50mg diclofenic + 1 x 25mg amiltryptaline and up to 8 co-codomol which this week was taken every day.

i hope everyone bought their xmas cards from macmillan? i know i did and i am writing them this week... anyone who knows me here please let me have your home address so i can send you one... some of you already have done that via facebook.

will be going home to my parents for a long xmas new year break finising work xmas eve around mid day and then not back to work until jan 4th 2011. i plan to put all this behind me next year and go off travelling and meet some new people

losing janet from here was a big loss. she always posted on my blog and was supportive always. she will be lost by many but especially me.

peter x

Amlodipine

2010-10-09T11:02:53Z

Went to Lymphoedema clinic wednesday and they have measured me for a new stocking and another appliance to go over the left stocking at an attempt to reduce the lymphoedema around the wound

They are also writing to my GP to ask for an alternative to Amlodipine.

BORED WITH THE SLOW FINAL HEALING

2010-10-04T20:57:48Z

Hi everyone... sorry not posted for a while...

Having been to the hospital to be told that i have gone from 85% healed to only 65% healed i was a bit depressed. I am now back on a dressing regime that worked 2 months ago before getting back to work.

I shower in the morning and then prontosan soak the wound for 10-15 minutes. then moisturise the whole leg with 50/50. then apply a small patch of acticoat to the wound. then a small wad of gauze then a surgipad and then the support stocking.

have another check up tomorrow having had the GP nurse look at it last friday. tomorrow is also lymphoedema clinic check up so hopefully it will be good news all round.

3 pics enclosed so as usual dont look if youre squeemish but they are getting more acceptable.

hope everyone else is healing better than me!

i am also into week 2 of my new diet. the mediterean diet via tescodiets,com. check it out but i lost 1 stone in the first week. i know that the usual for a first week when you have a lot to lose but its a good insentive. i know i have along way to go but its going in the right direction. it had been helped by my decision to move nearer to where i work so i am now walking the 1.5 miles to or/and from work every day.

thanks

Peter x

SWAB RESULT 17TH SEPTEMBER

2010-09-17T17:25:08Z

not a good result....positive for COLIFORM ANAEROBES AND STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS have been prescribed 3 antibiotics.. CIPROFLOCACIN FLUCLOXACILLIN AND METRONIDAZOLE..also given another 200 co-codomol as i am going through 8 a day and also a box of inodine as this was used at the walk in centre last sunday and seems to be... doing some good in the wound..other than that no problems!!!

have a good weekend

peter