Scar tales

This seems like a very strange thing to be blogging about, but this is just another bit of me and I thought it make help to explain to people who know me why I suddenly grab items of cutlery or large knitting needles and suddenly ram them down the back of my neck!

A few years ago I had a number of operations on my lumbar spine which have left me with a thick scar about 8" long. I've always had quite a fondness for this as it marks part of my journey through life. When I was 40 I had the tattoo (that shows partly in the picture above) done, to celebrate my skin - scars, lumps, bumps and all. What I didn't realise at the time was that the patch of eczema below the tattoo actually wasn't eczema, and was a skin cancer.

After some failed treatments it was finally excised with the promise of a small, insignificant scar which would eventually be virtually unnoticeable. However my scarring decided to take a different course and became a keloid which basically means that my body doesn't realise that the wound has healed, and so the healing process continues which means that the scar just keeps growing and is also extremely itchy (hence the need to press cold objects against it!).

Various options have failed to make any difference, and now I am so used to it, that it is yet another part of my body history. I have some exceedingly good Aloe Vera gel that helps to ease the heat and itchiness. The biggest drawback is that I have to rely on Nigel to apply it for me as the keloid is in a position that is almost impossible for me to reach (slap bang between my shoulder blades).

So if I should grab one of your spoons, just ignore me and be assured that it is helping!