Dodged a Bullet

Did not care to bring it up before. Been in and on the ocean most of my life. Janice my better half(retired nurse) noticed a black spot on the back of my ear. I did not know it was there because I could not see it. Turned out to be Melinoma, they cut the top of my ear off. Later took out a string of lymph nodes from my neck. Just got the news that it has not spread farther in the clear for now.

Cancer does not run in my family, but I have been rather careless with sunblock. Always put it on when Surfing, Kayaking, Fishing etc. but the rest of time did not bother. Sure I missed the back of my ears plenty + wore Baseball type hats with my ears in the sun.

Since this has happened I have heard stories of Melinoma killing family members. My good friend whose father loved to go fishing died from it. A Portugese friend lost his brother.

It is one of those things if caught in time, have a good chance, if not your in deep kim chee. Now I never leave the house with out a yardmans hat & plenty sunblock. Have not been in the ocean since I found out over two months ago. Want to at least get back to swimming, but only toward dusk when the sun is low in the sky.

Would encourage any of you out there who spend time in the sun to take protective measures, don't make the same mistake I did. It hit me at age 65.

glad you're out of the danger zone keith!

Several of my contemporaries are native Floridians and grew up before there were any concerns about sunburn, sunscreen was something that girls used, and nobody had heard of SPF. Now melanoma are common with many "spots" removed among them. My doc has referred me to a dermatologist cause of a spot on my ear... She say's its just precautionary and that it does not look like melanoma. Damn ball caps - Got me a Tilley now.

Fortionately people are smarter now and it's uncommon to see someone involved in outdoor activities that is not greased up.

Wishing the best for you Keith.

Keith: good news tha the lymph nodes were negative. And margins clear. Take care. Eric

Glad to hear you're in the clear, Keith.

It's a wonder that some of us old geezers have managed to survive our youth; no sunblock, no seat belts, no air bags, no hearing protection while shooting, running a chainsaw, etc.

And the best thing that could happen when we were kids was that mom would drop the thermometer and break it. Meant we could play with the little ball of mercury all day. :eek2:

Stay well and keep wearing that Tilley. (I've got one now too. )

You are a lucky man, Keith. Glad you caught it early, and we still have you around. Take care :thumbsup:

Thanks for the wake up call. It's easy to take stuff for granted. Glad things are ok now Keith.

Scary **** man. Glad to hear you're alright.

Thanks guys

Sorry to hear about this Keith. Melanoma is a lot more serious than many think. My wife went through this several years ago. While they were able to remove the Cancer the Antbodies in her blood that helped fight the Cancer wound up destroying her retinas and now she is legally blind. I guess it's just a reminder that life is short and we all need to appreciate each day we have.
Glad to hear all is well in the end.

Dave

Sorry to hear that Dave. Mine was 2mm deep touch & go level, less than 1mm is good. I was certainly fortunate that Janice spotted it. My personal Doctor did not think it was melanoma, was a while before got to a dermatologist thankfully in time.

Dave been fishing any? Just came out that Hawaii Yellowfin Tuna has enough mercury level that don't advise pregnant women to eat too much of it. Not anywhere as high as large Marlin, Swordfish.

Glad to hear it has not progressed Keith.Australia has high levels of skin cancer unfortunately and i still have to constantly nag the kids to put sunscreen on,i think its a very hard thing for youngsters to understand how serious it can be.

damn good catch!!

i took a "how long will i live?" test at my hospital. it was eye opening to me. the first 25% of the questions were about sunblock and sun protection. blew me away.

No Fishing lately Keith but I hope to get out this spring. I'm not surprised about the Mercury and Hawaii isn't exactly in a primo spot after the Fukushima disaster which is probably still far worse than many of us realize for the ocean. Have you been out lately? Any good surf casting after dark there?

Most of my fishing these days are sides of Salmon from Costco. Get the boxes of frozen 16-20 shell on shrimp when it goes on sale at some stores here. I like poke too but don't eat it on a regular basis.

Mercury in fish is one of those polarizing issues. Some claim Methylmercury in fish comes from underwater volcanic activity. Also countries like Japan eat far more fish than average Americans and are more healthy.

Surface water Mercury is thought to come from Coal Fired Plants. There was concern of mercury in large Marlin back in the early 70's when I worked Charter Boats.

Some people will not eat seafood because worried about Mercury that's extreme there are many healthy benefits of seafood. Then again I would not advise my pregnant niece to eat Marlin steaks every day either.

keithsaltydog said:

Some people will not eat seafood because worried about Mercury that's extreme there are many healthy benefits of seafood. Then again I would not advise my pregnant niece to eat Marlin steaks every day either.

Click to expand...

What is life without risks? I definitely will continue eating sea food. I know people who smoke but don't eat fish because of the mercury. No offense, but that is really, really stupid...

Stefan

I'd be a lot more worried about what that pond raised Salmon contains than the Mercury in Pelagic fish. I'm not sure if it's the case with Tuna etc. but here in the Great Lakes region fish is tested for Mercury by putting the entire fish in a Veg-0-Matic and blending. Any one remember that Bass-O-Matic from Saturday Night Live? If they just tested Fillets I'm sure the Mercury content would be significantly lower.
I Like to Make a Mock Poke with Roasted Beets if you are looking for an alternative. Does your Costco carry local Fish Keith? The store in Kona often had Moonfish (as well as some good Coffee deals) . Aside from King Crab and frozen Cod the fish selection at our Costco has really declined over the last few years.
I did manage to find some sweet looking head on Shrimp for Nawlins BBQ shrimp today.

Local fish is ready available at stores, The Costco I go to has a section that sells different types of Poke. Most of the fish is frozen in bags or the fresh sides of salmon. I do not think this Yellowfin Tuna thing will effect consumption of Poke and Sashimi much. People love their raw fish in Hawaii.

I like to butterfly shrimp thru the shell & marainate then quick fire over the coals.

What's your marinade Keith?

Dear God Keith, I am glad you are OK.

Thanks Ernesto

Mrmmms Kikkoman citrus Ponzu,Fresh ginger and garlic, Lime ju., olive oil, cilantro, touch of Red Rooster Chili Sauce, S&P pinch of sugar. You can blend it or just chop. Let shrimp marinade in a dish at least half hour. I like to push some of the marinade under the shell on both sides. Quick fire on the grill nothing worse than over cooked shrimp

Whoa. Thankful you're ok Keith. Glad Janice has good eyes. Give her my regards. Hope you guys are well otherwise!

Wish I could get my hands on some aku poke right about now...

You & me both. Where are you working now? Does Portland have a Hawaiian food place. I know there are many transplants from Hawaii in the Pacific Northwest.