A couple of weeks ago I had a procedure to remove two non-melanomas, a BCC & SCC skin cancers. I started thinking about all the health issues I have had over the last decade. To my surprise, I realised all my bites, wounds and operations have been on the RIGHT SIDE of my body. “Warning below images may be confronting”
Left untreated, SCC may spread and infiltrate nearby skin tissues. Bcc can appear anywhere on the body but most commonly develops on parts of the body that receive high or intermittent sun exposure (head, face, neck, shoulders and back).
2011 : While sailing in Mexico I stepped with my right foot from my surf board to turn and paddle back to our boat into shallow sandy water onto a sting-ray. It sliced a small incision along the bottom of my right little toe. Man did that hurt for such a small cut. Reaching our friends boat anchored next to ours where I new my husband was onboard, I yelled to him I need help. We were aware of the dangers of sting-ray bites, quickly, but calmly we made our way to our vessel and I elevated my foot whilst the kettle was boiled then poured boiling water into a container large enough to fit my foot to soak to remove the poison. It is recommended to use as Hot water as you can handle…. after a time the pain subsided but I was certainly aware for sometime, like a year or more after it had happened. It later become infected sailing through Mexico and I had to see a doctor and take some antibiotics to heal it fully.
2013 : A few years later I returned from Bali after Yoga Teacher Training with appendicitis. Although I expect I was already suffering from it prior to arriving, fainting at the airport and feeling in slight pain and discomfort throughout training. I do credit Yoga training as being a god send for this issue….It was a very large ball of infection encasing the appendix and eating into my Psoas muscle. After the operation my right leg would not move after discovering doctors had cut away a portion of my psoas muscle – I began to strengthen this side of my body through exercises while bed ridden.
2015 : I think I was bitten by a spider or had a cut that was infected, as I had noticed many inside and outside of the boat whilst cleaning it after our purchase. The first sign from memory was I noticed I had a red mark on my right arm, it was sore and swollen on day 2 or 3 of cleaning. I found some out of date antibiotics in the first aid kit and started taking them. It appeared to feel ok, but was woken through the night feeling heat and soreness, moving from my bed to the lounge. My husband found me there the next morning waking me to say “What is wrong with your arm?” “It’s was hurting through the night ” I said, he pointed out it has a large red area. I took more antibiotics as it was a Sunday I managed it and made an appointment first thing Monday morning to see my doctor. My doctor was alarmed and pleased I had taken antibiotics but scolded me for not going to the hospital sooner, advising I need to make my way quickly to the closest hospital. The doctors enquired as to what happened, but as I did not see what happened, I had mentioned the spiders they thought I was possibly bitten by a white tip spider, admitted to hospital for a few days with a very red top portion of my Right Arm. I was left with a 5-10 cent size (or similar to a small pox scar) red mark from the infection or bite and a small dip of flesh sunk in below the bite, known as flesh eating.
2021: Walking to catch a ferry I rolled my ankle and broke a bone, having spent 8-10 weeks in boot – it has felt good to be moving about life again without pain – although it is still tender at times and the circulation and swelling apparent when too much walking.
As explained I became curious when I realised all these things happened to the right side of the body. So let’s explore organs on the Right Side of my body.
I eat well, drink plenty of water, practice yoga regularly & I am generally active in nature, when you hear the words cancer, it sends your mind into slight turmoil.
2022: Seated quietly, we moved through the water on our familiar route. I’m not sure if I was in shock, feeling a little shaky, I was reliving the experience in my mind as we sped across the water to my island home. It was like an out of body moment – I was the specimen cut open, lying on my left side listening to the operation unfold , “Tell me if you Feel anything ” the doctor asks, I am now on high alert “Am I going to feel this?” Just raise your hand and I will stop “ she says and I will put more injection to numb the area. I kept hearing “This is a monster..” The doctor is caring, but not sugar coating anything.
I thought “I wish they would stop talking!”
I began Sweating and thinking my stomach was about to empty.
I staggered to reach the exit doors of the ferry like a drunk coming home from a big night out.
My husband shadowed me, moving me to a bench seat close to the shoreline, I look out over the salty sea as the ferry pulls away taking in the surrounding islands. The fresh air feels good.
A lady sat beside me and chattered away … a friend stopped by and conversed a while – I had to turn and say goodbye as my stomach began to heave.
I looked down at my sparkly blue comfy shoes splattered with my lunch, remembering the day I bought them … only because I was all dressed ready for a Down Under Rally function in New Caledonia and my shoes fell apart crossing the road, this happens with shoes onboard vessels as they are not worn often, bare feet or thongs the preferred choice of foot wear for a live aboard.
The friendly soul my husband left in charge while he darted to bring the car close, kept my mind off feeling ill, chattering away giving me reassurance she is ok with the situation, offering how she has been looking after her husband the past months.
As I look upon her clothes, I apologised for spoiling them slightly, she is not concerned and shakes it off. Note to self, I must find this lovely soul when I am well to thank her properly.
Regular visits to the mainland continue over the next few days to check my wounds, they had discovered I had a hematoma on my large BCC removal on the right arm, and were keeping an eye on it. After 7 days a second opinion was sourced should I be reopened to investigate – the conclusion was to ice, compression bandage and pain relief.
Day 10 The haematoma had not released and I was reopened to investigate, what followed was the release of the haematoma and removal of lots of small blood clots and the wound was cauterised. My Dr continued to ask if I was on blood thinners, “No” she was hoping my blood tests would return some answers, but she advise great results on all tests ” You are a healthy woman” she said. I left with a numb area thinking it was finally ok. Only to wake with blood stained sheets. I wrapped my arm in a compression bandage and returned to the clinic, where the bleeding could not be contained and an ambulance was called, “How much blood has she lost?” The ambulance driver asked, about 200 I heard. My doctor had rung ahead to the local hospItal advising of my situation, asking a surgeon to take my case. She advised my reaction of violent shaking to the adrenalin and wishes for me to go into theatre. Waiting on an ambulance stretcher for the surgeon team to take me to theatre was a process, and proved to be slow as the surgeon was not available now having had to scrub into another emergency. I asked to be taken to another hospital I was familiar with, but although the efforts of the ambulance driver was admiral – they would not accept me due to this surgeon accepting my case.
I was wheeled in the ambulance bed to the emergency room and asked to sit in a chair, blood running down my arm, I looked at the ambulance man and my dissappointing eyes had him say to a nurse “she can’t be here.“
I was then moved to a doctors room laid on the bed to wait. A rotation of staff held compression on my wound to stop the bleeding and attempted to book me into theatre, only to be told no availability.
A surgeon arrived an hour or so later and attempted to find what was the cause of the bleeding. The pain was horrendous as he mentioned later he needed to find the leak and didn’t want the medication to stop the bleeding and inhibit finding the source.
It seemed like hours he was prodding and compressing … another colleague came to the room to take over for a brief time. Further pain and loss of blood, a saline drip was administered into cannula of my left arm around 4pm which was about 5 hours since my first appointment and another request from the doctor to get us into theatre for better lighting and pain relief. The nurse rushed in and says “lets get her up there now a theatre is available…. which lasted all of about 2 min, they cancelled yet again.
The doctor asked to push the bed over and up more & pulled the wall mounted light overhead closer at the same time apologised, not knowing why untilI I felt something excruciating, crying out in pain and the tears began to fall, the apologies continued for further time eventually pain like I can only relate to child birth when a artery felt like it was pulled through my wound and stitched securely to stop bleeding.
The caring nature of the surgeons apologising for the experience, then the discussing on closing me, he didn’t want to cause any further pain, deciding to leave the small flap opened, advising it may not heal so well and later can be fixed if it bothers you. At this stage I truly didn’t care what happened I just wanted the pain to stop, but had a small disappointment cross my mind as the healing which was looking good now appears to be an ugly reminder of damage by the sun. I can live with that I thought.
I had an overnight stay to monitor my progress spent in the Emergency ward. After a fitful sleep I had a visit by the surgeons team on morning rotation. A male doctor advised no further surgery is going to happen seeing the bleeding is contained and the wound would be dressed and the healing was in the hands of my body, but a female doctor disagreed and said a stitch is needed for the flap – they left me saying someone would be along soon to dress the wound. After fits and starts of someone coming and not coming the head nurse decided if she could remove remaining stitches and apply the decided Pico Negative Pressure Wound Therapy to protect from infection and heal the existing wound.
I am now into Day 3 and a change of Pico Bandage and thumbs up by the Nursing Care team saying it is healing well and no sign of infection. I have a further Surgeon follow up next week and hope I will only continue to Heal more and more each day and put this behind me.
My Take on this is be very careful of a wound and sun exposure to it. Know your family health history. Slip, slop, slap (Modere live clean sunscreen is my favourite) High SPF and please get a regular Skin Check each year before sailing off each season. I am usually pretty good with this but covid got in the way. Eat gut loving meals to help you heal well and drink plenty of water.
Love and Light
Leanne x
(Also if you can know your family health issues)
Research links.
https://www.healthline.com/health/stingray-sting#causes – stingray
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appendicitis … appendix info
https://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-public/necrotizing-fasciitis.html … https://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-public/necrotizing-fasciitis.html
leayogathoughts 