Doc Says It's All Right

So Mo has always had some blemishes on her skin that worried me. This past weekend, I looked at one and realized that the color has changed, and it's beginning to turn dark in the center. This tends to be a sign of melanoma. Cancer. Of course I got upset, and Mo, who has nearly debilitating medical phobia, flipped her lid. It kind of ruined the after-glow cuddling we were doing. But oh well.

So I began looking into dermatology clinics, and through that I was able to find 2 hospital systems that offer financial assistance. (Which is pretty cool.) Thinking that I would make and appointment first and take care of assistance later, I tried to make one at VA Commonwealth University hospital. They wouldn't even see Mo without her first going through the financial assistance program, or having insurance. Then I found out that financial assistance applications at VCU take a month to process. I also was informed that the soonest they could see a new patient would be in June. With potential skin cancer on my Mo's body, I was not ok with that, and neither was she.

The second hospital system, called Bon Secours, did not include dermatology in their financial assistance package. However, they were incredibly helpful. A nurse spoke with me, calmed my nerves, and gave me all kinds of useful information. Additionally, they had a cancellation in one of the offices, making the soonest available appointment this morning. So, we took it and got Mo in right away. She had two spots removed, and the one that I was initially worried about has been judged to be benign. Nonetheless, it and a few others need to be watched, and the doc will check them at the follow-up appointment in 6 months.

Whew.

The two that were removed are being sent to a pathologist to be biopsied, and the doctor, when he heard that we have no insurance for Mo, got the pathologist to do it for free! It was so nice of them. He also seemed genuinely upset by the state of things at VCU, and Mo's lack of hope for getting insurance any time soon. It made me feel good, knowing that the doctor treating Mo is a truly caring individual.

As soon as we can, Mo and I are going to get her on the financial assistance program for Bon Secours and possibly VCU as well. At Bon Secours, we can get her into a general practitioner, who should be able to do her pap smears, and possibly treat her chronic sinus things. The nurse I spoke with on the phone gave me the name of a few. I'm liking Catholic healthcare.

On the way to get Mo a post-medical-procedure smoothie, we were discussing how Catholic-affiliated organizations tend to be a good fit for us. She mentioned that she works for a Catholic family (small, family business). Maybe it's just meant to be.

I'm definitely relieved, even if those spots turn out to be cancerous. We'll figure out what to do when that happens.