Saw my oncologist today for my 4 month checkup. He's doing iron studies and thyroid tests to try to figure out why I still feel so tired and lousy. If nothing shows up on those, he wants me to see my GP and have him run some autoimmune, lyme disease, etc. tests. Whatever.
While I was there, I reminded him that I had an oozing spot where my incision was closed in August of 2015. The spot just suddenly started oozing about six months ago. At my last appointment, I showed it to him and he said it was probably a stitch working it's way out. About a month later, a sharp black stitch poked through. I told him he had been right about what was causing the oozing. He asked me if I had pulled the stitch out and I said, "No way. Every time I think about pulling that stitch, I imagine a sweater unraveling and I don't want to know if that thing is attached to other things that need to stay stitched together." He couldn't stop laughing. He actually doubled over laughing at me. He said it wouldn't pull apart like a seam and it was probably just the knot that worked it's way loose.
Then he looked at it and stopped laughing. He said, "I'm not comfortable pulling that out. I don't have the proper instruments and I'm not sure pulling it out is a good idea. Let's let it work it's way out on it's own for a while more and if it bothers you, make an appointment with your surgeon and have him remove it." Oh, okay. It's a laugh riot when I don't want to tug on the thread holding my guts together, but when it's up to you to take it out, suddenly it's not so funny anymore.
I'm fine with him not removing it. It doesn't bother me and I'm sure it will eventually fall out like a splinter that works it's way to the surface. But I just think it's funny that he gently mocked me for not pulling it and then wouldn't do it himself.
If CEA and blood studies come back okay, I see him again in September and have my CT scan in October.
Judy