Does your face hurt? Because it’s killing me. I love elementary school humor. I remember using that joke when I was in elementary school and my daughter has now taken to using that joke to lift my spirits. The simple answer, yes. It does hurt. Like the worst sunburn of my life and getting nastier everyday with the chemo.
Cabin fever has definitely set in. The walls are closing in and it is only day 9 of 30. My wife and daughters have been incredible so I persevere because of their love and because this too shall pass. It is weird though, spending this much time at home. I love our house, it is truly a home that represents all the best parts of our family. We are a work in progress and so is our house. To that end my wife has been looking on-line at bathroom designs which begs the question; wanna come over and help my wife choose a new toilet? By the way, who knew toilets were that expensive, not this guy. My wife and I were looking at those pricey commodes on-line today while listening to our favorite jazz station. We like music in this house, all kinds of music. Yesterday it was hair bands, today it was jazz and tomorrow I think perhaps a 70s groove. We stream Pandora wirelessly around the house, I like the service. While listening today a commercial came on for tanning beds at a Minnesota salon. They were offering a special deal. Are you picking up the irony here. TV dude at home for skin cancer chemotherapy hears a tanning bed commercial. Seriously? Tanning beds are still a thing? Unplug em, crush em at the junkyard and move on.
I think a lot about sun safety. Not to the point of becoming a sun safety vigilante. At least not yet. But if I did, and I am not saying I would…I could pick up a cape, some tights a mask and voila Captain Sunblock! I could zoom around the land of 10,000 lakes spraying sun block on unsuspecting sun worshippers. Meh, too much work. Besides, I don’t look that good in tights. Sun safety is quite simple. It is all about being smart. Join me as I throw away the cheap hats and nasty no good sun tan lotions. Come on, follow me to sun safety land! Wait, listen, do you hear it? The buzzer you hear in the background is the preach-alert…I will heed its warning and step down off my soapbox, for now. Tomorrow I am gonna talk about Sunblock and SPF clothing…The kind that dermatologists use for their families and the kind that my family and I now use.
I will also talk about chicken wings. I love chicken wings. Spicy, delicious chicken wings…my great friend Stuart is bringing over wings for lunch on Friday. He is a good guy that Stuart.
Tanning bed commercial, are you effing kidding me?
Thanks for stopping by, end of day 9. Look for another post with red, splotchy face pics later tonight 🙂
God bless,
-Ian
Ian Leonard... 
Get a tall toilet…your knees will appreciate it as you age! 😁
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Pay the fee, it’s not much, and get Pandora ad free. It’s so worth it.
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For clothing, have you tried Coolibar? I love wearing there shirts out in the sun knowing I am protected. I had melanoma, surgically removed. See a dermatologist for my yearly check up. Life is good.
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I love Coolibar…they are a big part of my blog tomorrow!
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Looking forward to reading your blog tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your journey.
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Ian, I remember you from KWWL Waterloo. We still joke abut the “blamo effect” every time it storms. Sending positive thoughts your way; hang in there bud.
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Love reading your blog posts and I am praying for your speedy recovery.
BTW…Best choice, I believe, is a Compact Elongated Comfort Height Toilet.
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We love you, captain sunblock! I’m so glad you have an awesome family and awesome music to distract you. Maybe find some new Netflix shows to binge watch? Oh and get a bidet in that bathroom, your life will be enhanced times a million 🙂
Hang in there buddy!
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Your face looks so painful. I’m sorry you have to go through this.
I’m an anti tanning bed person. I have never used them and I never will. When my dad was going through his cancer journey back in 1989 I had one of his doctors ask me if I ever used a tanning bed. I was 29 and I told him no. He replied, “don’t ever use them; they are very bad for you.” I occasionally see young woman walking around this time of the year as tanned as anyone in mid summer. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Paint by numbers, a knifty knitter or counted cross stitch are good ways to occupy time. Hang in there Ian. Better days are ahead.
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Hang in there,Ian. We miss you but know you will be back in a few weeks. Yes, I am scared about tanning on the electrical sun. So will be using the highest SPF sunblock in a couple of weeks while on the ship. I haven’t heard of sun block clothes though…anyway I hope you get some relief soon with good sleep. 💙
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I’m with you….trash the tanning beds!! And, buy some awesome spf clothes.
My husband has melanoma and after countless surgeries to remove moles, our family too has gone away from sun and tan worshipping to a closet of spf shirts and hats and lots of sun screen lotions.
It’s a relearning process. You and your family will be great learners. You have a real reason to do so. And, I believe in your telling of your story others will begin to relearn too. Thank you.
I just saw your new photos….ouch! My heart goes out to you right now. This is the painful stage not only for your face but your ego too.
What I’ve learned about you is that you can do this! And it seems you have an amazing supportive home in which to be doing it.
Prayers and blessings to you!
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Hey, Ian.
My name is Melissa, I’m a thirty-something Minnesota native (I crossed the border to the dark side, it’s ok though, I still wear purple with pride.)
I have fair skin, dark hair, and light eyes. My skin fears the sun like my dog fears the vacuum cleaner!
My parents, although loving and great parents, didn’t understand the importance of sunscreen for their pale little marshmallow. I grew up burning, I remember having blisters on my shoulders that stood a good inch above my skin.
Then in my teens and twenties, having a tan was the thing to have. I couldn’t afford Guess jeans, or a Benetton bag, but I could get a burn like no other, and eventually that burn would fade to a milky coffee brown for a few days and I would feel Ahhhh-mazing!
Fast forward a bit, and I’m now a survivor of a rare endometrial cancer, and have had a few suspicious spots frozen off my cheeks.
Cancer changes you, it changed me. I was lucky that mine was caught early and only surgery was needed, but that big giant C-word puts everything into perspective.
I’ve been a wee bit more aware of my “need-to-screen”, but your transparency through your ordeal has awakened me more, and I felt the need to reach out to you, Ian. Thank you – I am throwing away my half-a**ed sun screen! I will be buying nothing but the best for my skin.
Praying for healing for you Ian! God Bless!
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Hi Ian. Sending prayers your way. You will make it through this trial because you are strong, because you have an awesome support system on your side through your family, and because you still have your amazing sense of humor!! I am a firm believer in the power of laughter. My motto is ‘laugh whenever you can and if you don’t see anything to laugh at make something up!’ You will have too many times throughout your life when tears are your companion but embrace laughter whenever you can. May I ask a question? Are the red spots which hurt so badly cancerous spots or do random spots turn red and cause pain?
When you talk about growing up in Canada it reminds me of my paternal Grandfather. He was French/Canadian and grew up in Canada, I am not sure how old he was when he came to the states but he could speak French. My oldest sister found this out when she was home from college one week-end. She was taking a French class and decided to swear in French. She of course thought she was prety smart and no one would know what she said. Grandpa turned around and shook his finger at her and said something back to her, also in French!
Stay strong Ian! Thanks for including all of us in your journey. You are educating so many people far better than any Doctor could.
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Those red spots are areas that the chemo has detected pre-cancerous cells. It kills those cells by “burning” them. Good times
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Exactly! It’s doing its job. As I apply mine tonight I think of you. And I breathe a sigh of relief that I got the great words of benign for my latest test(from my arm this time). Stay strong. My fb posts have reached some but yours reach MANY. THANK YOU!!
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Ian: I would love to take some of your pain away. Be aware that there are thousands of us you’ve never met who are praying for you and taking some pain for you. 🙂
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Good to hear that you can still find humor with your pain. My daughters took care of me with my 3rd degree burns and one day started to sing “At the carwash” when washing by burns. I laughed until I cried.
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Definitely go with the tall toilet I bought two, I bought the ones you can flush a whole bucket of golf balls down, how they came up with that as an example of how good it flushes I’ll never know! Oh and another thing our dermatologist told us that it’s not so much what we do now at age 60 it’s what we did when we were kids that gives you a better chance of skin cancer, would you agree? We still cover up and wear sunscreen. Good luck with this battle we’re praying for you!
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Well wishes to you. Miss your weather reports.
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