My keloid scars have been a part of my life since I was about five years old. My earring got caught in a boy's sweater and he moved and yanked it right out. As I got older, more scars developed and never knew why or the cause.
My childhood with scars was not an easy one because I looked so different than the other kids and they were not very nice to me. Middle school was rough because of PE... OMG, the girls were brutal and that made me very uncomfortable about changing clothes in front of other people. It did not make it easy to help the battle of the fluff. LOL! It was easier to cover them up.
I cannot recall the exact time frame, but I recall two doctor's appointments. One was at Lackland AFB and the doctors did not know what my keloids were and wanted to do a biopsy. My dad did not like what he heard and scheduled another appointment with a dermatologist at Fort Sam. The treatment was to inject the scars and that was very painful. My dad could not see me going through that level of pain for each appointment and I was referred to a surgeon. The surgeon presented a surgery utilizing a CO2 laser to remove the scars from my chest.
That was one rough surgery because I had to be awake for the surgery. I stopped counting after the 55th injection and there were more injections when I felt the laser during the surgery. The purpose of the surgery was to remove each individual scar and when that was done, my chest looked like a bowl of mashed potatoes. My mom was there with me and she labeled the scars that were placed in individual specimen jars from A - R. She told the doctor after the surgery that after giving birth to five children, that this surgery was worse than giving birth. The recovery was just as bad as the surgery. That was the day that I realized that I could never endure any treatment on the scars on my back. Since that surgery, I have had four surgeries, one was a combination of removals from my face and my right arm and two additional ones on my face. That one seems to be the hardest to treat and it just keeps on growing back.
One of the biggest things that we (keloid suffers) endure are the stares. It is those stares that kept me in the house and away from social gatherings or even something as simple as walking the mall. Some may not understand why we withdraw but it is easier than dealing with the things we endure on a daily basis.
Thank you for reading about my journey and there will be more in future posts.
My childhood with scars was not an easy one because I looked so different than the other kids and they were not very nice to me. Middle school was rough because of PE... OMG, the girls were brutal and that made me very uncomfortable about changing clothes in front of other people. It did not make it easy to help the battle of the fluff. LOL! It was easier to cover them up.
I cannot recall the exact time frame, but I recall two doctor's appointments. One was at Lackland AFB and the doctors did not know what my keloids were and wanted to do a biopsy. My dad did not like what he heard and scheduled another appointment with a dermatologist at Fort Sam. The treatment was to inject the scars and that was very painful. My dad could not see me going through that level of pain for each appointment and I was referred to a surgeon. The surgeon presented a surgery utilizing a CO2 laser to remove the scars from my chest.
That was one rough surgery because I had to be awake for the surgery. I stopped counting after the 55th injection and there were more injections when I felt the laser during the surgery. The purpose of the surgery was to remove each individual scar and when that was done, my chest looked like a bowl of mashed potatoes. My mom was there with me and she labeled the scars that were placed in individual specimen jars from A - R. She told the doctor after the surgery that after giving birth to five children, that this surgery was worse than giving birth. The recovery was just as bad as the surgery. That was the day that I realized that I could never endure any treatment on the scars on my back. Since that surgery, I have had four surgeries, one was a combination of removals from my face and my right arm and two additional ones on my face. That one seems to be the hardest to treat and it just keeps on growing back.
One of the biggest things that we (keloid suffers) endure are the stares. It is those stares that kept me in the house and away from social gatherings or even something as simple as walking the mall. Some may not understand why we withdraw but it is easier than dealing with the things we endure on a daily basis.
Thank you for reading about my journey and there will be more in future posts.
Just wanted to leave a mark. I enjoyed the read and say keep fighting, and keep on living. Hopefully medecine will evolve sooner than later. But self acceptance is a beautiful journey that's for sure. I'm inspired though! #themarathoncontinues
ReplyDeleteMax
Thank you for reading Max and the encouraging words. I am thankful to have you as part of my team of encouragers that understands my struggle.
Delete