The dermatology appointment that changed everything (and why you should make yours, too)
A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through our Trussville Moms Group when another mama asked for a good dermatologist recommendation. A simple, everyday post — the kind we all see a dozen times a week. But that little question ended up changing a whole lot for me.
Somewhere between the 2020 shutdown and… gestures broadly at life, I realized I hadn’t seen a dermatologist in years. In “mom math,” that adds up to two kids, a job, and roughly 1,800 snack times ago. So I took the hint from all of you singing Heidi-at-Total-Derm’s praises and booked myself an appointment.
The mole patrol that became a plot twist
Flash forward to the following week. I’m standing there in one of those fashionable paper gowns getting the full “head-to-toe mole patrol.” You know the one — where they check every freckle you’ve ever had and a few you swear are new.
Heidi paused at two tiny spots that didn’t look quite right. Before I could overthink it, she numbed them, snipped them off, and said, “We’ll go ahead and send these for biopsy.”
Cool cool cool. Totally fine.
Except… both biopsies came back not fine.
One spot was skin cancer on my stomach (shoutout to the tanning beds of the early 2000s — truly the villains of my youth). I had to have surgery this week to get it fully removed. The second spot needed a deeper punch biopsy, and I’m still waiting on those results.
What started as a “simple checkup” turned into a whole medical subplot I did not have on my 2025 bingo card.
What I want every mom in Trussville to hear
If you take nothing else from this little adventure of mine, take this:
I don’t share this to scare anyone. I share it because I walked in expecting reassurance and walked out with stitches. And if my little plot twist helps another mom catch something early, then it’s worth it.
We’ve got kids to chase and lives to live
So consider this your friendly nudge from a fellow mom who learned the hard way: take care of yourself. Not later. Not someday. Now.
We do so much for our families. We deserve to do the basics for ourselves, too.
If you need a sign, permission, or a push — this is it. Go make the appointment.
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