POOCH SAYS

      Not too many years ago, I had a slight case of skin cancer in one ear and on my neck on the opposite side of my head. No big deal. I simply went to a day-surgery place where my ear-nose-throat doctor skillfully removed the bad spots.

      His parting instructions were to keep those sites dry and come back in ten days so he could remove the stitches.

      No way! I had a plane ticket and a beauty shop appointment. So I taped a baggie around my ear and got a shampoo and 'do' the next day. Two days later I flew 1,000 miles and no one seemed to notice the strange woman who had stiff, black, knotted threads sticking out of her ear or in a seam on her neck.

      When it was time for the stitches to be removed, the trouble began. After finding a "No Appointment Needed" doctor and being told he couldn't work on a Medicare patient even when I offered to pay in cash and deciding to forego an emergency room visit, I was reduced to having to place myself in the hands of an 80-year old retired nurse next door to where I was visiting.

      As I awaited the appointed hour, I decided to investigate after hearing doors and drawers being opened and closed, water running, and the clink, clink, clink of metal against metal. AHA! My host was sterilizing surgical instruments!

           

      Taking the precision tools (spaghetti tongs, beauty shop thinning shears, and eyebrow tweezers), a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and a roll of paper towels, we went next door at the designated hour. The nurse had little problem with the neck stitching but my ear presented problems. You know the dainty little curled-down part that surrounds your ears? Well, the nurse couldn't get in there, even with my head face down sideways on the table.

      So her husband tried to unfold my ear! Now I've got dozens of fingers in my ear. The nurse next called a halt because she couldn't see!

      Since the dining room chandelier was designed for dining ambience, powerful auxiliary lighting was called for. (Trip back home for my host.)

         

      Now I had even more hands hovering inches from my head, but the task WAS finally completed.