Today’s post is not specific to PDR, but if you are a mobile PDR technician, as in you spend the majority of your days outside, then this might be of value to you.
Now me personally, I love the outdoors. I love the sunshine. Any opportunity I can, I will happily just bask in the sun like a lizard and just get out enjoying adventure sports, just being out in nature. Predominantly, being a mobile PDR technician, I'm working outside pretty much every day so about three-four years ago, I noticed this little kind of spot on my head.
As a typical bloke, I was like Nah, nothing to worry about. I'm not too bothered.
My wife wanted me to go to the doctor's just have a sort of have it checked out, which I did. The chaplain said, basically, getting old and it's an old man spot. I thought, yes I appreciate I do have gray hair but surely I'm not that old just yet. But I went away, didn't think too much of it just continued my work on days outside enjoying the sun.
Then, a couple of years later, it got a little bit worse. Just a slight sort of bruising feeling occasionally would swell up and sometimes bleed. My wife again, bless her, was like you need to go back and get a second opinion, get it sort of checked out. So, I did. I went back and this time they referred me to a dermatologist. They had a look and said it was a “basil something something” like most medical terms. I can't pronounce it but I'll put the link below as to what it is just for kind of reference.
Basically, it's a very mild form of skin cancer. Now, thankfully, nothing to worry about. In my case, it's really small. It's kind of an in-and-out thing. They just burn off and you go about your day. But I want to do a quick video just to raise a bit of awareness with it really.
Had I have just continued on ignoring it for another 5 to 15 years or so, working outside in the sun, it could have easily gotten worse, become a bit more of a problem. Maybe harder to treat perhaps.
Thankfully, as I say, for me It's not. It's just pretty mild, pretty straightforward but I certainly would have ignored it, left it to my own devices.
So, if just keep an eye on yourself working out there on the sun, like I say, not PDR specific but certainly in my industry, me being outdoors all the time, this is something to be aware of.
Now, growing up I was lucky to have my parents or sort of mum “wear sunscreen…wear a sun hat” and you're like, “yeah all right mum, will do” and you don't.
But now getting a little bit older and definitely something to be aware of so do wear sunscreen, do wear a hat, and look after yourself. Anything like that that you see, go and get it checked out.
So just a short post today. A bit of foreign health and safety advice but I thought it was valuable and something to be aware of if you're just working outside a lot.
That's it from me. Hope you're all doing well and I will see you in the next one. Cheers!