Neurofibroma

Remember when I mentioned the bump on my nose, and how badly I wanted to get rid of it? A few months ago a friend of mine gave me the name and number of a dermatologist that her boss had highly recommended. I copied the information on to a sticky note, folded it in half, and tucked it behind the cover of my cell phone. For months I could see the yellow piece of paper through the cover each time I looked at the back of my phone, but I hesitated to make the call - assuming that my lack of health insurance would ensure a large chunk of cash would have to exit my bank account to make the removal possible.

As time went on I got more impatient. This bump has not been on my face my whole life; I first remember it making an appearance somewhere around 2004, and it continued to grow slowly each year. I didn't worry about it too much at first, I thought it may be a wart, and warts can supposedly go away on their own once the virus has run its course. I hoped this would be the case for me when I left for South America in 2006. When I returned to the USA in late 2007 the bump was bigger, and I decided it was time to try a home wart remover. It didn't work, so I left it alone again.

Children found the bump on my nose fascinating. I mean, how could they not notice it? Kids would often ask what was on my nose, and some would even reach out to touch it. I didn't mind- it was just their curiosity. What I did mind was when of my friends' kids - who is old enough to have manners - started being mean about it. He would be sure to point it out every time he saw me, and just be a little brat about it. Worse? His mom seemed to purposefully ignore him when he started teasing, and one time his dad overheard the kid call me a witch, and he laughed. Really?? What happened to teaching your kids to be kind and polite? Annoying.

Last month I finally decided to call the dermatologists and set up a free consultation. I figured I could at least find out how much money I needed to start saving to make my nose look normal again. So, one week before Halloween I skipped out of work for a couple hours and went to my appointment. The doctor looked at my nose, said she didn't think it was anything to be worried about (as in, it looked non-cancerous), and told me how much it would cost for the procedure and lab work. Surprisingly, it really wasn't that expensive, and she said she could do it right then! 15 minutes later I was bump-free and had a band-aid stuck over my half-numb nose. I love it.