About 2 months ago I went to the dermatologist for a regular skin check. I have never gone
annually, or even close to that really, but I thought it would be good to start. She checked
me over, removed a small mole on my side that drove me nuts and told me I looked fine.
Then I asked her about a small mole on the bridge of my nose. She asked me if it had
always been there and I told her no, it just showed up a few years ago. She didn't think
anything of it, but decided to take a biopsy to be safe.
annually, or even close to that really, but I thought it would be good to start. She checked
me over, removed a small mole on my side that drove me nuts and told me I looked fine.
Then I asked her about a small mole on the bridge of my nose. She asked me if it had
always been there and I told her no, it just showed up a few years ago. She didn't think
anything of it, but decided to take a biopsy to be safe.
To be honest, I wasn't worried in the slightest. She told me she thought it was nothing and I
believed her. I had actually forgotten about it until two weeks later I got a call at 6PM from
the doctor herself. Whenever the doctor calls instead of a nurse, you know it's not good.
She told me the biopsy came back positive for basal cell carcinoma...skin cancer.
Thankfully with this type of cancer they are able to cut it all out, and you are cancer free
right then. Still not fun to hear, but I wasn't overly concerned. She had just cut a mole off in
her office and it wasn't a big deal at all. It seemed like this would be similar, right?
Wrong! I was not mentally prepared for the actual surgery, called Mohs surgery. They take
the cancer out by cutting out a small layer of skin and then looking at is under a microscope to check the margins (edges). They make sure there is healthy tissue all the way around the
cancerous area. If not, they have to cut another layer and continue the process until the
margins are clear. I had myself convinced it was simple. In my mind it was no big deal.
But my views quickly changed once I was at the surgeon's office. I walked into my exam
room and saw a chair in the middle of the room draped in white sheets, underneath a huge
light. It all looked so cold and surgical (duh! Guess I should have seen that coming). I
talked with the nurse, got into my gown, sat down in the chair, put my hair into a
surgical cap and waited for the doctor.
When he came in he told me a little about the procedure, then took a marker and drew a
circle around the small mole on my nose about 3 times larger than the mole itself. I asked
him if he was cutting out that entire area and he said not necessarily, but they would know
more once he started cutting. He then talked to me about the scar I was going to have,
something I really hadn't thought much about. He said it might be too red or too white for
my liking, but they had a laser that could help that. It was starting to sink in that this was not
just a tiny mole removal. I was looking at having a considerable scar right
in the middle of my face.
The surgery itself went pretty fast. The worst part was them sticking a gigantic needle of
numbing solution into the bridge of my nose. It hurt so bad tears started streaming down
from the corners of my eyes. By that point, I was over this whole thing and just plain sad.
They left the room when they were done with the first layer and I started to cry. My nose
hurt, I was convinced I was going to have a huge scar, I had to wear a ridiculously large bandage on my nose for a few days and then a smaller, but still noticeable one for a few
weeks after that, all through Christmas. This was not as simple at all.
The one positive thing about the experience was after about an hour they came back and
told me they got everything in the first layer and they wouldn't have to take any more.
Thank goodness because if they had to come at me again with that numbing needle I would
not have been happy. He had me look in a mirror so I could see what he took. There was a
hole about the size of an M&M right on the bridge of my nose, between my eyes. He
proceeded to tell me it wasn't that bad and that if I wanted I could simply let it heal. I looked
at him like he had lost his mind. Instead I chose to have him stitch in up. In order to stitch it
up he actually had to cut out more skin to make what was a circle into more of a football
shape so he could make a straight line when he stitched it up. When he was done he put
on a pressure bandage which is what I would be wearing for the next 2 days. Check this out.
Yep. For the two days following the surgery I had to keep that thing on. School drop off,
pick up...super embarrassing. I was hoping if anything there might be some chatter on the
playground that I got a nose job. ;) On the 2nd day, I took it off and was able to see what
was underneath it. A line about 1.5" long, closed with 7 stitches and 3 Steri strips on top.
My nose was swollen and the swelling had moved into my cheeks and eyes.
You're welcome for the super sexy pictures.
Then today the Steri strips fell off revealing the stitches.
It's hard to tell what this is going to look like when it's completely healed, but I am actually
pretty impressed with what it looks like already. From what it was when he showed it to me
in the mirror to this is a considerable improvement. You can barely see the line down the
middle where the skin actually meets. I'm optimistic that this might turn out OK.
The only downfall now is it hurts!! I was actually surprised by how much it hurt. It doesn't
help that I can only take Tylenol because Advil can make you bleed more. Thankfully it's
getting a little better each day and I'm sure I'll be feeling better in no time.
What's most important is the skin cancer is gone!! Yay!!
believed her. I had actually forgotten about it until two weeks later I got a call at 6PM from
the doctor herself. Whenever the doctor calls instead of a nurse, you know it's not good.
She told me the biopsy came back positive for basal cell carcinoma...skin cancer.
Thankfully with this type of cancer they are able to cut it all out, and you are cancer free
right then. Still not fun to hear, but I wasn't overly concerned. She had just cut a mole off in
her office and it wasn't a big deal at all. It seemed like this would be similar, right?
Wrong! I was not mentally prepared for the actual surgery, called Mohs surgery. They take
the cancer out by cutting out a small layer of skin and then looking at is under a microscope to check the margins (edges). They make sure there is healthy tissue all the way around the
cancerous area. If not, they have to cut another layer and continue the process until the
margins are clear. I had myself convinced it was simple. In my mind it was no big deal.
But my views quickly changed once I was at the surgeon's office. I walked into my exam
room and saw a chair in the middle of the room draped in white sheets, underneath a huge
light. It all looked so cold and surgical (duh! Guess I should have seen that coming). I
talked with the nurse, got into my gown, sat down in the chair, put my hair into a
surgical cap and waited for the doctor.
When he came in he told me a little about the procedure, then took a marker and drew a
circle around the small mole on my nose about 3 times larger than the mole itself. I asked
him if he was cutting out that entire area and he said not necessarily, but they would know
more once he started cutting. He then talked to me about the scar I was going to have,
something I really hadn't thought much about. He said it might be too red or too white for
my liking, but they had a laser that could help that. It was starting to sink in that this was not
just a tiny mole removal. I was looking at having a considerable scar right
in the middle of my face.
The surgery itself went pretty fast. The worst part was them sticking a gigantic needle of
numbing solution into the bridge of my nose. It hurt so bad tears started streaming down
from the corners of my eyes. By that point, I was over this whole thing and just plain sad.
They left the room when they were done with the first layer and I started to cry. My nose
hurt, I was convinced I was going to have a huge scar, I had to wear a ridiculously large bandage on my nose for a few days and then a smaller, but still noticeable one for a few
weeks after that, all through Christmas. This was not as simple at all.
The one positive thing about the experience was after about an hour they came back and
told me they got everything in the first layer and they wouldn't have to take any more.
Thank goodness because if they had to come at me again with that numbing needle I would
not have been happy. He had me look in a mirror so I could see what he took. There was a
hole about the size of an M&M right on the bridge of my nose, between my eyes. He
proceeded to tell me it wasn't that bad and that if I wanted I could simply let it heal. I looked
at him like he had lost his mind. Instead I chose to have him stitch in up. In order to stitch it
up he actually had to cut out more skin to make what was a circle into more of a football
shape so he could make a straight line when he stitched it up. When he was done he put
on a pressure bandage which is what I would be wearing for the next 2 days. Check this out.
Yep. For the two days following the surgery I had to keep that thing on. School drop off,
pick up...super embarrassing. I was hoping if anything there might be some chatter on the
playground that I got a nose job. ;) On the 2nd day, I took it off and was able to see what
was underneath it. A line about 1.5" long, closed with 7 stitches and 3 Steri strips on top.
My nose was swollen and the swelling had moved into my cheeks and eyes.
You're welcome for the super sexy pictures.
Then today the Steri strips fell off revealing the stitches.
It's hard to tell what this is going to look like when it's completely healed, but I am actually
pretty impressed with what it looks like already. From what it was when he showed it to me
in the mirror to this is a considerable improvement. You can barely see the line down the
middle where the skin actually meets. I'm optimistic that this might turn out OK.
The only downfall now is it hurts!! I was actually surprised by how much it hurt. It doesn't
help that I can only take Tylenol because Advil can make you bleed more. Thankfully it's
getting a little better each day and I'm sure I'll be feeling better in no time.
What's most important is the skin cancer is gone!! Yay!!
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