Hi Merely Me,
This might seem really weird, but I work for a dermatologist that performs the Mohs surgery. It is very enlightening to hear the story from the side of the patient. I also had no idea that it took so long for that surgery to heal, but I do know that it is the best option to treat skin cancer with a minimal scar. Also, a good doctor will recommend a plastic surgeon if he/she feels it is beyond their capability to close a certain site.
Kaliroar
Yes..I have been combing the internet for a few days trying to ease my greatest fears..only to no avail, I'm still freaked out. I know that it's possilbe to have a very good outcome from the surgery, and I'm only hoping for the best. I had 2 bioipsys .I have a basil cell carcinoma right to the left of the corner of my eye, about 1/2 an inch over.
I am still healing from the biopsys, the one on my eye area was about a 1/2 long incision with 4 stiches. Fortunately the biopsy on my eyebrow area came back ok, another 3 stiches in that one. I am scheduled for Mohs surgery in March.
I am 56, light complected, with very good skin , very few wrinkles, and always have been very youthful looking for my actual age, I have always taken very good care of my sensitive skin.I am taking this whole thing very hard. My father had skin cancer in the same area as mine and had several basil cells removed in his fifties. It's difficult for me to imagine a nasty scar down the side of my face. I'm afraid i may look lop-sided in the eye area. I know I have no choice..it's gotta be removed!
My dermtologist is a good one and trained in Mohs surgery, but Im still thinking maybe I should see a plastic surgeon. I tried to get a consultation with a surgeon here in town recomended by MD, however they charge 250.00 just for a consultation, and seeing how I'm unemployed at the moment and have no medical insurance, Im not sure that will be an option.( oddly enough, if I wanted a consult for elective cosmetic surgery...the cost is nothing..go figure!)
Im sure I will get through this whole thing, but it's not easy. Thanks to all of you out there who posted your experiences on line ..it does help. Im hoping my doctor will get the whole lesion and I will have no reoccurances. This Scottish-Irish skin of mine will not be the death of me!! I just wish I didn't have to worry about it for a whole month, I do believe the anticipation is the worst!
Sincerely,
Scottish Wench
Hi there
I am so sorry you have to go through this. It must be so hard. I am glad that you have come to our site and that you are talking about your experience with us. Would it be possible for you to write a sharepost in the months to come just to...talk about recovery and the healing process? I am sure many of our members will want to hear the outcome of your journey.
That is really something about insurance not covering the plastic surgeon consult. It makes you wonder how they determine such things.
I am hoping that you heal well and don't have much of a scar.
Please let us know what happens. We are here for you!
I am due for a biopsy in 2 weeks and possible mohs... I am also scared as you dont have any idea what the scarring etc will be like afterwards. I am a little older than you, have similar colouring and have always lived by the sea. My bcc is on the side of my nose, I did wonder about a cosmetic surgeon??
Well Folks , I had my surgery and am now into recovery 3 months. The process was not much more scary than the biopsy.. once you get past the needles to the face and your all numb... you just knew they were taking alot more skin. Take my advice and take a couple valium an hour before surgery, it really takes the edge off.
My doctor is awesome and very thurough ..I had to go in twice, she found a little more cancer on the lower margin of the incision after the first slice and had to go a little deeper. The wound was left open for a week, then I returned to have her close me up, durring that time , I chose not to look at it. It was about the size of a quarter and looked as if someone had just scooped out a peice on my face,(my husband told me). My husband and daughter helped me clean it every day and apply antibiotic ointment without me having to look at it. My daughter told me I was making the right decision not to.....she said it was scary looking.
My doctor managed to keep it as far away from my eye as possible, and did a wonderful job of stiching me up and making the line blend with the natural contour of my face and eyelines. I had the stiches taken out a week later. Sure I was swollen and bruised for some time, remember it takes a while to heal.
Six weeks after surgery my doctor gave me Cortizone injections to the scar to help loosen it up and thin the skin a bit. That helped alot.
Three weeks ago she had me come in and she zapped it with a laser to help get rid of some of the redness, that part was not bad at all.
I admit ..I was really terrified in the beginning before surgery, as I know many people are. I have healed up nicely...sure I have a scar, but it's getting less and less noticable as time goes on , and there is no divet left in my face(which i was concerned about in the begginning).
Considering the size of the hole that was in my face...it's amazing how good it looks. Of course I notice it more than anyone else, but my friends all say it looks awesome! and that they hardly notice it unless I point it out. My bangs also camouflage a bit of it, and a dab of make up helps a bit too. I use a product called Kelo-cote on it that my doctor gave me, be sure and ask your Doctor for a sample or two.
I hope this account eases your mind a bit about the whole thing...believe me folks... i was a frickin basket case the weeks before surgery...and scared too death...Bloody Hell, I was worried. I survived,and am quite happy with the results, oh yes...and the cancer is all gone!!! Yeah!!!
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I recently saw the comments you speak of, for which Gemma has been doing updates and I thought what a great way to help inform others about what she has been through and is experiencing now. It has to help others who research this term, Mohs, before having it done themselves, and they can get a good idea of the process through her updates.
When I first started reading, I thought Mohs, was an acronym for some type of surgery, not the name of the man who invented it. I kept trying to think, what could that stand for? I never realized what was done to treat skin cancer.
We should be going through a lot of this with baby boomers, since few of us even knew what sunscreen was. There was sun tan lotion, so that you could get a nicer tan as you lay in the sun for many hours. Man, did we look good!
But.
I really enjoyed meeting the person who has been doing the updates and finding out more. I wish she would do shareposts too if she can on her future adventures. She writes well. Thanks, Gemma!
I am glad you liked the interview. Gemma did a fantastic job! It was really nice of her to share her story. I was confused by the name of this type of surgery too...it is such an odd name.
Let's hope that other members will also share their experiences with this surgery. It does help to know what other people have experienced.
Thanks so much for your comment!