We went back yesterday, two days after the surgery, for them to check on the wounds. I took a regular Tylenol right before going in, to help dull any sensations. The nurse removed my dressings and then carefully cut the stitches from the gauze. I asked her to go slow, and she did. She said it all looked very good. The doctor came in and took a look. He is a kind man, very caring, and made me feel comfortable. He said it all looked good. I looked in the mirror and saw that the stitches were already being absorbed. The patch itself looked white, but he said that was normal and that in a few days it should be pink.
They dressed both wounds again, the nose and the ear, and said to continue to do what I was doing. I go back on Tuesday again. Meanwhile, I can't wet my hair, and I am to change my ear bandage once a day. I am to put saline solution and Vaseline on it. Nothing to do with the nose, just leave it and let it heal.
A word about pain: when I got back from the surgery itself the first day, I took a Tylenol with codeine, to get ahead of any possible pain. This strategy has worked. I took one at night for the first few nights. I really have not felt any pain, not what I was expecting to feel. The nose itches and burns a little every once in a while, and so does the ear, but it's not intolerable. It feels as though I had scraped it, nothing more. The worse part was having them working on your face, but with the exception of the discomfort from the Lidocaine shot (first one only and even that was dulled by the cream I had applied before), there really isn't any severe pain.
I have some pictures that my husband took. It has been wonderful to have him there every step of the way and he took care of me so sweetly. Please let me know if you have any questions I can answer for you, and I'd love to hear about your experience as well. Please leave me a comment, I would love to know if you read this and what you thought.
Thank you for reading about my experience, and I hope I was able to help someone. For me, although I did not realize how serious this condition was until after I read up about it, Mohs is the way to go.
All the best to you.
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Thanks for writing your post. It is nice to hear some "good experiences" about MOHS. I have just been diagnosed with BCC on the side of my nose and I am scheduled for the MOHS surgery in a couple of weeks. I have researched and researched this on the internet and I find that the more I researched the more scared, frightened, anxious and sad I have become. Tears seem to come on a regular basis. I am not a vain person but when you have surgery on your face - you have concern about your looks. I would love to hear how the healing process is going. Best of luck with every thing! Kate culturalcare-lcc@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteHi Kate,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. I sympathize totally about searching the internet and getting scared, as I did the same thing. After a few days of wearing myself out with fear and sadness, I decided to give myself a break and take action, change my diet, exercise, give my body advantages so that it could heal better. It helped to do something positive. I was determined to go into this with a strong frame of mind. I think it helped.
As for the healing, I have followed instructions and took care of the wounds, and they seem to be healing nicely. I know it's too soon to really know what the nose wound will look like, so I am giving it time and with the doctor's okay, putting on a silicone scar treatment to help it along. It has come a long way. Right now it looks like a bump, but I cover it with tinted sunscreen when I go out and it becomes pretty invisible. I am hoping it will become smaller and smaller.
Let me know how your experience with Mohs goes. It's good that you are going in so soon. I had a to wait longer, so am glad for you.
Sending you positive energy and best wishes!
I cannot tell you how much this blog has put me at ease. I am a 25 year old who was just diagnosed with BCC yesterday, and to say I am freaking out is an understatement. I just happened to go to the derm about a few moles I had, and the one on my nose, the BCC, was the one the doctor said they were taking "just to be safe." Turns out I am very thankful they did! I go for a pre-op appt with a Mohs surgeon here in Tampa on March 3rd (so a few weeks away), and I am a hot mess between the stress of finding out you have cancer and all the horror stories you read online. Additionally, my mom has had 3 Mohs surgeries and this sounds terrible, but she has some pretty bad scars from them. I am so torn as to how to approach the whole situation, and all I really want is to talk with someone who has gone through it and looks the same. I know it is so vain and terrible to say, but it's my FACE! And I am in the twenties! Ah! SO SCARY. So please, if you wouldn't mind sharing pictures all the way through the process, I would much appreciate it. Hope your healing is going great and that you are BCC free!
ReplyDeleteNicki
nickimohr@gmail.com
Nicki,
ReplyDeleteI got your message and wrote back to you, but I'm not sure it got to you. If it's not there, send me your email and I'll resend my note to you.
Stay calm and think good thoughts. I am happy to talk to you at any time.
Hugs and positive energy to you.
Hi! I have been through Mohs surgery to my nose and will again in March.
ReplyDeleteIf it helps you can check out my story at:
stvincentsdarlinghurstmalenurses.blogspot.com/2009/01/skin-cancer-nose-no-boundaries.html
and
stvincentsdarlinghurstmalenurses.blogspot.com/2009/10/skin-cancer-nose-no-boundaries-part-ii.html
I was very, very happy with the results. Wishing you all the very best!
Take Care,
Peter McCartney
Thank you, Peter, for your message. Best wishes to you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing so much helpful advice and experience. All the fear and anxiety rings true for me as well as reading, reading, reading, and viewing photos online. I have this surgery scheduled on March 23 for the area above my upper lip on the right side and have many questions get answers to before then.
ReplyDeleteHi Laurene,
ReplyDeleteBest wishes on your surgery. I am hoping it will go quickly for you. If there is any way I can be of assistance, I am available to chat or email. You can write to me at coelacanth17@gmail.com.
All good wishes to you.
Hi, Thanks for posting your story. I just had Mohs surgery in two places. One on the side of my nose, and one right under my nose. I too, had scared myself to death by looking at pictures on the Internet. Overall the procedure was not that bad. They numbed the areas with ice before administering the shots, and it helped alot. They had to go in two times in both places. For my particular wounds, they said the best thing would be to let them heal on their own. It is a week later, and the healing seems to be going well. For those with surgery scheduled, my advice would be to stop reading scary stories on the Internet, and relax. Most likely it will not be as bad as you think.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Angela. That's good advice. I'm glad your experience was positive and that your healing is going well. The more we share about our experience, the better for others. So thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Camille, I am awaiting the results of a biopsy on my nose right now. Tough time. Can I ask you how long it was after the Mohs before you could return to work?
ReplyDeleteHi Ellen,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your biopsy and I hope it is nothing. Please let me know. As for my scar, I actually went on a trip a week later with just a small Bandaid on my nose. The scar itself looked a lot better a few weeks later, and I was able to go around without a Bandaid. It's amazing how rapidly it healed, especially after looking so big. It's been over a year now and it's really not noticeable.
I am sending you best wishes, and hang in there.
I just got diagnosed with Melanoma In Situ on my knee and have to have four more moles biopsied all over my body. I will be having the MOHS surgery as well and it was comforting reading your blog. My mom has had multiple MOHS surgeries and in some cases they turned out well and others did not, unfortunately. Thank you for sharing your story. It's calming to know I'm not the only one freaking out about the whole situation. :)
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading the blog and leaving a comment. I am glad it brought you some comfort. Please check back in and let me know how you are. I'm hoping for the best for you.
Hugs!
Hi Camille,Thank you for posting your story, it helps all of us to know what to expect and great questions to ask the surgeon/cosmetic surgeon.
ReplyDeleteMy 20 yr old daughter has just been diagnosed with a very rare form of BCC on her eyebrow and we meet with the Mohs surgeon on Tuesday.
Your story has helped out so many...thank you!
Hi Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment. I hope all goes well with your daughter. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know.
Sending you both best wishes and positive thoughts.
Hugs,
Camille
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I was diagnosed with BCC on my nose. I had MOHS surgery three days ago with a fantastic doctor that understood how scared I was about having my face disfigured with surgery, so he took his time with me and was extremely patient with me. His staff was excellent, also. He had to go in twice. He decided to wait and let it heal on its own instead of more surgery. The only thing is that I have to clean it and put antibiotic ointment on it and keep it covered with a bandage. I went back two days and saw the hole for the first time and was nervous that he was going to let it heal on its own. He said that in a few weeks if I don't like the way it healed I can get the plastic surgery. He has taken so many pictures before, during and after MOHS. Your experience has made me feel a lot better. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteHi A,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I'm so glad you had a patient and understanding surgeon. I hope your healing goes well and that you are satisfied with the results. It's good to hear about your experience. Please let me know how the healing goes.
All the best!
Camille
Peter are you out there? I have lost touch. Your blog is gone and you don't respond to your email. I miss you old friend. Can someone PLEASE tell me where he's gone?
ReplyDeleteI was diagnosed with BCC last Friday and had Mohs done today. They removed the tumor last Monday and went another layer today. They had to do a cheek flap to reconstruct my face and cover the wound. The surgeon was excellent and promised me the scar will be minimal. Overall the surgery went fine but the pain is so horrible tonight that I have been in tears. I had the spot on my nose for a few years and he said if I had not had it removed I would have eventually list my nose.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry you are in pain and hope you feel better soon. Did the doctor give you anything to help with the pain? Please let me know how you are doing. It's good that you took care of the problem, now focus on healing. All the best.
DeleteI hope that Some one who had MOHs will read this. I was told today that I have bcc. And will need MOHs. Omg, I looked at those photos and wanted to die. I have It also on my nostril. I am 68 years old and scared to death . Help please. Ilene Falley lizybird@aol.com Please thanks
ReplyDeleteWell somehow I got to read lots of articles on your blog. It’s amazing how interesting it is for me to visit you very often.
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