POSTED UNDER Mohs Surgery REVIEWS
37 Y.o. BCC on Side of Nose/inner Corner of Eye - Westfield, NJ
ORIGINAL POST
I had my BCC biopsied 4 years ago. The story...
astrozombie6678August 28, 2015
WORTH IT
I had my BCC biopsied 4 years ago. The story behind my initial Moh's appointment is too long to get in to. I foolishly procrastinated out of fear of the surgery & because it's a benign skin cancer. I have psoriatic arthritis & in order to begin the more aggressive drugs, I was told the BCC had to go. My surgeon was fantastic, he got it all in 2 passes & took the skin for the graft from in front of my ear because I get psoriasis behind my ear. I was very anxious & had an anxiety attack when he was prepping to graft & close up, and he was very comforting & understanding. I'm a week post-op & am packing it with neosporin daily & keeping it covered. It looked very small on the surface but what it had grown to underneath while I procrastinated was very eye-opening to me. The size of the wound is a little smaller than the diameter of a nickel. I understand now why this had to go. It looks gross right now but it's healing. It's a little itchy, I've gotten sudden tiny stinging sensations a few times & am pleased because that tells me everything is healing & the nerves are in good shape. In terms of fear & anxiety, this was a pretty bad experience for me, but if throughout my life it's the worst, then I'm very fortunate.
astrozombie6678's provider
Replies (6)
September 2, 2015
Yes, the itching and the strange sensations are a good thing! So glad this is going well for you. Take care.
June 9, 2017
I'm glad to read your story - I have BCC also, in almost the exact same spot. Had it for about six years, thought it was nothing until a routine check turned up otherwise. I'm having Moh's surgery in about a week. Am confident that, no matter what the Dr. finds and what is required in terms of skin grafts, etc. I will be fine! It's encouraging to see the final results. And, as you said, if this is the worst thing I ever have to go through then I'm going to keep counting my many blessings!
UPDATED FROM astrozombie6678
12 days post
37 y.o. BCC on side of nose/inner corner of eye
astrozombie6678September 1, 2015
Replies (3)
September 2, 2015
It looks much better! How does it feel?
September 2, 2015
It feels alright. When the surgeon was removing the stitches, the pinching & pulling was pretty awful. It felt irritated for a bit afterwards, but overall it's not bad.
June 29, 2016
I'm 54 and had MOHS in same area inside corner. Dr used a zig zag or Z shape , no skin graph; now I have a lump there . It's scar tissue build up I guess. Hope it can be dealt with.? Did you have that afterward?
UPDATED FROM astrozombie6678
21 days post
So far, so good!
astrozombie6678September 10, 2015
Today is 3 weeks post-op & things are looking good! Still keeping the wound wet. I had a small outbreak of psoriasis around my nose, which sometimes happens with skin trauma when you have PsA. My left eye was super itchy (think conjunctivitis-itchy) for a few days as well. Can barely see where the graft was taken from in front of my ear at this point. I can get it wet in the shower now, I can't let soaps get in it, but I gently blot it with wet gauze after showering & applying new goop. I'm using Aquaphor now & can leave it uncovered. Still don't have a lot of feeling when applying ointment with a q-tip, but that will probably take a few more months.
Thank you for posting! I'm curious, what effect would the more aggressive meds have had on the BCC if you hadn't had it removed? Would it have gotten bigger?