Basil Cell Carcinoma

Nowadays everyone knows about the sun's ability to cause skin cancer, especially among fair complexion  people like me.  So I visit my dermatologist at least once a year, and immediately if I see something that may be a problem.  I sure don't want skin cancer to be the thing that kills me.

Needless to say, I've had some problems over the years and fortunately for me the were easy to treat, some because I caught them early.

This latest incident was not that unusual but turned out to be a basil cell carcinoma.  As bad as that sounds it is the best kind of skin cancer to have if treated timely.  It is localized, so there is very little chance of it spreading.  But left untreated it can cause some damage to the skin and surrounding area.

During a routine visit to my primary care physician my wife asked him to take a look at a bump on the side of my nose.  It had been there for years and seen by at least two dermatologists.  But it had recently started to grow larger, looking more like a wart than anything.

So the doctor took a look and suggested we schedule a visit to my dermatologist because it looks like a basil cell carcinoma.

Needless to say, we drove straight to the dermatologist's office and made an appointment for the next day.  We're glad we did because the resulting biopsy tested positive for cancer.  An appointment was made with a specialist.  She explained what she would be doing to remove the BSC and a date was scheduled for the surgery two weeks later.

The surgery was yesterday.  And it was actually more boring than painful.  The doctor first cut out a sizable piece of the bump and took it to her lab to see if she managed to get all of the cancer.  It took a while to get the results.  When she returned an hour later she said there were some signs that she didn't get it all and would have to cut deeper.  This is what I looked like while I waited.

She returned and cut again.  And this time it was successful.  I was cancer free - a good feeling.

Here are some more photos to show what I looked like on the table and on the way home.  Yes I drove.

By the time we arrived home the pain started to get worse so I took a Tylenol and went to bed.

The bandage came loose during the night and would not re-stick.  So I left it off and followed their instructions to clean around the area with a Q-tip and hydrogen peroxide, then apply a lite layer of Vaseline. 

I return next week to have the stitches removed, but that's pretty much it.  Meanwhile, I will clean it with the Q-tip and hydrogen peroxide and cover it with a small bandage.  I'm not to do any heavy lifting or strenuous workout for a couple of days.  That's pretty easy to live with in order to be cancer free again.

See your dermatologist...

Update;  I returned today (2-6-18) to get the stitches out.  It looks good and I can return to normal.