So I went to see the dermatologist. It was probably within a two (2) week period. We are now in January 2009. The dermatologist does a full exam and finds a suspicious mole on my lower left shoulder-blade. She determined the "lesion" on my forehead was a potential basal cell carcinoma but because of its location, she wanted me to see a plastic surgeon. She said he could also remove the mole on my back and biopsy both.
I went to a plastic surgeon and he was totally gross. When a doctor, a plastic surgeon, comes into the exam room with a fake bake tan and his shirt almost all unbuttoned, something is VERY strange. I couldn't get out of there fast enough! No Way was he operating on me! I think he specialized in fake boobs. Not trusting my skin cancer to this quack! So, I call my primary care doctor and get referred to another dermatologist.
Geeze, this is all happening within a months time, pretty much. I visit my new dermatologist and he says
"Yes, that is a basal cell on your forehead." There were a couple of ways we could have removed it, I opted for the lesser of all evils. We scheduled an appointment for "in-office" surgery. I was getting the Two-for-One deal! Yea Me! NOT!
Surgery Day, February 2009: The area around the lesion on my forehead was "numbed" with several needles around the area. OUCH! Yes, these hurt. Then he proceeded to "scrape" almost a "shaving" of the basal cell (BC). Umm yes, this is gross and YES, I can feel. After "scraping" the area, he than cauterised it. Yes, burned the area that was just "scrape" out. No stitches on my forehead. This was to heal on its own as an open wound. Yuk! If you remember, I said the lesion was the size of an eraser tip. The HOLE I now had was about the size of a quarter and disgusting looking! The first few times I changed my bandages, I cried. It was so hideous! A HOLE in my forehead! I have to laugh now as I call it my "third eye". J What else are you going to do but cry? So I have to make fun of it and show it off!
Next, he flipped me over and was going to extract the suspicious mole on my back. Again, out the "numbing" needles! Geeze, he stuck me several times around this mole, which to me was smaller than an eraser tip. These needles went deep into my back. Yes! They hurt! After that, he cut and cut and cut. I made a mistake and turned my head towards him at the wrong moment and saw, what to me looked like a raw chicken tender strip! OMFG! That's me!! He took a huge long strip out of my damn back! And YES, it hurts!! OMFG again! I think I'm going to pass out! ;) So he begins to stitch me up. I'm 40 years old and I've never had stitches in my life! I feel him tugging as he is stitching! This is grossing me out! "Hurry the hell up and get done!!!"
So, both procedures are finished and he tells me to come back in a week to have the stitches removed. I get home, I hurt, I'm scared, BIOPSIES, again, I'm scared, hurting, ugh! I take off a couple of days from work. Now, the mole on my back, to me, was little. I end up with this. OMG! Yuk! OMG!
Thank goodness for my husband. He cleaned it and dressed it for me. I manage to slap a big bandage on it before work in the morning. The location, for you women, is right under my bra strap. So it was pretty difficult to bandage and clean myself.
A few days go by and I notice a small mole at the end of my incision on my back. Really now! WTF!?!?! When I go back to have my stitches removed, I show it to my dermatologist. He says " Well, we better have that removed as well, due to its close proximity to the other." WTF? Why didn't you remove it the first time? Like you didn't see it! Oh F***!! More stitches!! UGH!!!
I'm hating the day I ever met any dermatologist!! So by the time I go in for my next mole removal, the biopsy results are back on the previous one and the lesion on my forehead.
Diagnosis: The lesion on my forehead was a basal cell carcinoma. CANCER! Me! CANCER! The mole on my lower shoulder-blade came back as moderate atypical nevis. Which means, in so many words, it was half way to becoming a MELANOMA mole!! OMFG! If this was never caught, I could be dying from MELANOMA right now! All I can keep saying is OMG OMFG OMG!!
The next mole is removed and it came back benign. Just added a few more inches to the previous 3.5" of stitches I had. Yuk. My forehead has healed up pretty good. It was gross seeing how the new skin cells grew and actually filled in the hole. Gross huh? Yes, it was.
So now, I visit the dermatologist ever six months. This past winter, I started a preventative treatment. Chemotherapy in the form of a cream (Carac Cream) was to be used on my forehead and on my chest, where yet a new basal cell carcinoma (BC) was found. Four weeks ago, I started yet another treatment (cream form) called Zyclara. This is also being used on my forehead and chest. It removes any existing cancers and brings to the surface, any other potential cancers or actinic keratosis.
Ok, so my battle with skin cancer only started a few years ago but going forth will be a daily battle. I try to spread the word of Skin Cancer Awareness and Prevention as much as possible. Sorry if the blogs bore you but I feel it is very important to get the word out. It's just not "fair-skinned" people who are affected. The best example I can give, and may he rest in peace, is Bob Marley who died from Melanoma.
God bless all the survivors and those who are battling skin cancer! May we all continue to spread the word as well as COVER UP with sunblock every day for the rest of our lives. Please help me spread the word!
Please check out the menu tab, Skin Cancer, at the top of my blog for more posts regarding my treatments. Thanks in advance!
