Skin Cancer Support Group

Hi tequilarose,

Sorry to hear about your bcc diagnosis. I have never used Aldara. Please tell me more about how Aldara attacks the cancer cells. What did you see to let you know the area of attack was a lot larger than the area appeared on your face?

Being scared is natural, you just want things to be okay and back to normal. The first time I heard the word cancer, I think I was in a fog for about six months or more.

Know that we are here for you.

Hugs!
Debbie

I can understand how you feel. When I had BCC I didn't ask any questions either. I didn't know what to ask. I just trusted the doc. For me, MOHS wasn't painful, just uncomfortable. I had it on my nose and had reconstruction the same day with a local and valium. I wish you the best.

Welcome...and sorry you went through the ringer with treatment, etc. I know what you mean about the "C" word and associated freakouts -- I, too lost a sibling to cancer (my sister to bladder cancer) and my dad is a colon cancer surviver...so I think that the word itself resonates stronger when there are close family associations. And it's so hard to know what is the best treatment. I'm 44, too, and my BCC was right under my eye. A friend of my sister in law had a BCC in the same place, and is on Aldera, doing well. S-I-L was surprised that my doc went straight to Mohs and reconstruction. My tumor, too, turned out to be a lot larger than it looked on the surface, and I ended up with skin grafting to repair the defect. Surgeries were in early August. It's great to know the margins after Mohs were clear (they say there's up to a 99% cure rate w/Mohs and BCC...that's impressive data!). Now I'm coming to terms, as a relatively young woman, with this big honking graft and scar on my face...but I'm allowed to do some makeup now and, although I think I will always see the scars, many people do not, unless and until I choose to point it out.

So yeah, cancer diagnosis, facial surgery, reconstructive surgery, healing...I'm in that club. Would be more than happy to support you best that I can. And it's okay to be terrified...but know that when you are done with the surgery, your cancer will be GONE!!!

Thanks everyone for your replies as well as your support. I am so glad that I happened on this site because it has given me so much information and I am now more sure that I am making the right decision going ahead with the Mohs. Everything I have read treatment with Aldara has only a 65% - 75% cure rate; whereas MOHS has a 99% cure rate, so really is there a choice there, not for me. I want this completely gone. As for your ? about the Aldara Treatment, this is what I know - the Aldara creme seeks out live cancer cells and wherever it finds them that area will blister up; as in my case it abrupted in a much larger area then what the spot was on my face meaning that there was a whole more cancer there than what they could see on the surface. That is another reason why I am opting to go ahead with the Mohs. The Aldara almost was very painful, and I stayed nauseated thru out the treatment, everything tasted horrible as well and I felt exhausted all the time, the last week of my treatment I had to stay home 3 days because I felt so bad. So my opinion is - why do a treatment that is so damn painful and can only promise you 65-75% cure rate? I like my odds a whole better with Mohs 99%.

Hi,

Hope your surgery went well, Tequilarose!

I've just finished my second week of Aldara. My doc warned me that it may not completely get the cancer, but I have a very red skin and scar horribly, so I thought I'd try it. At this point, my nose is very red and the skin feels like leather. No open lesions, but it's ugly. Now I'm worried that it may leave a lasting scar as well - can anyone tell me if they've had scarring from Aldara?
Thanks,
Carol.

Carol, I was not able to have the Mohs done because the surgeon said the area on my face was still so inflamed and she did not think she could get a good look under the microscope and she feared that she would have to take more than what might be necessary. I go back on the 19th for her to look at it and then we will reschedule the surgery. As far as the scarring, I do still have redness in the area and there is also a bit of scarring, the surgeon said that the redness should go away in time but that it could be permanent discoloration from the Aldara. I personally will NEVER use the Aldara ever again, but that is just me, my experience was not a good one at all. Good luck to you and if you EVER need to talk, I am here for you.

Hi Carol, I have had the Mohs surgery and was given Aldara to try on a few other spots I had. It wasn't a picnic but I really have no horror story to tell. It was uncomfortable, the blisters do get pretty nasty and the teeny tiny spot I started with did spread quite a bit - on all 3 teeny tiny spots! I'm done with it for now and all I can say is I'm left with very fresh new skin. No scar, it's a little more pink than the rest, but nothing a little powder can't cover up. I have a couple spots directly under my lower lip to do yet and I've taken 3 weeks off work for that. Not looking forward to it, but can't wait for it to be done.

Thanks, TequilaRose and Caerts. Good luck to both of you. Caerts - what country do you live in, that they give you 3 weeks off to do Aldara? I want to live there! (I'm in the States..) I made an appt to talk to my doc tomorrow about discontinuing treatment after 3.5 weeks, but I think I'll stick with the course. I scar so badly (I have rosacia, and a white scar really stands out on a red skin, especially on the nose). I just get frantic in the middle of the night when I realize I've just scratched the infected area and then touched my face elsewhere. Don't want to get it in my eyes especially...

Hello, I am new to this site. I had mohs surgery on Oct 6,2009 and was not prepared for what took place. I left with a huge open wound and went back on the 13th for reconstruction. I was given 6 injections and went into cardiac arrest and they had to stop the procedure. I am wondering if anyone else had a reaction to the injections. I am fine it was an adverse reaction to the ativan and the linocaine and ephepherine. The surgeon was not prepared for this emergency and took awhile to get to the hospital. I now have to fly from San diego to PA to my own plastic surgeon for repair. Has anyone had the repair done a week or more after the original surgery. I have no idea how this will all turn out. I would appreciate any input.

Thanks and good luck

ashadem -- So sorry you've had such a rough course!! I do know that sometimes doctors will wait a bit for the reconstruction, based on where or how extensive the wound is. And you're right -- that wound post-Mohs looks HUGE. (I had a small BCC removed under my eye, and ended up with a 1 x 2 inch hole in my face...since repaired.)

As for the cardiac arrest, I wonder if the anesthetics may have made it into your circulatory system. I had a similar experience (no full arrest, thankfully, but definite cardiac issues) when my dentist "hit a vein" trying to numb me out for a filling. I was concerned about locals afterward, but have been able to have them w/out complications (then again, people can be allergic...so that's just my experience!!).

I'm about 2 1/2 months out from my reconstruction, wich was a full-thickness skin graft. It has healed well. Some days it feels huge and obvious, some days I hardly think of it...but I do know that I am happy to be rid of that cancer!

Hang in there and let us know how it goes...