Skin Cancer Support Group
If you or a loved one has skin cancer, this is the community to discuss your experience, find support, and meet others going through the same. Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin, which can have many causes, including repeated severe sunburns or long-term exposure to the sun. Skin cancer generally develops in the outermost layer of skin so a tumor is usually...
So, for the ones out there in this group, I've been thru quite an ordeal with a huge BCC on my nose and reconstructive surgery that left me disfigured.
After I had the surgery, my flap (I had a cheek flap surgery, where they take the skin and tissue from your cheek and pull it over to your nose to cover the hole) turned "necrotic." Lovely term! that meant my nose was not getting enough blood and there was the chance the whole flap would "die."
So, I got hyperbaric oxygen therapy--which is you go into a star trek -like chamber for 2 hrs a day for 5 days a week for a month, (which also by the way, my insurance didn't cover all of it so i have about $2K in medical bills). so oxygen can pumped into your system and create new blood vessels and heal the flap. It worked thank god!
BUT, increased oxygen also gives increased oxygen to tumors. So I noticed ater my therapy a nice red bump on my forehead that just, literally, popped out practically overnight. .
I had it bioposied last week, and it's BCC again. The derm said, over th phone, you need to go to Moh's, I'll put you thru to appointments. I hung up. (An immature thing to do, I know, but I freaked. ) I did call back, but have not been able to get in touch with my derm to tell them that THERE's NO WAY I CAN DO MOHS again.
I just want the derm to cut a chunk out and be on my way. I hope they agree to this--after all, not everyone goes to Moh's right?
My thinking is, I go get it cut out, and if it comes back, I get it cut out again in a few years. Otherwise, i go to Moh's and I'm petrified they will say, haven't gotten it yet, come back, come back, come back, and I'll just have to walk out when I decide it can heal on it's own. (Although i realize it may not be that big, but damn, who knows?)
At his point, I can't go thru life getting huge pieces of my face cut off (this is my 6th BCC). What I can live with, is getting little pieces cut out. (This is what I would have chosen in the first place, had I been given the option--OK BCC might disfigure you, but we're defintely going to disfigure you thru Mohs and plastic surgery, just so the BCC might not disfigure you.)
Am I going thru a totally f*cked experience or what? I can' tell how abnormal this is, but it seems just too much.
Long story, I know. But, I think this is crazy!
After I had the surgery, my flap (I had a cheek flap surgery, where they take the skin and tissue from your cheek and pull it over to your nose to cover the hole) turned "necrotic." Lovely term! that meant my nose was not getting enough blood and there was the chance the whole flap would "die."
So, I got hyperbaric oxygen therapy--which is you go into a star trek -like chamber for 2 hrs a day for 5 days a week for a month, (which also by the way, my insurance didn't cover all of it so i have about $2K in medical bills). so oxygen can pumped into your system and create new blood vessels and heal the flap. It worked thank god!
BUT, increased oxygen also gives increased oxygen to tumors. So I noticed ater my therapy a nice red bump on my forehead that just, literally, popped out practically overnight. .
I had it bioposied last week, and it's BCC again. The derm said, over th phone, you need to go to Moh's, I'll put you thru to appointments. I hung up. (An immature thing to do, I know, but I freaked. ) I did call back, but have not been able to get in touch with my derm to tell them that THERE's NO WAY I CAN DO MOHS again.
I just want the derm to cut a chunk out and be on my way. I hope they agree to this--after all, not everyone goes to Moh's right?
My thinking is, I go get it cut out, and if it comes back, I get it cut out again in a few years. Otherwise, i go to Moh's and I'm petrified they will say, haven't gotten it yet, come back, come back, come back, and I'll just have to walk out when I decide it can heal on it's own. (Although i realize it may not be that big, but damn, who knows?)
At his point, I can't go thru life getting huge pieces of my face cut off (this is my 6th BCC). What I can live with, is getting little pieces cut out. (This is what I would have chosen in the first place, had I been given the option--OK BCC might disfigure you, but we're defintely going to disfigure you thru Mohs and plastic surgery, just so the BCC might not disfigure you.)
Am I going thru a totally f*cked experience or what? I can' tell how abnormal this is, but it seems just too much.
Long story, I know. But, I think this is crazy!
I just read an article about skin cancer and ear cancer in the M.D.Anderson Cancer Center,that points to its importance of an earlier diagnosis.
I hope all is well with you, if I need a lot of tissue removed I would go to MDACC for advise and or treatments.Please tells us how your are doing.
And then I got melanoma... Not in the same spot. Even an early melanoma can possibly be cured with Aldara, mine was too big. So my face is horribly cut up anyhow... Hopefully it will get better.