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...
I've been helped by reading so many of the questions and answers as well as other experiences here. I read a thread where several people commented that they wished people would give their entire experience so I'm attempting to do that.
PRE-DIAGNOSIS
I had what I initially thought was a bug bite on the top edge of my left ear. While at a GP doctor visit I asked him to check it out. My GP said, it could be cancer but it sure does look like a bug bite. I told him it seemed to be responding to antibiotic ointment. He was surprised by that but prescribed a stronger than OTC ointment to me and said to let him know if it didn't clear up after a few weeks.
The itching never really seemed to go away but the scabbing did for a while. I sent a note to my doctor requesting a recommended dermatologist and then promptly forgot about it for a couple of months - DON"T DO THAT!
Eventually the scabbing came back and then stayed rather that doing the coming and going that it had before and I knew I'd better get in to get it checked out.
DIAGNOSIS
I contacted my GP again and then when I didn't hear back looked up a dermatologist and made an appointment. I saw one of their Physician's Assistants so I could get in ASAP as they were booked out several months. The physician's assistant was very professional, explained that she'd be taking a biopsy from the spot on my ear as well as any other suspicious looking spots. After numbing the ear and one suspicious looking spot on my face she took samples from both locations then patched me up and explained wound care.
A little less than a week later I received a phone call from the dermatologist office: "Mr. Townsend, the biopsy from your face is fine, it was just a freckle. The biopsy from your ear indicates you have basal and squamous cell cancer on your ear. We want to refer you to Cary Skin Center for the Mohs procedure that they specialize in. You will need to call them to make an appointment after we fax them your diagnosis. Do you have any questions for me?"
In my mind I'm thinking, do I have any %&#@ing questions, I want to have some but I don't know what to ask right this minute - CANCER - Oh #&#* no! So I told her, no, I need to process this and do a little research first as I don't even know where to begin to ask any questions.
I did a bunch of online research AND looked at pictures. I'd recommend NOT looking at pictures. Good night, the pictures will frighten you!
I'll post: treatment, 1 week post-op, etc soon.
PRE-DIAGNOSIS
I had what I initially thought was a bug bite on the top edge of my left ear. While at a GP doctor visit I asked him to check it out. My GP said, it could be cancer but it sure does look like a bug bite. I told him it seemed to be responding to antibiotic ointment. He was surprised by that but prescribed a stronger than OTC ointment to me and said to let him know if it didn't clear up after a few weeks.
The itching never really seemed to go away but the scabbing did for a while. I sent a note to my doctor requesting a recommended dermatologist and then promptly forgot about it for a couple of months - DON"T DO THAT!
Eventually the scabbing came back and then stayed rather that doing the coming and going that it had before and I knew I'd better get in to get it checked out.
DIAGNOSIS
I contacted my GP again and then when I didn't hear back looked up a dermatologist and made an appointment. I saw one of their Physician's Assistants so I could get in ASAP as they were booked out several months. The physician's assistant was very professional, explained that she'd be taking a biopsy from the spot on my ear as well as any other suspicious looking spots. After numbing the ear and one suspicious looking spot on my face she took samples from both locations then patched me up and explained wound care.
A little less than a week later I received a phone call from the dermatologist office: "Mr. Townsend, the biopsy from your face is fine, it was just a freckle. The biopsy from your ear indicates you have basal and squamous cell cancer on your ear. We want to refer you to Cary Skin Center for the Mohs procedure that they specialize in. You will need to call them to make an appointment after we fax them your diagnosis. Do you have any questions for me?"
In my mind I'm thinking, do I have any %&#@ing questions, I want to have some but I don't know what to ask right this minute - CANCER - Oh #&#* no! So I told her, no, I need to process this and do a little research first as I don't even know where to begin to ask any questions.
I did a bunch of online research AND looked at pictures. I'd recommend NOT looking at pictures. Good night, the pictures will frighten you!
I'll post: treatment, 1 week post-op, etc soon.
Mohs Surgery - really? Is that Moe like the three stooges? Nope, it is a technique where a specially trained surgeon takes the least amount of tissue possible, in theory, and then examines it under a microscope to guide any remaining excision attempts to minimize, as much as possible, damage to healthy tissue. There are other treatment methods but after some research everything I read indicated that Mohs Surgery is the best option with the least likely possibility of recurrence.
My Dr., Dr. Flynn at the Cary Skin Center in Cary NC did a great job. He and his staff explained everything as they went and it matched everything I had read on-line.
Everything seemed to go quite smoothly and I really didn't feel any pain. I wasn't even really nervous during the procedure until he came back in for a third excision. I was more nervous because I was thinking that there really isn't much skin to take from an ear and I questioned in my mind if this meant taking some of the cartilage. Thankfully it did not mean taking cartilage. It did mean that I had enough skin and flesh removed, what little there is on an ear that it would require a full thickness skin graft.
For me the worst part was being sewn up. They stitch on a bandage to hold the graft in place and since it was on my ear I could hear the stitches being pulled through my ear - that was a little stomach turning for me. All said and done I was there for a little over three hours and left in good spirits.
Will post more soon.
By the time we got home I was tired. I guess I had some nerves about it after all. After the local antithetic wore off I was definitely in pain. I would rate it a constant 3 out of 10. Tylenol definitely curbed it enough to get by but it was there for about five days and then was only painful if the area was disturbed. Personally, I was surprised at how tired I was for the next couple of days.
SIX DAYS
At six days I went in and had my bolstered on dressing removed. The slightest touch to the area was very painful.
ELEVEN DAYS
At eleven days, which was yesterday for me, I went in to have my stitches removed. By this time the area was still painful to the touch but no where near as painful as it was at day six. My stitches were removed - hooray. Part of the graft does not appear to be taking - boo! In my case that just means that if it does not take, it won't look as good as it could have. I had read that grafts frequently fail and often require a redo when they do fail. That would not be fun so I'm thankful that most of it has taken well enough to not need a redo.
My next checkup is in two weeks.
I had my three week checkup and things have finally turned the corner for the better on my ear - hooray and praise the Lord! It certainly looks like I had a chunk taken out. My pastor and personal friend called me the anti-spock.
The ear definitely isn't going to look anywhere near the same but I'm thankful that it is healing well. The donor site was over healing. At first I thought that was a good thing then come to find out it means the dermis layer is continuing to grow and prevents the epidermis layer, the final outer layer of skin, from growing. The PA treated it with silver nitrate and told me to use a dry bandage for four days and then return to the moist bandage. Hopefully this kick starts the donor site to heal correctly.
My next checkup is in three more weeks.