Community Chat

[sophiamarie]

I'm baaaaaack.....

So, they took off my bandage and he told the nurse to remove all the stitches and then to call him back in the room. She removed the stitches - snip and tug, snip and tug... No pain at all... Then he came back in and put the overhead bright light all the way down to my face and looked closely, pushing gently, squeezing gently, asking for gauze and peroxide and he cleaned all around my stitchless nose. Then he pulled up some skin and snipped it off. Again, no pain at all..... He also removed the stitches from the donor site at my collarbone. They are very precise and work very fast. Everything is right there in front of them.

He said everything looked good and to keep dressing it with the Bactroban and strips of adhesive for another week. Come back in a month. Voila - that was it..... Not a bad experience at all... I was expecting a lot worse... I am a pessimist.

There was a lady in the waiting room (new patient) from Colombia. She was very nervous, wearing a strip of tape on the bridge of her nose and on the side of her nostril. She was beautiful and had the nicest whitest skin. She looked at my bandages and started talking to me. She is 50 y/o and had her biopsy done in Colombia. She said she screamed in pain - and that was just the biopsy.... No wonder she was apprehensive.

She said she shopped around and didn't like any of the doctors she saw until someone recommended this group.... I reassured her that she wouldn't feel anything. As I was leaving, she was being called in. I know she'll be happy after they are finished with her. She knows they will most likely have to take skin from another site because that's what she was told......

I am one of those who used baby oil and iodine. I have real olive skin, so you can imagine how tan I was after lying in the sun day after day for about 30 years. Living in Florida didn't help the skin back then either - but who knew?????

Anyway, I'm glad it's over and it only took 3 weeks. Just a little tape on my nose. I'm sorry if I made it sound so complicated but not everyone has to have to go back in 4-5 times either. Some people get done after just one or two "passes".

There's nothing to be afraid of... Get it done and keep us informed. Better to be safe than sorry.

RCG: You are going to a Mohs doctor, right???? The only problem I had (and you'll have it too) was that I couldn't wipe my nose. I just had to blot, blot, blot.... Not pleasant.... At least I didn't sneeze or cough.... Sometimes, when I laughed, I could feel some tugging, but I guess it didn't hurt, 'cause everything turned out okay.... I am so glad this is done with....

[sophiamarie]

On 5/28/2014 JESSA said:

Sophiamarie...I also had the Mohs procedure around 8 years ago and it was successful...I wish you the best.

JESSA: I just saw your post... Thanks for the good wishes. Eerything worked out well with no complications. This is the only way to go. It was done in one visit 3 weeks ago, with the final visit today to remove stitches and clean up the site. Another follow-up in a month.....

My husband snuck in a few pictures too, so we have documentation from beginning to end....

[RainCityGirl]

On 5/28/2014 sophiamarie said:

RCG: You are going to a Mohs doctor, right???? The only problem I had (and you'll have it too) was that I couldn't wipe my nose. I just had to blot, blot, blot.... Not pleasant.... At least I didn't sneeze or cough.... Sometimes, when I laughed, I could feel some tugging, but I guess it didn't hurt, 'cause everything turned out okay.... I am so glad this is done with....

Yes, I am going to a Mohs surgeon. However, mine is on my temple and just under my nostrils on my upper lip area. They are starting with the most difficult one first: the squamous cell spot on my temple. That one looks red and inflamed. I hope it hasn't spread way out on my face since I only discovered it a couple months ago.

[Jessa9]

On 5/28/2014 sophiamarie said:

On 5/28/2014 JESSA said:

Sophiamarie...I also had the Mohs procedure around 8 years ago and it was successful...I wish you the best.

JESSA: I just saw your post... Thanks for the good wishes. Eerything worked out well with no complications. This is the only way to go. It was done in one visit 3 weeks ago, with the final visit today to remove stitches and clean up the site. Another follow-up in a month.....

My husband snuck in a few pictures too, so we have documentation from beginning to end....

Great to hear that sophiamarie...continued good health to you.

[sophiamarie]

On 5/28/2014 RainCityGirl said:On 5/28/2014

Yes, I am going to a Mohs surgeon. However, mine is on my temple and just under my nostrils on my upper lip area. They are starting with the most difficult one first: the squamous cell spot on my temple. That one looks red and inflamed. I hope it hasn't spread way out on my face since I only discovered it a couple months ago.

Hi: Good that you are going to a Mohs surgeon. They don't fool around and know exactly what they are doing. I think you'll do just fine since it's only a couple of months.

Please keep us informed. If this thread gets closed, start a new one. Good luck and try to stay positive. Above all, don't listen to any horror stories. I may get very "wordy" and some may think I had a complicated procedure, but it was kind of like a walk in the park compared to some stories I have heard. It was all done in one day. At least you'll know one of yours will be finished in a day and maybe even both. My friend in Atlanta had two done in the same day (last year).... I'm still waiting to hear from her today, since her appt. was for 10 am this morning. I've been home since 3:15 and no word yet.

Again, good luck and don't worry.

[RainCityGirl]

On 5/28/2014 sophiamarie said:

On 5/28/2014 RainCityGirl said:On 5/28/2014

Yes, I am going to a Mohs surgeon. However, mine is on my temple and just under my nostrils on my upper lip area. They are starting with the most difficult one first: the squamous cell spot on my temple. That one looks red and inflamed. I hope it hasn't spread way out on my face since I only discovered it a couple months ago.

Hi: Good that you are going to a Mohs surgeon. They don't fool around and know exactly what they are doing. I think you'll do just fine since it's only a couple of months.

Please keep us informed. If this thread gets closed, start a new one. Good luck and try to stay positive. Above all, don't listen to any horror stories. I may get very "wordy" and some may think I had a complicated procedure, but it was kind of like a walk in the park compared to some stories I have heard. It was all done in one day. At least you'll know one of yours will be finished in a day and maybe even both. My friend in Atlanta had two done in the same day (last year).... I'm still waiting to hear from her today, since her appt. was for 10 am this morning. I've been home since 3:15 and no word yet.

Again, good luck and don't worry.

Thanks for your encouragement and response. How sweet of you. Best of luck to you too. Hope this is the last of the skin problems for you.

[birddrops]

Oh my gosh! I thought this thread had a typo and it was about some kind of rose. I can't believe what you have been through! And you have such a great attitude. I recently had three precancerous lesions ""burned"" off my nose and face.

I will have to read more about this Mohs procedure. Good luck to you and I hope this will be the end of your dermatology problems.