I'm soooooooooooo scared

[sudo59]

Hi,

I went to the Dr. last week to have an annoying bump on my nose removed, did not look like any cancer spots I have ever seen in print before. The Dr. said he was not too concerned with it either, anyway, went back to have the 3 stitches removed yesterday and he told me the path report came back as "basal cell carcinoma". Now, yes, he did try to reassure me that it is not that serious I am just freaking out...

He is a Plastic Surgeon and has scheduled for me to go in to have more removed as the margins were not clear.

I have a lot of questions, hopefully you can answer a few and put my freaked out mind to ease.

1. Does this mean I am more likely to get melanoma some day?
2. Has anyone ever died from basal cell carcinoma?
3. Am I going to left with a huge gaping hole on my nose?
4. Should I stick with the Plastic Surgeon or switch to a Dermo?
5. Has anyone ever heard of treating it topically with a cream? A family member who happens to be a Dermo, (but lives in another state) offered to look at it and try treating it topically first.

6. Mainly, can someone just help me chill a bit???

Thanks in advance for any support/comfort/advice you may have.

[Seraph]

Originally Posted by sudo59

Hi,
1. Does this mean I am more likely to get melanoma some day?
2. Has anyone ever died from basal cell carcinoma?
3. Am I going to left with a huge gaping hole on my nose?
4. Should I stick with the Plastic Surgeon or switch to a Dermo?
5. Has anyone ever heard of treating it topically with a cream? A family member who happens to be a Dermo, (but lives in another state) offered to look at it and try treating it topically first.

6. Mainly, can someone just help me chill a bit???

Thanks in advance for any support/comfort/advice you may have.

Don't be too worried, the answers to your questions are:
1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No, a plastic surgeon is a good choice, especially if you need a skin graft or other repair
5. I have heard of creams, like those containing aloe vera, that have been of benefit, especially as a preventative measure for sunspots, etc.
6. I have had three BCCs removed from various parts of me, including my nose. Keep alert and get them while they are small and they are just more of a nuisance than anything else.
Good luck, Sera

[mahnee]

Relax - Seraph pretty much covered everything very well. I don't have much info on BCC but there is a lot of info out there on it.

[sudo59]

Hi All,

Thanks so much for responding.

Dianne, I'm not done with it yet. When I went to the Plastic Surgeon to have the bump removed he didn't originally think it was anything to worry about. It was when I went back, this past Thursday, to have the stitches removed that he told me it turned out to be BCC. He has scheduled me for April 10 to go in have more of it removed, it, may be Mohs he is planning on doing. I'm not sure, I didn't ask because I obviously had never dealt with this before. He said what he was going to do is scrape more skin, send it to the lab while I waited and scrape more if neccessary, etc. Does this sound like Mohs??

I talked to a Dermo who happens to be a relative and she suggested going the topical cream route first, as to prevent scarring. But from everything I've read so far I wonder if I should just stick with Mohs, and whether or not to have a Dermo or a Plastic Surgeon treat me?

I'm just still so scared, even though everything I have read is encouraging. I guess one of my biggest fears is that after this is over and I go to a dermo to have all my moles checked, which I have never done before, that they are going to find more, and possibly the Melanoma type. Do any of you fear that? I hate feeling this way cuz normally I am a very confident woman and this has just shattered me....

I also feel embarrassed by it all, I know that might sound strange, but I feel like friends and family, well, maybe not family, are all going to be saying behind my back, "see, she always had a gorgeous tan and now she is paying for it"...

I don't know how to get that confident feeling back.

I hope in a month I feel like you do Dianne, and the worst will be over. I am afraid of what it will look like while it's being treated as well. Am I go to be able to work or what?

Thanks again so much for your responses, I cling to them and re-read them often along with everything else on this board.

[sudo59]

Thanks again Dianne for your quick response. Please keep posting on how you are doing and I will do the same.

I feel better when I am on the web learning more about it.

Time to go make dinner...