Saying Good-Bye to my pimple on my nose

Today I spent the morning at the Dothan (AL) Surgery Center to have what I thought was a tiny growth near the tip (and on the left side) of my nose removed by a facial surgeon; surgery, including Mohs surgery, in which skin is cut out and immediately looked at under a microscope to check for cancer. The process is repeated until the skin sample is free of cancer.

 I really thought it was a lot to do about nothing when the Dr. said he wanted me to go to the surgery center for the procedure.  Last Friday I had to get a lab test done at the Elba Hospital Lab to check my potassium and creatine and both were normal, and an EKG, since I have a heart problem called bradycardia.  Nothing has changed there so today I headed to Dothan at 7 A.M. to be there for my 8:15 A.M. appointment for surgery.

I had difficulty sleeping last night; kept waking up all during the night and became very anxious.  No wonder I woke up with Vertigo this morning!!  I stumbled around and got dressed and couldn't have anything to eat or drink.  I sneaked in about 1/2 cup black coffee to get going.

I got checked into the surgery center and just as we were getting seated in the waiting room, waiting for me to go to Pre-Op, in walks Dollie Moore, a friend since childhood who lives in Dothan.  We talked about our "procedures" and she was called in ahead of me for a check-up of her stomach.  She has celliac disease and was there for them to put a tube into her stomach via her mouth (ughhhh).  I decided I'd rather have a small bump removed from my nose.  

At 9:20 A.M. I went into pre-op to get ready for surgery.  Jim stayed with me until they were ready to put me to sleep - around 10 I think.  I kept thinking all of this preparation to take a small bump off my nose.  They put in an IV to use for antibiotics and anesthesia.   The nurse gave me some warm blankets and I almost fell asleep while waiting for the surgeon.  I never did see the Dr.  They put me to sleep before he came in and what seemed like a few minutes, I opened my eyes and asked what time it was, and the nurse said 11 A.M.  I asked when the Dr. was going to do my surgery, and they said he did it already!!  But they couldn't sew up the incision  until the pathology report came back.  The Dr. had to do two more procedures before he got it all and in the meantime I was awake, and they numbed the area to finish removing all of the cancer tissue.  I was getting pretty anxious by this time.   I was so happy when he said, this will be the permanent removal; we will have it all this time, and I could feel him cutting tissue deeper into and farther up on my nose.

Then he started pulling skin over the incision from the side of my face near my nose and he sewed and sewed.
After he finished with the stitches, the nurse applied a lot of small band aids over the stitches. The the bleeding began to come out along the edges of the bandages.  They couldn't remove them. Eight hours later and I  keep wiping my face to keep the area clean.  The numbness has gone now and thank goodness for good old pain killers.

I had to miss the Rotary Club Christmas dinner tonight but I couldn't eat anyway.  I can only chew on one side of my mouth, plus I'm not hungry.  Also I didn't want people to see my "wound".

I go back Dec 21 to have the stitches removed.  The next day is when we are to go to Clemson to attend Nerissa's graduation and Nursing ceremony at 8 A.M. and 11 A.M. on Dec 22nd.  I hope my face will be "cleaned up" by then.  If not, I'll just turn my face sideways when we have photos made.

I'm so thankful that Jim insisted that I follow through with this procedure.  I thought it was a lot to do about nothing - just a small bump on my nose.  A biopsy had already revealed that it was a basal cell carcinoma and you cannot tell how involved it is until you remove it.  Today I found out that it was not just a tiny bump!!