Mohs Surgery Post-op follow-up

Posted on January 4th, 2007 by SusieJ

I’m not allowed to laugh or smile for two weeks. This is the advice from the plastic surgeon who sewed me up after the Mohs surgery for skin cancer. I forgot to ask how many stitches I have. They did a great job, doing the best they could to make every patient as comfortable as they could be. U218 Singlesplayed in the background, warm cotton blankets, and the nurses smiled and explained everything. Rebecca, my nurse, made me laugh more than I was probably allowed to. Kindness is the right word here. The Tylenol did help numb the sting as I received the 3-4 shots. All one right after another while they numbed the circle to get the entire cancer. If you are relaxed, things like this don’t hurt as much. (This I learned from childbirth.) And I thought I was ready, and then I realized I wasn’t fully melted into the bed. It’s difficult to fully relax and let go. I finally got there, and was doing great, and then the medicine started to sting, really sting, and then I got very tense, and couldn’t relax. But then it was over in a few seconds.

After a 1-½ hour wait in the waiting room, I was called back in to have more cancer removed. The biopsy from the first cut revealed there was still more. Another shot (still numb for the first, not as bad), more cutting and another 1 ½ wait for another biopsy, and I was all set to be stitched up. Did you know you wear a HAZMAT suit for this? Yep, I had light blue booties, a white jumpsuit and a cap. Thank you all — from the friendly recptionists, the billing department, the support staff and nurses and doctors. My doctor is due to deliver her first baby in a little over a month. I wish her the best. But I will know – because of this cancer, I am now a high-risk patient, and I will be going back every 6 months for scans. This is to my brother — please make your appointment.

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Filed under: Life, health |

2 Comments

Like all of you, I am overwhelmed and am currently working on a plan to eliminate all need for sleep so that I will have enough hours in the day. I'll let you know as soon as I have all the kinks worked out. I treasure your comments and emails. I do read them all.
  1. susiej » Archive » An Empty Nest ~ Jan 6, 2007 at 4:54 am

    [...] A messy house, or is it a memory? The hardest part about my Mohs surgery was waking up to an empty house. Usually, someone has managed to get downstairs before me to spill the cereal on the floor so it crunches when I walk through the kitchen. But the appointment was so early, everyone was still asleep. My biggest worry was no longer the surgery, but that someday they will wake up somewhere else, everyday. Nothing could make me feel “supported” when I felt the quietness of my house. [...]

  2. The Hotel Pool | Susiej ~ Mar 2, 2008 at 8:24 pm

    [...] a perfect place to take my 4 boys while my husband is busy listening to Newt talk. I’ve got plenty of sunscreen, the hotel provides luxurious towels — we’re [...]

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