Hi Lou, it’s not vain to worry about your appearance, that’s natural. You will hopefully find your doctor will have some good options for you next week. I had an appointment for my bcc today and the doctor mentioned that Mohs surgery is sometimes used for noses as it takes the least healthy tissue off… so you might ask about that.

Thank you for your reply. Is your bcc also on your nose? Don’t worry if you’re not comfortable in giving details. 

Hi Lou, no mine is just beneath the outside edge of my eyebrow … and possibly a second one next to it, within the eyebrow, and also a tiny bump on my cheek, they’re going to get rid of those too, and biopsy them.

Is your nose the only area of concern, I hope? 

Thanks Lou. I can totally understand how you feel about the bcc. I’m a little worried about my ‘main’ one in case the scar ends up pulling on my eye. Don’t feel guilty about being worried, I mean at that rate none of us would ever be able to worry about ourselves cos someone in the world is always worse off. But our emotions don’t work that way. Have you got someone to talk to about it?

Hi, to be honest I haven’t really told many people yet. I’m still digesting the news. I’m sorry to hear you have similar issues which are worrying you. Do you have a date when the procedures will be taking place? 

Yeah I'm the same, have only told my ex partner, who actually is facing his own serious illness issues. Which kind of helps me put my issue into perspective, it's minor in comparison. 

I don't have a date, no - I could apparently get regular excision in about 3 weeks, but I elected to get a referral to the NHS Mohs surgeon, to see if he thinks Mohs is a better option. Because the main bcc is relatively near my eye, and there's possibly a second one next to it, nobody seems to know if that's a bcc or just a cyst, or what. The plastic surgeon I saw this week said I should just get excision and get it over with - but I keep reading that Mohs is the 'gold standard' for facial bccs. Long waiting list though.

What day is your appointment to discuss treatment, will it be with Dermatology or Plastics?

I’m sorry to hear your ex also has health issues. That must be really tough. 
I’m really not finding it easy talking to people about this. So thank you for staying in contact. 
I’ll be interested in hearing how your appointment for Mohs surgery goes. I hope it is a positive one. Was the discussion with the plastic surgeon useful. Were they happy to give you a choice of how to treat the BCC?

My appointment on Wednesday is with a dermatologist who is also a surgeon. I’ll get back to you to let you know what he says. I’m so nervous and anxious it’s making me ill. 

Thank you for sharing your experience with me. 

Hi Lou, sorry you’re struggling with the anxiety. I really hope once you see the dermatologist on Wednesday and have a concrete plan it will feel easier. I’m very interested to hear what he/she recommends. 

The dermatologist I saw argued for the excision route but she seemed not to mind making the referral to the NHS Mohs man. But she warned it could be a long wait. So meanwhile I’ve made an appointment - self-pay - with a Mohs specialist I read about on google, to get his opinion which route I should go down. That’s in a week.