Hi Lou,

How are things with you?

I had my private-pay appointment with the Mohs specialist today. He took one look and confirmed the ‘main’ lesion, the one I went to my GP about, is bcc. That’s the one at the top of my eyelid, under my eyebrow. 

He’s booked me to have it treated via Mohs surgery on the NHS, at the hospital where he does his NHS work.

During that surgery they’ll also take biopsies of the two other spots I had concerns about, though he doesn’t think those are cancer. (yay!) PLUS a small one on my nose which he thinks is also bcc. (Gulp!) But if it needs taking off they’ll do it via Mohs too.

The waiting list will supposedly be about six months but he says that’s safe. (That’s what it would be if I got it done at my local hospital too - and I don’t even know if they’d agree to do it there.)

I really hope you get your appointment soon. 

Hi Dawn, thank you for the update. I’m pleased to hear there was a sprinkling of good news in there about the other two areas of concern unlikely to be cancerous. What a relief! It sounds like speaking to the surgeon was a positive experience and you now have a plan of what’s to come. 

My next appointment is with the Mohs surgeon to talk about the operation but unfortunately it’s not for another 5  weeks. I’m trying to stay positive for the sake of my family but to be honest I’m not dealing with it very well. 

Would be great if you could stay in touch and let me know how you’re getting on.

Thank you Farmer_Ed I’m so nervous, hearing someone else’s experience is a great help. I can’t wait for life to be about other things again and not just skin cancer. 

Many thanks 

 Dawntreader How’s it going? Have you had your hospital appointment yet? 
I can’t work out if I’m more frightened or relieved to get closer to the surgery date. I’m eager to get the cancer removed but in no rush to have scars over my face. 

Hi Lou, no my first appointment at the hospital is scheduled for 31 October. I looked on the hospital website to see what the screening typically involves, as nobody’s given me any info - it sounds like it will duplicate the initial appointment I had with the Dermatologist at my local hospital - but potentially with biopsies, either on the day or sometime soon afterwards. I know your date is relatively soon - refresh my memory please, when is it?

Hi Dawntreader my op is on Monday 3rd November. I’ve also noticed a small area on the side of my nose that doesn’t heal properly. It’s tiny, not much bigger than a large pore. The surgeon said he will take a look when I see him on the operation day. Don’t think I can face another area of concern on my nose. Just when you think it can’t get any more worrisome, something else seems to pop up.

I hope your appointment on the 31st goes well. Not too long to wait now. 

Hi Lou, sorry you’ve got this additional area of concern - but it sounds so tiny that I hope it would be easy to manage, even if it’s bcc. Sounds like some people are able to use non surgical treatments for ultra-mini areas - fingers crossed. I’ve got 4 places on eyebrow, eyelid, side of nose and cheek that were identified by at least one of the three doctors I’ve seen as possible bcc - well the eyelid was IDd by ALL of them as a definite, the others will need to be biopsied - or maybe excised and sent to path lab.
I appreciate you staying in touch with me on this, it’s good to feel like someone understands the situation. 

Hi Dawntreader sorry to hear you also have multiple areas of concern. I hope treatment and answers come your way soon. It’s exhausting having this hanging over you every day. I can’t wait for life to be about other things and not wake up everyday and go to sleep every night worrying about this. 
Keep in touch, let me know how your appointment on the 31st goes. 

Hi Lou, thanks, and the same to you. Not long now for you - I'm going to be keeping my fingers crossed all day on 3/11 that the surgery goes really well and you're left with a tiny, discreet scar that only you will notice. 

Yes I will let you know after my appointment how things go. I'm not that worried and I'm not sure why ...  a bit orf denial? It's strange because I'm usually a terrible worrier!! Please keep posting here if you find it helps, your companionship definitely makes me feel more grounded.

 Dawntreader same here, thank you for staying in touch x 

Hi Lou, just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.
I’m starting to feel a bit of fear in the pit of my stomach now that I’m getting closer to my appointment on Friday. I always go in with a written list of questions but I find the consult often goes in some unexpected direction so you get side tracked. You look at the list but you’re so aware you’re taking up their time so you kind of rush through and realise later that important things haven’t been addressed. That’s my fear at this point - that I won’t get all the information. Some people aren’t worried that way, they’re happy to just put themselves in the NHS’ care and go with the flow. Better for mental health probably!

Hi Dawntreader totally understandable to be feeling fearful the closer the day gets, I feel exactly the same. I think it’s a great idea to go in with a list of questions and have them in your hand when you enter the room. You already know how easy it is to get sidetracked when the consult is talking to you so I think you’ll be fine as you’ll be prepared for that scenario. Let us know how you get on. 
One week to go before my op and my emotions are all over the place. It’s hard to prepare yourself for something when you don’t know what the outcome will be. It’s not a case of well, at least it will be over this time next week. I’m struggling to come to terms with looking different. I know this is going to have a huge impact on my mental health and I’m scared where that will take me.

I hope your appointment goes well on the 31st. I’ll be thinking of you. 

Hi Dawntreader totally understandable to be feeling fearful the closer the day gets, I feel exactly the same. I think it’s a great idea to go in with a list of questions and have them in your hand when you enter the room. You already know how easy it is to get sidetracked when the consult is talking to you so I think you’ll be fine as you’ll be prepared for that scenario. Let us know how you get on. 
One week to go before my op and my emotions are all over the place. It’s hard to prepare yourself for something when you don’t know what the outcome will be. It’s not a case of well, at least it will be over this time next week. I’m struggling to come to terms with looking different. I know this is going to have a huge impact on my mental health and I’m scared where that will take me.

I hope your appointment goes well on the 31st. I’ll be thinking of you. 

Thank you for the encouragement and support Lou. I’ll do the best I can Friday. I’ll let you know what they say and what my next step is.

I’m not surprised you’re feeling wobbly, with surgery a week away. But people posting here about bcc seem to be ok with their surgical outcome - which is encouraging. Have you come across a less successful story that’s preying on your mind?

Hi Dawntreader I think it’s the thought of having a skin graft at the end of my nose and how it’s going to look afterwards. Also the new area of concern on the side of my nose/nostril is getting worse. I haven’t had a diagnosis on that yet but I’m pretty sure it’s bcc, again there is no excess skin to cover the area should it need to be cut out. So many scenarios going round my head right now.

Best of luck on Friday. 

Thanks Lou, the same to you. When you say you’ve not had a diagnosis for the place on the side, have they ‘looked’ at it yet?

Hi Dawntreader the dermatologist said he would look at it when I have surgery on Monday. I’m just exhausted by it all. Some days  it feels manageable and other days it’s a struggle to get my head round it all. 
ill be thinking of you tomorrow, I hope you get all the answers to your questions. 

Thanks Lou, try to enjoy this weekend if you can. I’ll post after my appointment x

Hi Lou, I hope you’re having a good day today. I’m just going home on the train after my appointment. The good news is this consultant seemed sure that two of the bumps (cheek and eyebrow) are just moles. So that’s a relief. The eyelid and side of the nose are bcc which will be removed with Mohs.
The bad news is the waiting list for Mohs surgery is 6 to 8 months - and they have to biopsy first, and the first available biopsy date is 09/12. I wonder how long i will have to wait for the biopsy results before the surgery waiting list clock can start ticking? 

Hi Lou, I hope you’re having a good day today. I’m just going home on the train after my appointment. The good news is this consultant seemed sure that two of the bumps (cheek and eyebrow) are just moles. So that’s a relief. The eyelid and side of the nose are bcc which will be removed with Mohs.
The bad news is the waiting list for Mohs surgery is 6 to 8 months - and they have to biopsy first, and the first available biopsy date is 09/12. I wonder how long i will have to wait for the biopsy results before the surgery waiting list clock can start ticking? 

Hi Dawntreader  What great news to hear that the bumps on your cheek and eyebrow are just moles. It must be such a relief for you. Thankfully a piece of positive news to take away from today’s appointment.

You can get yourself prepared for the next stage now, the biopsy. I’m sorry to hear the wait time for surgery is so long. Perhaps you could call them on the off chance to see if there is availability due to a cancellation and get the biopsy done sooner? It might be worth a try, you never know..  

Thanks Lou, yeah definitely a relief - although still two bccs, it’s better than 4. I did ask the secretary if I could call for a cancellation; she claimed they automatically put people on a cancellation list but she also said I could call, so I think I will. Nothing ventured…

Do you have anything nice planned for this weekend I hope?

 Dawntreader just been out for lunch with my family. It was lovely but can’t get away from what’s just round the corner. It’s all feeling rather surreal the closer it gets. I’ll be in touch next week to let you know how it’s all going. 
I have my fingers crossed for you with making an appointment sooner rather than later.