Skin Cancer and other Stuff

I am starting this blog to document my journey through skin cancer. I have hopes that maybe others will come here looking for information and support.

After my diagnosis with basal cell carcinoma in July 2011, I scoured the internet for information. What I mostly found were worst case scenarios and horrid images. When I found out I would be having Mohs surgery and searched that, the images and articles made my anxiety about the whole thing go through the roof!

So I guess my vision for this blog is honesty and down to earth information. Also a place where I can write about my thoughts and fears about skin cancer.

I will start out with a little back story. I am a 46 year old woman with three adult children who lives in Minnesota. I grew up in the midwest on a farm and even though I am a super fair skinned, red head, I always thought I could get a tan. Being a teen in the late 70's, early 80's having a golden brown tan was important. Those were the years of baking your skin with a coating of baby oil or even better that wonderful, coconut scented oil that they sold everywhere. No one talked about protecting our skin, at least none that I remember. I could not tell you how many sunburns I had as a child. Some even to the extent of blistering.

As a young adult I started hearing about sun screen and frankly, with maturity I really didn't want a tan anymore. I knew that it was impossible, so I gave up that thought. As my children were born and started playing outside, I would slather them with sunscreen and try not to let them get sunburned. There was the occasional slip up, but for the most part I kept them protected. As they became teenagers and more news was reported about skin damage and the harmful effects of the sun, it might even be said that I nagged them about the sun. ;)

For the last probably 20 years or so I have tried to stay out of the direct sun. That isn't a huge problem for me, as I HATE the heat and getting over heated makes me sick, so I take precautions for that to never happen.

But the damage had already been done. Last month I went to see a dermatologist about a completely unrelated issue and before we ever got around to talking about that, he noticed a spot on my face. At that very appointment he numbed it up and removed it and sent it in for a biopsy. Two weeks later at a follow up appointment he told me that it was positive for basal cell carcinoma. Which, he told me, was a direct result of sun damage.

So in a couple days I will be having Mohs surgery to have the cancer removed. To say that I am not anxious or totally freaked out by this prospect would be a lie. But, it is something that has to be done and the good thing about BCC is that it is curable. It's removable. It's survivable. There are many, many worse things that could happen to me, so I try to keep that thought in my head and know that I can and will get through this.

I am going to post some photos of my face, so that later after the surgery it will be easier to do the comparisons.

This first photo shows the little bump that was under my eye that the doctor noticed. I had no idea what it was, it didn't hurt or bleed, so I kind of ignored it. I don't know how long it had been there, but I am guessing between 3 and 5 years? I circled it in red so that you can see it better.