ANOTHER CANCER — JUST IN TIME FOR SKIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Welcome to WELLNESS WEDNESDAY everyone. May just happens to be SKIN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH – and as if it’s arrival had been scheduled — I have another skin cancer.
Now, the good news is that this skin cancer is not melanoma. Rather, it’s a squamous cell cancer. It’s not as serious, but it still requires surgery as it can develop into something very serious if it’s not taken care of.
More good news is that I practice what I preach. I am aware of the signs of skin cancer; I know my own body and I undergo a full body check every year.
Now this particular cancer is right on top of my head. And with apologies to my gentlemen friends, it’s something that one expects to find on the head of a very vulnerable bald man who’s never worn hats or sunscreen – not the head of a woman with five pounds of thick, long hair.
Yet, as I always say, skin cancer can occur anywhere on anyone.
Now mine developed from a little bump that I’ve been aware of for a few years. We’ve been keeping an eye on it; we check it every year and we’ve frozen it twice. But this year we conducted a biopsy and sure enough, it had changed and is now a squamous cell skin cancer.
Fortunately, because I’ve been diligent about skin cancer awareness, this cancer was caught early and is completely treatable.
The surgery that I’ll undergo later this month is called a MOHS MICROGRAPHIC procedure. It’s a wonderful surgery that minimizes damage to healthy tissue while making sure the cancerous tissue is completely removed.
And this is how it works.
First, it’s on an outpatient basis. I’ll drive myself to the hospital and check in. Then the top of my head at the cancer site will be anesthetized with a local injection.
Once the area is numb, my surgeon will don her “special glasses” for a good close look at the site. She will begin scraping the cancerous tissue and a very narrow margin of surrounding tissue. This is known as taking a “layer” or a “stage.”
Then my surgeon, who also is the pathologist, will check the tissue under a microscope. If the narrow margin of tissue around the cancer is cancer-free, the procedure is over. She will dress the wound, maybe put in a stitch or two, and send me home.
If, however, the surrounding tissue also contains cancer cells, my surgeon will come back to me, begin scraping again and take another “layer” of tissue. She will immediately take this sample, check it again under the microscope to inspect for more cancer cells. If she still finds some, she will return to me and scrape another “layer” of tissue.
This process will continue until the tissue around the cancer site is healthy and free and clear of any cancer cells.
During this time, the patient (me!) will sit in the waiting room between rounds. I can read, watch TV, eat lunch – pretty much do anything one can do from a sitting position – until the coast is clear and I can leave.
Now, I may leave with a bandage on my head. It all depends on how many “layers” of my scalp have to be removed. Because, this is a small localized cancer that we caught early, we’re hopeful the tissue removed will be minimal.
And in case you’re wondering, the scalp is a very durable body part. The hair follicles are typically left in tact and if some of the patient’s hair is removed, it usually grows back.
In the alternative, the surgeons today are so skilled! There are many ways to close the surgery site so that if some of the hair follicles themselves are removed, the surgeon can use stitches, or a little skin transplant, or something called a “flap” to cover any holes in the scalp or bald spots in the hair. In fact, there is usually a plastic or cosmetic surgeon standing by just in case the surgery site needs a little special attention.
Of course, I’ll have more to report after I actually undergo the surgery. Funny, after all the cancers I’ve been through and all the procedures and treatments, I’ve never undergone a Mohs.
So, this is a new one for me. And I’ll definitely keep you posted!
In the meantime, thanks so much for joining me everyone! Until the next time, please take care of yourselves, stay in GOOD HEALTH and . . .
TAKE THE COURSE AND TAKE CHARGE!
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