My Melanoma Mohs Surgery

Hello friends, I wanted to share my experience having Mohs surgery.

In case some of you do not know, Mohs surgery is defined as the highest quality of care available for skin cancer patients.

For skin cancer, the highest curable rates is achieved using Mohs micrographic surgery.

If melanoma is recognized and treated early, it is a good possibility it is curable, but if not found early, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. While it is not the most common of the skin cancers, it causes the most deaths.

Some of you might be offended by my images below.  I try to share my experience with my readers. If you are faint of heart, you might want to  leave now.

It is all done in the doctor's office.  It is basically an all day event. We arrived about 9:15 AM.  My appointment was 9:30.  We left the office after 5:00 PM.

There were patients there waiting to hear their results after having their surgery.

Most had skin cancer on their faces.  Head, cheek, ear, and nose.

I was definitely in a different situation since my Melanoma skin cancer was on my chest.

The Mohs surgery is done while patients are awake and alert. You are given injections of anesthetic.  The injections numb the area around where the skin is removed.

Once the anesthetic takes effect, the surgery can begin. The surgeon starts by first cutting out the visible skin cancer. Next, the surgeon removes a thin layer of surrounding skin. 

You’re then bandaged so that you can wait  in the waiting room.  My husband went out to buy us lunch.  We sat in the car and enjoyed our lunch.

While you wait, the Mohs surgeon looks at the removed skin under a microscope. The surgeon is looking for cancer cells. If cancer cells are found, you’ll need another layer of skin removed.This process of removing a thin layer of skin and looking at it under a microscope continues until the surgeon no longer sees cancer cells.

Fortunately for me, I did not need a second cutting.  At the end of the day, I was brought back and numbed again.  After waiting longer, I was transferred to the big operating room where the doctor cut arrows on each side of my circular incision. If he was to stitch up a circle, there would be puckering. So to avoid the puckers, two incisions are made on opposite ends of the circle.  The wound looks like a football.  The incision is pulled together to create a straight stitch line.

I have to say, it is painful.  I am resting.  Hopefully the scar line will be minimal.

You can see the football shape here on my chest.  When I texted my husband a photos, he said Wow! My husband also said, if the incision went higher, it would connect with my horizontal thyroid incision and look like a cross.

If you have a scar, congratulations!  It is a badge of  courage, healing and life.

Every scar tells story.  Most Mohs surgeon  are dermatologists who have completed extensive training in Mohs surgery. Below is my stitchline. Dr. Bricca said it is skin sewing.  I go back next week to check my incision.  The stitches are dissolvable.  I have learned to embrace all of my scars.

Dr Bricca and his staff are fantastic.  The hardest part is the waiting.

Don't forget those skin checks. It's very important to catch any signs of cancer, whether it's Melanoma,  Squamous Cell Carcinoma, or Basal Cell Cancer.

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About Linda @ Life and Linda

Hello, welcome to LifeandLinda. I am from Northern California. I enjoy blogging, Designing Blogs, Decorating, cooking, entertaining, gardening and clogging. I hope you enjoy your visit.