Poorly informed

Hello Sarah,

You have been through an upsetting facial op and I wonder why they said they hadn’t removed all of the BCC?

Any op on the face is understandably upsetting as it’s so visible. I had quite a large BCC  on the nose with an MOHS op. with skin flap repair. Also  had a lovely black eye and an area that looked awful ( to me and family) but staff reassured that it would heal.

You should have been given some more info about dressings and after care and hopefully a hospital contact number for you to ask questions.

They gave me a printout of the operation, what to do about dressings, a contact number of a nurse led dermatology clinic and an OPD appointment to see the nurse within a few days after the op..
Trying to read with glasses is also difficult by avoiding pressure on the nose, but should improve as the wound heals.I just held the glasses over the nose and not touching whilst  reading Some people use contact lenses. 

Please let us know how you are getting on.

I’m so sorry you haven’t received enough information.  I found a very similar experience to yours after an operation which left me changed forever.  I did find some support and help on this group and on other groups and don’t honestly know what I would’ve done without all the information.  To hope everything goes well for you and good luck in the future.  

Hi i am so sorry to hear about you not knowing or receiving info about your procedure.

I just wanted to say i had a bcc removed from my face in june, and yes it was also a shock to me and how i looked after removal of the bcc. Thankfully its healing well. I was given instructions and follow up check etc. I do not understand why theyve not offered this. Also did they explain why it wasnt all removed.

This group is so helpful. I do hope they explain things when you go back to make you feel more at ease. Keep s posred and good luck

Hi Sarah, I completely agree that there is non existent support for BCC, although several medical professionals have told me that BCC and reconstruction surgery on your face is about as hard as it gets. I have had 3 operations since early December, have been house-bound for almost all of that time, still can't wear my glasses and hit rock bottom this week. I contacted the amazing charity Changing Faces, who were very helpful but so overwhelmed with demand that they cannot offer any counselling at the moment. I am resolved to do something about this, and perhaps campaign for better support services for facial skin cancers when I'm feeling a bit more upbeat. If anyone is interested in contacting me about this, please do. BCCs on faces are increasing year on year and there is a definite need for more awareness and better care. We seem to fall between the services of GP (non existent in my case), dermatology (only involved in initial operation to remove cancer in my case) and plastic surgeons (involved in the reconstruction and still dealing with my wounds but I will soon fall out of their remit too). Good luck Sarah. My best support has come from this forum, not from the medical professionals.