Recent BCC diagnosed - very confused !

Hello sorry to hear about this it all sounds very stressful.  I had a BCC removed from my scalp 3 months ago.  The biopsy will confirm the diagnosis and also let you know what type of BCC it is.  Mine was a nodular and micronodular one so it was very aggressive and extended well beyond what could be seen.  So I guess the biopsy will help inform treatment decisions too.  I had Mohs surgery and a skin flap rotation.  I will be left with bald patches too but my hair has grown quite long since the op and I can comb it over the patches so it's not as bad as it first seemed. Can you email the surgeon and ask all your questions? Sounds like you need a bit more info. X

Hello - thanks for the reply - I did not expect the consultant to do anything on Saturday so probably did not listen carefully.I did not realise there were different types of BCC - and my GP is very casual almost dismissive as he said it used to called a rodent ulcer -as I said it’s been there for a number of years but seemed to grow more in last few months.Was yours there a short time and do you have to have any follow up ? 

I had mine for at least 4 years as GP wasn't concerned and said it was sebborheic dermatitis.  Eventually it blistered and I had a permanent scab there.  I also went private as I had it so long and NHS were saying I wouldn't get Mohs on NHS and that there would be a year's wait for surgery.  I guess from a doctor's perspective it seems like a cancer not to worry about but for me I have had major surgery on my scalp and been living with an open wound for 2.5 months and will have permanent disfigurement and hair loss so it may be nothing to them but to me it's a big deal.  It seems odd that your consultant removed 75% of it - did they say how big the tumour was? At my first consultation they said they wouldn't do a biopsy or excision straight away because of the size and location. They thought it was 2.5cm at that point. The scalp is a difficult place to have a BCC apparently so more care needs to be taken.  I would definitely write a follow up email as it makes complete sense that you would not remember a thing after getting a diagnosis and having surgery all at the same time.

Hi Phenom - I have been disappointed by the awful situation with waiting times in the NHS and I am a nurse [ psychiatric ) working within the NHS ! I totally agree with your feelings as I am the same - it was traumatic have my head cut open and this piece of gristly stuff removed into a sample  jar the   Consultant who did it was calm and nice and had a trainee with him so he was mentioning the 75 % to her really  -now I will have to have it done again to remove whatever the biopsy turns up.I know he said it almost never spreads to other areas but I am still worried and feel vulnerable and emotionally drained .It was all about the skin healing in between so I would not need a skin graft if it had been taken out all at once it would need a skin graft and would be the size of a 5p coin - except the picture he drew was bigger more like. 50 p coin - so now I am wondering if I heard him correctly .It is no underestimation that the impact of being told you have cancer is very traumatising .I have not told anyone yet - and dreading telling my adult children - it is supportive to have this group though as you really need people who understand what you are going through .Take care Jx

Hi Yorkrose i have read your story and feel so sorry for you.  I have had 2 basal cell cancers removed from my face. One in January with a skin flap and another in March with skin graft.  My gp was quite concerned about them but being in Bupa I have had them done privately.  People think these skin cancers are nothing to worry about but they are wrong.  The one I had skin graft with in March was near my eye at top of nose and I just thought my glasses had rubbed me.  When Plastic surgeon was doing the 0ther one I asked him about it and he did a biopsy at the same time which removed a lot of it.  When I went back for check up he said it was a bcc and needed removal with skin graft taken from the side of my face. At this time it was just a tiny "spot".  In 7 weeks when I went for the operation he couldn't believe how it had spread so quickly was much bigger.  I have had a large incision right up as far up as my tear duct and across the top of my nose.  It is healing now but has looked a right mess for weeks.  It is very traumatising and people don't realise.  I was very emotional all the time after the diagnosis and being 73 a lot to go through but I am getting there now.  This group has been my life line talking to people in similar situations to what you are going through.  It is traumatic having your face and head cut open. I had 50 stitches in my last one but it is healing and getting less noticeable every day.  Was it a plastic surgeon that did your operation, mine was fantastic and talked to me throughout the whole procedure. What hospital did you have it done at.  I was also told that bcc don't spread and my surgeon has assured me thast all skin margins are cancer free.  I did think about havinbg MOHS but would have had to go to Notingham for it and my surgeon would opnly have been involved in the reconstruction and I wanted him to do it as I trusted him.  I am here for you any time you need to talk as others are sympathetic but unless you have been or are going through treatment you don't really understand.  Take care and keep in touch xx

Hi Harlyn - it certainly helps me to talk to others who understand.You have certainly been through the mill — mine is on the scalp but I booked the appointment privately at the Skin surgery a private clinic in Leeds / Bradford area - my consultant works at Bradford Trust as a Dermatologist - but I am not sure if he would do plastic surgery - to be honest I was not expecting him to do anything - so I was a bit taken aback - but because I was so down about it all - I just let him do it ! I am now obsessing about other  skin things and have noticed. A rough patch on or about what would pass as my hip bone if I were thinner ! 
it is very traumatic on your face and near eyes and if you think about it having a skin graft is not a walk in the park is it ? Why the medics are so casual about it is a bit odd - I don’t want to be a drama queen but the psychological impact is real and because of the visible scars should not be minimised .I do not know what this  journey will be like but I am pleased to have found this forum .

Take Care Jx

Hello,

I just wanted to comment on this thread as I have a probable BCC on my scalp too.

I have had this for at least a year that I’m aware of, during covid I did econsults and was treated for psoriasis and I’ve used many shampoos, nothing really got rid of it and it’s got bigger. It probably about 2.5cm by about 2cm, there was a lumpy bit but that was removed on biopsy so it’s quite flat now although I’m not sure if I have another small area too.

I did have a fast track appt as the gp couldn’t rule out melanoma but the dermatologist doesn’t think so and thinks it’s a BCC. Nonetheless, this is still worrying and I’d like it gone asap, but I share all your concerns as this is on my scalp and I’m expecting some hair loss. I was told I would be referred to plastics and probably need a skin graft.

The lesion itself is itchy, not all the time but intensely at times and I wondered if this was the same for you guys?

best wishes X

Hi Poppy

Sorry to hear about your situation .Mine too was itchy - so much so I scratched it off - twice ! Initially I thought it was a spot - but after GP said it was “nothing “ so did not refer me - I scratched off again - not all at once but I was almost subconsciously doing it and in my sleep .

What I am not sure about though is did it start off as non BCC then over time become a BCC - not helped by my attempts of DIY excision !

Mine at the moment like you is flat as the Consultant removed a large chunk for biopsy - although again - it has been diagnosed on sight/ derma-scope by 2 consultants now as a BCC .

I think it is hugely underestimated- not just the psychological aspect but also the surgical processes that treatment entails .

Harlyn - see above - had 50 stitches !   on her face - that is heart rendering and must have been so difficult and worrying - and other individuals have had skin grafts etc.. It is wonderful that they can support others - I hope I can follow their example .

I will update when I get my biopsy result and move to the next stage.

Don't know about you Poppy but I keep thinking about the piece removed for the biopsy - consultant showed me it in the jar and now I am thinking all sorts of odd stuff about how far down did he go etc .. not helpful at all .I am sure in my mind I have multiplied the size of it ….. and so please look after yourself and try to be positive - I try and succeed some time and other times - not so .

Everyone here understands x

Hi York road

I too have a bc. It's been on the side of my nose for about three years now.

It was initially dismissed by a dermatologist as nothing to worry about.

I went back to my gp as it had changed slightly and a different dermatologist diagnosed it as a bc

It's hard not to feel let down. This happened about two years ago and of course has been growing during that time. I'm terrified of the surgery and I'm finding it hard to keep it in perspective

Sorry

Yorkrose

The first dermatologist even told me that at my age I couldn't be expected to have perfect skin and reasurred me I was leaving the hospital skin cancer free when all the time I had a bc

I have to say though that the consultants I've seen since have been lovely but it doesn't alter the fact that it's been on my nose for so long