BCC on nose skin graft op - how to recover?

Graphic maybe but a big relief to know it's still possible. Nice to have a place where you can ask these sort of things and get a decent reply!! X

Hi Rainbow Frantida 

You are so welcome. Listen if you want to ask me anything I really don't mind and I will always be honest with you. I am a nurse by back ground and unshockable.

One thing that really helped post op were ice packs as you may be swollen post op but only for about 2-3 days. A little tip. If you get a hot water bottle and half fill it with water you can either put cool water in it or put it in the freezer as an ice pack. It's great for swelling , discomfort and any bleeding if you have any but do wrap it in a tea towel. Also great for headaches. I had a bit of a headache after surgery and my cold water bottle was a god send 

Best wishes 

Millise xx

Hi again

I am fair haired and have fair skin too.  No one really knows how I got a BCC as I have never sat out in the sun all day, sunbathed or even used sun beds.

The only thing that may have caused was the fact sun creams were probably not as good as they are now in keeping out  the dangerous UVA/UVB rays.  Plus secondly when I was child in the 1970's people were less aware of the sun dangers, so unfortunately for me playing outside as child in the 1970's probably did not help my skin long term.

You can even get sun damage when it is cloudy.  If I am going to be outside any length of time I will always put sun cream on even in the winter months.  I wore sun cream every day in the summer regardless of how long I was outside for.

Ultrasun cream does not stain clothes.  I went to Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia in the summer it was very hot and sunny but I used Ultrasun regularly whilst I was there, and once again none of my clothes got stained by it.  Ultrasun sun cream was developed by skin specialists, and they now even do tinted factor 50 sun protection products.  It can be purchased through many different outlets e.g. Superdrug, John Lewis and QVC online to name a few.  It is not cheap but good sun protection is worth every penny if it helps us from getting further BCC's etc.

Hi Westward 

Same here. I am fair hair ad skinned and grew up in the 70's but from teenage years I was a factor 30 plus girl but I think it's just bad luck. There's no point in apportioning blame but you are right we must protect our skin going forwards so I will definitely check out ultrasun.

Thanks for your recommendation 

Best wishes 

Millise xx

Hello folks,

My surgery today went really well. I had a 15mm diameter excision to remove the lesion and give me a safe margin and then a full thickness skin graft (taken from behind my left ear) to patch me up. The theatre team were really lovely and bizarre though it sounds, I agree with Westward that it was actually rather relaxing having the surgery itself. The only bit that did hurt was the anaesthetic but a lovely nurse, called Faith, held & stroked my hands for this bit which definitely made it bearable. 

My surgeon explained that although they offer MOHS at the hospital, it wouldn't have been suitable for my lesion and neither would flap surgery, as the lesion had grown too big. 

The donor site is on my left ear, deliberately chosen as I prefer to sleep on my right side. 

The dressing on my nose is covered in skin toned tape so it really doesn't look too obvious. 

I've been advised to stay as upright as possible, including at night and to not to lean forward for a couple of weeks or strain, such as when I'm on the loo or at other times as this can encourage bleeding. 

I'm booked in to have the graft reviewed on Monday 30th and have been signed off until the 12th Nov. 

At the moment, my ear hurts more than my nose - a bit like a dull earache. I've taken some paracetamol and feel more comfortable.

I've decided that staying upright will improve my posture no end as I'm normally a bit of a slouch!

I found the whole hospital experience amazingly straightforward. Lovely staff at all stages, highly professional and fun theatre team and a spotlessly clean environment. Definitely going to send some thank you letters. The NHS did me proud today and that deserves some recognition. :-)

Hopefully thongs will stay in track and I'll be out & about very soon, enjoying cuppas with my friends and family. 

Thank you for the fantastic support that you have doled out so far. You've been brilliant and have all helped to make today a success in my head. I'm sure that being positive from the outset has helped me a lot. 

I'll keep you posted. 

Cheers!

Blooming phone. I don't mean 'thongs' I mean 'things' of course!!! ;-) 

Hi Rainbow 

I was thinking about you today and hoping that you would post that all went well for you. Bless you. You can now focus on your recovery.

Take care

Millise xx

Fantastic news, glad to hear all went well, yes try and sleep upright, as I didn't on day 5 and my graft bled, yes the nose injections are not very nice, the nhs are amazing, wishing you a great recovery, keep us updated, ❤

hi. Glad things are going to plan so far. There are some lovely people on here that have been through the same thing and its good to get feedback and advice as your wound heals.

I had skin flap method- under my eye and along the side of my nose in April- so I didnt have as many issues afterwards as some. Still couldnt wear my glasses for a few weeks though. I tried a wad of gauze on the bridge of my nose but varifocals didnt like the shift of position.

 I was self employed and went back to work (with my husband as driver) less than two hours of leaving the operating theatre, and had an interview for a new job the next day-with a face like mine, they had no choice but to give me the job!

6 months later and, other than a very slight redness and feels a little thicker that side, all is well. The numbness gradually faded. I think that took around 4 months before I got feeling back. Now I have one less wrinkle on one side around my mouth. A face lift in instalments maybe?

good luck in the coming weeks. Whatever meets you in the mirror will get better day by day. It may take several months for the full results to be seen but stay string. I took daily photos from the day before i had my op and I look back at them thinking 'how on earth did they manage such a neat job?'

Thank you Jkins for your post. It's early days and I am taking it easy (no job interviews for me!), just the chance to rest and recuperate. 

I am fortunate that when my sick leave rums out I will be able to work from home for a week which will give me time to catch up and also allow the scar to fade a little more. 

Good luck & stay positive to everyone out there 'on the journey'. X