Bcc on nose, treatment options

Hi Bambilegs

will keep in touch definitely, 

good luck xx

Hi Bambilegs

Yeah mines on the bridge of my nose too, under my glasses. Definitely be good to hear how you both get on. 

Frankie - my morning plan after dropping off kids at nursery/school is to get a coffee and make a list of questions - anything you’d recommend asking? I want cure rates!! Lol don’t we all 

x

Bambilegs, you sound so much like my story. 

I was fobbed off for years with annual skin checks from a dermatologist. I had one two months ago, clean bill of health. Then a spot on my nose started acting up, a spot I had pointed out to him and he said "dematitis" and sent me off with steroid cream.  Well, since then the patch seemed to merge with another bit of scarring and grew blood vessels, a tell tale sign of basal cell. 

Now it measures, all said and done, about 3cm across my nose, and 2cm high, right in the middle of it. 

I feel very much like you say in your post, "I am on one-hand absolutely fine about it but on the other hand totally terrified of what is to come." 

I worry it has spread and I will lose large parts of my nose now. 

I should get a surgery date soon, and will be happy to check back in and see how everyone has been doing.

Oh, I was told to make arrangements for my eyes and I wear glasses, and was told it could be a month of more without them. On that note, I went and got contact lenses to get me by.

Hi it’s Frankie1, 

I would ask if MOHs surgery is suitable for you apparently it’s 96% accurate in getting all of the cancer, it’s gold standard for treatment of bcc and squamous cell cancers, and although I didn’t want it or the forehead flap it’s the best for me, because mine is in such an awkward place, I have googled pictures and they are awful not going to lie, but the after pictures are amazing, 

good luck xx

Hi all,

Just an update.

Wasn't too impressed with the oncologists manner!  the first thing he said was so you are a sun worshipper then?  This is the funny part I look like the last person that would step onto a sunbed/sunlounger!  How to set thikngs off on the wrong foot.  I guess it must be from childhood, but I feel like ive had a scar there for a long time hence why I didn't act on it for so long.  Saw a photo from 3 years ago and there it is, albeit much smaller.

Anyway back to the story... radiotherapy sounds logistically like a great option - 10 mins a day for 2 weeks, easy to fit round childcare etc. But I'm not sure I can like with the fragile skin afterwards - avoid knocks?! with a 3 and 4 year old!! and chance of recurrence and secondary malignancies.  He was very blasé about these risks, as if they didn't happen, but they do!  He wanted me to see a MOHS surgeon before making the decision though which I thought was good.

So I have opted to see a MOHS surgeon privately and go today for his opinion.  Off work and single mum so not going to be affordable realistically but I couldn't wait 4 months to see the local NHS MOHS surgeon. Since my biopsy a month ago that removed a 5x3mm area it has already grown another few mm's since then so I can't watch it grow for 4 months, and then wait for surgery too. I'm a little worried because privately they are "selling" their treatment that I wont get  balanced opinion, but he sounds amazing on his website.  

Will write another update after the appointment - thanks for all your support!

Hi, Birwing81,

you can see nhs surgeon privately, that’s what I did because my urgent referral took a month to get typed up and sent to him, I was seen 12/07/10 and am having my surgery on the nhs on01/10/19, to be honest I’ve needed that time to come to terms with it. MOHs 1st then forehead flap then reconstruction, all should take a couple of months to do, I could not afford to do all that privately. I hope you get on ok, please keep in touch 

regards 

Frankie1 x

So to update!

saw the MOHS surgeon privately yesterday. To be honest he pretty much said what I had expected/ needed to hear! He couldn’t understand why my local team wanted me to have radiotherapy in view of my age. I was really concerned about the risks of secondary cancers, and also the fragility of the skin afterwards with two little ones who are very active and we do a lot of rough play!

So I am going ahead with it privately as he can do it on the 3rd - so 2 days after yours Frankie!  Will be a very different surgery though as he is going to do a flap reconstruction as long as it’s not spread too far - hard to know til the day.

He was also reassuring on the growth rate - said the biopsy will have just displaced the existing tumour, rather than caused it to grow. That has made me feel a lot better.

Now I just feel so lucky to have parents that can help me out with the kids post op - he advised do nothing for 24, ideally 48hrs, and pay for this - how will I ever repay them?!

x

Hi Birdwing81, 

so pleased your getting MOHs, it’s gold standard for bcc, I have been sent pictures from a friend who’s client had same op MOHs then forehead flap plus she lost part of nostril, I swear I had to enlarge pictures to even see faint line, were she had surgery and she a perfect nose you really couldn’t tell. 

Good luck 

take  care will be thinking about you

Frankie1 x

Hi

I've been told I can't have contact lenses until my eyes are ok after surgery. What am I going to do?! I am going to have to fashion some sort of spectacle holder so that I can go back to work asap!