Here’s Your Reminder….

Please go regularly to your dermatologist and get screened for skin cancer. It’d been several years since I’ve had a check-up.

I’ve had a mole on my forehead for a year or so and recently it seemed to be changing. I had a friend who had recently shared that she went for her annual check up and they found a considerable sized skin cancer in the middle of her forehead that went from her hairline almost down to her eyebrows. That motivated me to make an appointment. The images of her experience are intense!!

On my initial appointment they did a biopsy of that mole. It wasn’t too bad and it only needed a tiny band-aid. They didn’t see any other suspicious areas. Whew!

About a week later they called with the results that it was in fact a basal cell carcinoma. Which, if you’re going to have a type of skin cancer, basal cell is the slowest growing and very rarely metastasizes. But it’s still cancer and you need to get it removed.

A couple of weeks later I was scheduled to do Mohs surgery (named after the doctor who invented it) to remove it. During this procedure, the surgeon removes thin layers of skin one layer at a time and examines each layer under a microscope to determine if any cancer remains. This procedure continues until only cancer-free tissue remains.

Thankfully, they only needed to do one round of removal for my case. I received internal and external stitches. They warned me that it was possible to have tension headaches and possibly black eyes because of the location and how gravity works. I definitely had headaches. The skin felt super tight. But luckily I didn’t really get black eyes. Just a lot of swelling.

Not the most flattering picture of me there on day 4. Haha!

I was able to get the external stitches removed on day 12. I was nervous. The last time I had stitches removed it was very painful. The nurse did an AMAZING job and I didn’t feel a thing!!! Very thankful for her!

I have a bit of divot in my forehead now but I think over time it will even out. I’m supposed to follow up and have another skin check in 6 months. I’m so grateful for my friend who shared her experience and that my case wasn’t more serious. It wasn’t fun but I know it could have been so much worse!

So if my story can help one of you, please go and get checked soon!!! Now, if I can get Jared to go…