Basal-cell carcinoma and me. And my ear. And a divot.

[AnotherFairportfan]

So, i don't think that i mentioned here a couple weeks ago that Dr Fogarty told me that the painful scabby place on my ear was probably skin cancer - basal-cell carcinoma, which is usually mostly harmless and easily treated.

He referred me to a plastic surgery practice here in Gainesville.

So i went to the plastic surgeons today, and they chopped a little chunk out of my ear for a biopsy.  (I heard the doctor say they were going to use a 3mm punch, so...)
 
Then they put in two stitches and put betadine on it and said come back in a week to see if it really is cancerous.
 
(Before they took the sample, the doctor checked my lymph nodes - i assume because if basal cell carcinoma does spread, it would be likely to go there first.
 
I include a picture of my ear for your edification (not included here for those who'd rather not see it).

{That's betadine, not blood, on my hair.}

[Jabberwonky]

Sending positive engeries to you, and the wishes for a benign result...

[GlytchMeister]

Well, I'm glad it seems to be a type that isn't likely to metastasize.

You are in my thoughts. Good luck.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

They checked your lymph nodes just in case, because if it DOES get into your lymphatic system, you have to jump on it ASAP or you are completely buggered. It's more of a precautionary measure than anything, but perfectly understandable considering how virulent and lethal it is when it gets into lymph nodes.

Here's hoping it is merely benign. If not, at least you have early detection, so your odds of clear borders are near certain. Either way, you will be in my prayers.

[DinkyInky]

Take care, okay? Well wishes sent your way.

[TazManiac]

Blueberries have been Prescribed for you by Dr. TazManiac, Repeat as Necessary....

[AnotherFairportfan]

Well, i got the results of the biopsy. It's not a cancer, it's "actinic keratosis" - which is pre-cancerous and can lead to worse kinds of cancer* than basal cell, but is relatively easily treated

They said they could excise it, or they could prescribe me a cream that attacks the Bad Cells and leaves the Good Cells alone. And in three months, we'll see what eventualities have eventuated.
 
===========================
 
* Including cancer of the vagina or cervix, which i certainly do not want to chance getting.

[Jabberwonky]

Huzzah!

[Sgt. Howard]

Glad to hear it can be dealt with right quick and easy

[AnotherFairportfan]

We hope.

I have to be vigilant, though - i'm likely to pop more in future years.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

We hope.

I have to be vigilant, though - i'm likely to pop more in future years.

I have a sudden urge to break out in song...

"Now that your ears have been bared... BE PREPARED!"

Seriously, though. Good to hear it is easily treated. Keep on top of it.

[Warrl]

We hope.

I have to be vigilant, though - i'm likely to pop more in future years.

I have a sudden urge to break out in song...

"Now that your ears have been bared... BE PREPARED!"

Seriously, though. Good to hear it is easily treated. Keep on top of it.

Also nice that it's easy to keep an eye on. I had a tumor inside my bladder...

[TazManiac]

blueberries...

[Dave]

Well, it seems to be going around.

I went to see my GP yesterday to discuss two problems: pain in my thumbs, and a spot on my scalp that I had scraped raw when I went through a low doorway and hit my head, which wasn't healing well (there was a perceptible bump).

For the thumbs, he sent me off to X-ray. The results came in this morning. As I suspected, I have moderate to severe arthritic deterioration of the thumb joints. My wife has gone through the same thing, and had to have a fairly extensive joint repair on each hand. We've caught my case earlier, fortunately... but it probably means hand surgery in my future sometime in the next year or so, before the joints start freezing up entirely.

For the scalp, he said "Yes, that looks unusual" and referred me to Dermatology. Wonder of wonders they could see me the very next day: today, after breakfast.

The dermatologist agreed that the bump was abnormal, and not just a blob of scar tissue from repeated abrasion. It's right where my bald spot started forming in my early 20s, and so has had quite a bit of UV exposure over the years... I didn't start wearing a hat while in the sun until about the age of 30.

She recommended that it be biopsied, I agreed, and she did a "shave biopsy" and cauterization and sent me home with a small bandage on my head.

It'll take about a week for the biopsy results to come back in. She thinks it's about a 50:50 chance that it's an actinic kerastosis, such as AFF has. It might have progressed already to being a squalmous cell carcinoma. If the latter I will need to go back in for a somewhat larger skin excision (wider and deeper) so they can make sure to remove all of the bad cells before stitching it up.

Fortunately it was still small... only a few millimeters each way. From what I've read, a small squalmous cell carcinoma in this location is unlikely to have metastasized, and it should be possible to remove it entirely with high confidence.

She looked over the rest of my body and didn't find any other moles or growths which concerned her... that's good news.

So, well see how large a divot in my scalp I end up with once this is over. As long as it doesn't collect rain water and breed mosquitoes I won't complain.

[TazManiac]

... rub blueberries on it....

[Dave]

... rub blueberries on it....

Ok, but I'll send you the bill for getting blueberry stains out of the pillowcase!

[Dave]

Wear your sun-hats, folks.

Use your sunblock regularly.

Do it. Even if you're 18, immortal, and have dark skin and a full head of hair, do it.

The results weren't as good as I hoped (actinic keratosis, like AFF), not as bad as they might have been (melanoma). Sort of on the good side of in-the-middle. I have a small case of the Big C, no question about it.

My biopsy results came back "squamous cell carcinoma", the second-most-common type of skin cancer. Highly curable in this stage, but it's not something to ignore.

The biopsy definitely did not get all of it out (wasn't expected to). The dermatologist recommended and referred me to the clinic's Mohs surgery expert. I attended a "group consultation" session yesterday (a time-saving "what to expect on surgery day" teach-in, and an individual exam by the surgeon). They're scheduling surgeries for people with basal-cell carcinoma a couple of months out, but the surgeon felt mine should be addressed more promptly... and oh, by the way, we've just had a cancellation for 8:30 tomorrow morning, would you like to take it? Of course I said "Yes, please!"

First round is done... she numbed up the area, scraped out the visible bad stuff, then took out a disc about 1 mm deep and 8 mm across. The idea is to get about a millimeter of "clear margin" around the bad cells, so that all of the bad stuff is removed while only the least-necessary amount of good tissue goes with it. The material is on the way downstairs to the lab, where it will be stained and examined. In a couple of hours I should know whether the job is done, or whether she needs to remove a bit more and then re-test. Most people need a couple of cycles to get all the bad stuff out, at 2-3 hours per shot. I was advised that I should expect to be here all day - just waiting for results most of the time, reading, working online, or whatever I want to do.

She confirmed that I have significant sun-damage in other areas of my scalp, that some of these may be precancerous, and that it may make sense to treat the whole zone - there are some medications which can reverse actinic keratosis. To be discussed with my dermatologist.

[GlytchMeister]

Damn, dude...

Good luck.

[AnotherFairportfan]

Wear your sun-hats, folks.

Use your sunblock regularly.

Do it. Even if you're 18, immortal, and have dark skin and a full head of hair, do it.

The results weren't as good as I hoped (actinic keratosis, like AFF), not as bad as they might have been (melanoma). Sort of on the good side of in-the-middle. I have a small case of the Big C, no question about it.

My biopsy results came back "squamous cell carcinoma", the second-most-common type of skin cancer. Highly curable in this stage, but it's not something to ignore.

The biopsy definitely did not get all of it out (wasn't expected to). The dermatologist recommended and referred me to the clinic's Mohs surgery expert. I attended a "group consultation" session yesterday (a time-saving "what to expect on surgery day" teach-in, and an individual exam by the surgeon). They're scheduling surgeries for people with basal-cell carcinoma a couple of months out, but the surgeon felt mine should be addressed more promptly... and oh, by the way, we've just had a cancellation for 8:30 tomorrow morning, would you like to take it? Of course I said "Yes, please!"

First round is done... she numbed up the area, scraped out the visible bad stuff, then took out a disc about 1 mm deep and 8 mm across. The idea is to get about a millimeter of "clear margin" around the bad cells, so that all of the bad stuff is removed while only the least-necessary amount of good tissue goes with it. The material is on the way downstairs to the lab, where it will be stained and examined. In a couple of hours I should know whether the job is done, or whether she needs to remove a bit more and then re-test. Most people need a couple of cycles to get all the bad stuff out, at 2-3 hours per shot. I was advised that I should expect to be here all day - just waiting for results most of the time, reading, working online, or whatever I want to do.

She confirmed that I have significant sun-damage in other areas of my scalp, that some of these may be precancerous, and that it may make sense to treat the whole zone - there are some medications which can reverse actinic keratosis. To be discussed with my dermatologist.

Doubleplus ungood.

[TazManiac]

But Honey, this bathtub full of Blueberries?; why it's Medicinal!

Here, I'll show you, come join me...

(here's to your continuation...)