The Saga of My Nose...

Months ago I had a bump develop on the right side of my nose. It dried up and peeled off. When it peeled off it had a hole under it. It seemed to continue to crust up and peel off. I was not really very concerned about it. In the meantime, I had a red spot on my chest that was extremely itchy. It would not go away. Before we left for our Baltic Cruise in May, I made an appointment with Claude dermatologist about the red spot. When we returned home, I went in for the appointment and explained that all the spot needed to heal was a cruise around the Baltic Sea because now that was gone. He asked if I would like to have my entire body examined while I was there to be sure everything was okay. I agreed and told him about my nose. He looked at it first and immediately pronounced it a basal cancer that needed to be removed. Although I have lots of other spots over this aging body, none of them was he concerned about. Dr. Wilson referred me to a surgeon for the spot on my nose. He also did a biopsy of the spot to be sure and to send on to Dr. Pruden, the surgeon. This is how I left Dr. Wilson's office after the biopsy on June 15th. Holy Moly! What a bandage!

I went directly to visit Papa and many found this interesting. 

The next day, June 16th, I took that bandage off and this was my nose at that point.

Finally, July 19th, I had a consult with Dr. Pruden, the surgeon. He looked at it and told me it definitely needed to come off. The surgery for this is called Mohs, named after the doctor who figured it out. Basically you go in and they remove a layer of skin, you hang around while they run tests to see if they got all the margins with any cancer cells. If they got it all the first time they bandage you and send you home. If they didn't, they numb you a little more and remove more skin. This process is repeated until they have clean margins with no cancer cells. Papa had this done of his head and it was only one removal of skin. My sister had it done and I really don't know how many times they removed skin from her nose. But they took a lot and she had to have grafts done. 

The other thing Dr. Pruden explained was basal cell skin cancer of this type comes in two forms. The first grows like a little ball. The second sends out feelers or roots or whatever you want to call them. I had the second kind. Personally, I felt a little ball could come out with a scoop and that would be better. It seemed to me that feelers was not going to be as easy a deal. 

Surgery was schedule for August 21st. I asked if I needed to have my hubby there or if I could come on my own. He suggested Claude come because the bandage over my nose might obstruct my vision to drive. Well that is just a find howdy do!

Tuesday, August 21st, Claude and I were at the doctor's office before 9am. I took this picture before I left home just so I had a 'before' picture. 

Let's just say that those little feelers caused Dr. Pruden to have to cut three times. By the third time he seemed a little frustrated. I believe he really thought it would not be that much. Here are my three bandages in order of their occurrence.

When they called me back the fourth time, we were a mite concerned. As it turns out, they didn't need to cut anymore, they had clean margins after the third cutting. 

After they unbandaged me, I asked to see the wound. I assured the nurse I would function better with a knowledge of what was happening to me. She got a hand mirror and I looked. Well folks, I was looking at a hole in my nose about the size of the end of my little finger under the nail. Clearly I could see cartilage along the top of my nose. Clearly only a thin bit of skin at the bottom of my nose. This was not going to be a few stitches to close.

Dr. Pruden came in and explained they had clear margins and could now determine how to fix me up. His belief was to take a skin and cartilage graft from my ear and use it to try and repair my nose. No prognosis for how I would look after. Will take months to completely heal. But he felt that was what we should do and he would do it right then. The question I was asked was which side I prefer sleeping on. I told him I really preferred sleeping on my right side. That meant the left ear would be the donor of skin and cartilage. An incision was done from the top of my ear to the little part that sticks out in the middle of my ear and the skin and cartilage were then stitched to my nose. Then a piece of yellow gauze was stitched to my skin on the top of all this grafting to add pressure as it all tries to heal together. Goodness. Then, the final bandage.

Claude drove me home with a stop first to get me a Mello Yello. Then a stop at the pharmacy for some powerful medications. A pain killer, an antibiotic capsule and and antibiotic ointment. Then to our home which I was every so grateful to see and be in. I took up residence on the love seat for the rest of the day. Ice bags every 20 minutes out of every hour. 

These bandages were to be left on for 48 hours. Well, I didn't quite make 48 hours but I was close. It seems before these bandages were put over my nose, some gauze with antibiotic ointment was put over the wound. With the movement of my face, the bandage was loose and that gauze finally slipped out about 1:30pm. We got home about 4pm two days prior and that was the time I was aiming for before removing the bandages. I finally gave up as the one over my nose kept popping off. 

WARNING: Ugly photo to follow.

This is what I saw after removal of all these bandages and cleaning up of dried blood.

That is the wad of yellow gauze stitched to my skin. To be frank, it looks like I have a huge booger on the outside of my nose. 

So I go back in two weeks and they take the stitches out and we see where we go from there. Ideally the graft of skin and cartilage will take. I'm being very careful with taking meds, using ice to reduce swelling and covering all this on my nose and ear with the antibiotic ointment. In the meantime, I have sniffles from pollen. Goodness. 

And that is the Saga of My Nose to this point. Prayers appreciated! My children have suggested we search Amazon for nose covers and also that I should have had all this bandaging signed by them like they do on casts. Silly kids!